Phew!

I'm home from my 'vacation', tired, sad, and wondering where three weeks went.
The trip to Williamsburg, VA, was supposed to be a fun and enlightening trip for three of us. It was enlightening, but only on the health care system in Williamsburg. My friend, Beth who had dreamed of visiting Wiliamsburg again after 10 years, took seriously ill and if she hadn't got to Sentara hospital in time she might have died. Sentara is the best healthcare facility I have ever seen. The care she was given for almost 3 weeks was impecable, the staff was top notch.
The other friend on the trip was incredable in how she dealt with the whole situation. She was the Power of Attorney for Beth, as well as the driver of the van. She and I spent many hours at Beth's bedside every day and also dealing with legalities, air transport for Beth and home care when she was finally flown home. There was so much drama, so much aggravation (not from hospital staff) that the 2 day drive back to Ontario seemed like it would be a rest. Not So!!! Many cellphone calls, from Ontario (interference from family members, non cooperation from the patient) it was a roller coaster ride for our emotions.
There was a silver lining to the dark cloud. I got to know our travelling companion better, had some laughs with her about the whole situation, learned how to shop the outlet malls and oh, yes, we did see some of the heritage part of Williamsburg and travelled around the area.
There is still a lot of hospital visiting coming up as Beth was transferred to our local facility and will stay there for a few weeks until the meds get her up and around.
People, please, please, take care of your health. Talk to your doctor about your complete health care, don't just take pills to aleve pain. Exercise your mind and body. We seem to take better care of our cars than our bodies, in my opinion.