by Ron Russell
My sniffles started mid February, a little later than usual. As the month progressed the jacaranda trees burst into bloom and the dry season approached. Lakesiders love this time of year. Yellow flowers burst forth on the primavera and purple blossoms blanket the jacarandas throughout our wondrous mountain valley.
Lawns in La Foresta soon adorned their purple carpets. The aroma sweetened the streets. Bees buzzed every tree. My eyes began their ritual tearing, crusting up early each morning. My nose alternated between running and being completely congested. I plied the farmacias for current cure-alls. My family teased that maybe I was allergic to the colour purple and not the jacarandas, after all I always complained about lilacs in the north.
March, the headaches began. Unusual really, the jacaranda blooms were past their prime. As the pain increased my stubbornness towards accepting medical treatment declined. The ides of March brought migraines. I had never been so uncomfortable. Tylenol for breakfast and midnight snacks.
We had planned a trip back to Ontario for mid April and I still resisted visiting the Doctor. But on a sunny Thursday morning, the first week of April, my wife convinced me it was time. He theorized a sinus problem, perhaps polyps. I thought polyps grew in a lower geographical location. An appointment was made for blood tests and x-rays later that same morning. I carried the results back to my Doctor’s office. He was out to an emergency but called early the next morning. The tests indicated polyps in the lower sinus cavities and perhaps in the upper. The severity was not conclusive so he suggested a CAT scan early Monday morning in Guadalajara. I convinced him to make it mid day, not wanting to face Monday morning traffic in Guad. The clinic turned out to be across from my favourite Italian restaurant just off Minerva circle. We waited for 15 minutes before I was called. Clutching my Spanish for Dummies phrase book I was escorted down the carpeted hall to the CAT scan wing. The technician spoke perfect English, and smiled at my reading material. Twenty minutes later I was back in the waiting area. Within the hour I was handed the scans and an evaluation by the Clinic’s specialist. We dropped off the results to our Doctor’s office just before closing.
Nine o’clock that evening our Doctor telephoned to confirm the diagnosis. It was a severe case of polyps blocking both sinus cavities. A teleconference had been held with the Clinic specialist and a surgeon at the University of Guadalajara Medical School. The surgeon could be available late Wednesday afternoon if I agreed.
Wednesday at 3:00 pm I checked into the Ajijic Clinic Hospital. The surgeon, his anesthesiologist and my Doctor were already preparing the operating room. Shortly after 4:00 o’clock I was wheeled in. The procedure was explained to me. My Doctor handled the EKG machine. I counted backwards and fell asleep at 96. It seemed like I awoke on 95, operation over and back in my room. My Doctor reviewed what they had found. He left but called in again at midnight. A nurse sat in the hall all night. I learned the hospital was empty except for one pampered patient.
Next morning I arrived back home. From the first Doctor’s appointment it took just one week before I was home again enjoying ginger ale and lots of attention.
The following week we packed up and headed north.
The good news…in the next two jacaranda seasons my allergies subsided quickly. By the third year I had no reaction to the colour purple at all. The bad news…the polyps could grow back. But where in the world could a similar problem be so quickly diagnosed and treated. Only in Mexico you say!