Monday, March 9, 2015

For many years I had fantasized about spending time in Cuba learning about their medical system. This morning I got to experience medicine in Cuba first hand as a patient. Yesterday, while walking in the street in a part of town that still needs renovation, I tripped and fell. I remember saying to my sister before I left, “I hope my impaired vision doesn’t trip me up on this trip.” Well, it literally tripped me up. With reduced peripheral vision and no depth perception, I fell in a hole in the street while looking at the sights, twisted my ankle, sprained my knee, and tore the ligament at the base of my left thumb. Even with ice it was quite painful and swollen. I thought it would be best to get an x-ray at the emergency room to make sure there was no fracture in my left hand.

One of our guides drove me to the hospital for tourists. I was seen immediately by the doctor on duty who took a detailed history and did a thorough exam of my extremities. X-rays were taken with a method that I haven’t seen used in thirty years. No fracture detected. The entire time spent in the ER was less than an hour. It was actually a pleasant experience. When I was in the pharmacy to pick up the ace wrap, I was told that all their medicines were made in Cuba since they were hard to get from abroad. The Cuban doctors have had to rely on their clinical skills (thorough history taking and complete physical exams along with finely honed diagnostic skills) to make up for lack of advanced equipment. They also rely on alternate methods of healing as well, like herbal medicine and acupuncture.

When I get home, I will ask my friend and skilled pain management specialist, Jonas Skardis, to inject me with platelet rich plasma, similar to prolotherapy, to reconnect the ligament which I believe is partially torn off the bone. I’m not worried because I know it can be repaired—without surgery.

When I joined up with the rest of the group, they were just finishing exploring the museum of musicology. The name of our trip is “Sounds of Havana.” Even though the travel restrictions have been partially lifted, at the time of our trip we still needed to have a purpose that fit the categories that were authorized to enter Cuba from the US. Our category was educational, specifically to learn about music and dance in Cuba. Celia made sure our schedule included instruction in both those areas.

One of Rodrigo’s many projects for the betterment of Cuba is the Community Project Espiral, a grassroots organization dedicated to educating young people on environmental issues and sustainable development. We discussed with the students, as young as 14, and professionals what some of the pressing issues in Cuba are and what they each personally were doing about it. The devotion to their country is inspiring. Throughout our trip we frequently heard about the hunger for technology so they could use their skills more effectively.

In the afternoon, we got an invigorating dance lesson from the students we had watched perform the day before. We learned the Cuban version of salsa which is way more sexy and sensual than what I learned in New Mexico. We also learned how to do the Rumba and what each of the movements mean, related to a stylized sexual encounter, called “vaccination,” which implies impregnating the woman dancer.

In the evening we had dinner next to an old Spanish fort called El Morro then went to La Cabana Fortress where we watched the nightly ritual of soldiers dressed in the 17^th century uniforms of the Spanish army march around the perimeter, along with horse and buggies, and conclude the performance with the blasting of the cannons aimed out over the bay at 9 pm.

In the evenings our group usually goes dancing or something else that’s fun. I haven’t been staying out late and joining in on the dancing, even though it sounds like a lot of fun. The day is so packed with one event after another, I need to have down time—and keep searching for a good internet connection. It’s an elusive quest. Using the internet here is like watching the grass grow. I am getting a good exercise in patience. The Cubans I talk to assure me that the problem will be solved soon once the new trade agreements are put into place.

On my way home I wander over to the iconic Malecon, a broad seawall next to an esplanade that stretches for 5 miles along the Havana coastline. A friend who has a special connection to Cuba as a child, gave me a heart-shaped rose quartz to take to Cuba and throw into the sea from the Malecon. Along the way, I saw fishermen, lovers, artists, and lots of friendly people enjoying the end of the day.

 Buenas Noches, mis amores.

 

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