Hope We Never Have a Medical Emergency

Last Friday, Bob noticed that if he moved his right eye a certain way, he saw what looked like a lightning flash off to the side. That continued for a couple of days, then, yesterday (Sunday) he started seeing "floaters" in that same eye.

So, of course, we did a little internet research and came to the conclusion that he needed to see an ophthalmologist. Bob texted 2 different long-time islanders we know, and both responded with the same doctor's name. Being unfamiliar with this doctor, however, he also looked into flights that evening to get us back so he could go see our eye doctor in Plano.

Bob then called Dr. Scharf in Plano and left a message at his office. In less than 10 minutes, Dr. Scharf returned his call, assured him that since his vision seems to be fine otherwise there is very little chance that it is anything to worry about, and suggested he go see the doctor here when he can just to be certain. He did, however, add that Bob should not to do any sky diving or bungee jumping :)

Feeling somewhat reassured, Bob next left a message at the office of the St. Thomas ophthalmologist.

This morning, Bob got up and planned to go straight to the ophthalmologist's office and sit there until they would examine his eye. Before leaving, tho, he called and actually got through to someone. He was told not to come in Monday - or Tuesday, but to come in at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Then they added, "But that doesn't mean that you'll be seen at 10. We don't know when you'll get in to see the doctor." Bob asked if he could make an appointment. "No. Our computers are down." Any idea when your computer system will be back up? "No. Our IT guy has a full-time job elsewhere."

From other stories we've heard, our experience is typical of most medical care here on St. Thomas. It's also another example of the St. Thomian attitude that "the way things are is the way things are" with no hope of it changing or any real expectation that change would make things better - especially change that is brought in by "people from the States."

And don't even get me started on how a one-car accident can interrupt electrical power for the entire island - for 3 days. "The way things are is the way things are"

*** Update ***

Bob flew back to Dallas to see Dr. Scharf. After an eye exam, the doctor confirmed that all is well and predicted that Bob's brain would learn to ignore the floater "in a couple of weeks or a month or a year or never" :)

Stand-up Paddle Boarding

The first time I saw someone doing this, he looked like he was just paddling effortlessly and gliding along the surface. Despite my lifelong coordination issues, (my mom always said I couldn't walk & chew gum at the same time - love you, Mom!) I really wanted to try this. Since that first time, we've not only seen people "stand-up paddling" in calm, protected waters, but we've also seen some guys paddling out through the waves, riding the waves in like regular surfers, then paddling out again to repeat the sequence. 

After the winter months of relatively rough water even in the bay our condo overlooks, Bob & I went to the beach there one calm afternoon. After reading & signing 4 pages of warnings and waivers, I was ready to take to the board! The guy working in the rental bungalow gave me a few instructions, a few suggestions for where I should try paddling, and one warning: "go wherever you want, but if I can't see you, I can't save you." 

As suggested, I started out kneeling to get a feel for the board and the paddling. Once I stood up, I found that it was easier to balance than I had expected - remember, tho, I had purposely chosen a very calm day. The paddling, however, required more effort than I had expected. At first, I was barely dipping the paddle into the water, so I had a hard time steering. In fact, while I never did lose my balance and fall, I did have to jump off the board one time to avoid hitting a boat moored in the bay :)

Despite the almost calm winds, I could really tell when I moved into the less sheltered area. One of the instructions I had received was "your body is the sail,"and that was really helpful when I got into an area where I couldn't move forward at all. I "lowered my sail" by returning to a kneeling position and was finally able to paddle forward again.

The verdict? More work than I'd expected, but definitely something I'd like to do again. Come on down and join me!