Blindfolded In Havana
June's Other Adventures
In my usual manner, I packed the night before and then fretted the whole flight about what I forgot – and remembered what I forgot as soon as I saw the sandy beaches from the plane window. As I’m hyper about protecting my skin, the first thing we did once we arrived at the resort was to purchase that forgotten sunscreen – at a price probably triple what we would have paid at home. In hindsight we agree that was the only thing that was overpriced in Cuba. We stayed at Sandals Royal Hicacos in Veradero Beach and found it to be a beautiful resort and very reasonably priced.
On day one, I covered my face and body with my newly purchased sunscreen and soaked up the sun in the usual tourist manner. It was wonderful to feel that heat.
On day two I woke up with red and swollen eyelids – the redness went right up to my eyebrows. I thought I must have forgotten to put sunscreen on my eyelids and had the worst case of sunburn ever so I smeared more of my new sunscreen on the red and swollen area and went back down to the beach for the day. By noon my eyes were even more swollen and really starting to hurt so I ventured up to the room to wash my face and give my eyes a good rinse. The sight of me in the mirror was startling – my eyes were scarlet and my eyes were almost swollen shut. Not a pretty picture indeed. During the day it dawned on me that it couldn’t possibly have been sunburn as I always wear a wide brimmed hat and sunglasses.
I headed off to the resort medical office, only to find the doctor’s office had closed at noon and would not open until Monday morning – and it was now Saturday afternoon. I stayed in the shade for the rest of the afternoon and tried a wet cloth across my eyes but the weight of the cloth created too much pressure and pain. It was early to bed that night as the pain was too intense to watch the after dinner stage show.
Sunday we had already prepaid a taxi ride into Havana – a two and one-half hour drive at the best of times. My husband kept telling me to look at this or that but in order to see I had to force my eyes open and even then my sight was so blurry I couldn’t make much out. Lucky for me my husband was meeting some people he knew in Havana and as soon as they saw me they said I had to go to the International Hospital and one fellow’s wife agreed to take me. She was my lifesaver and I will be forever in her debt. She directed the taxi driver to the hospital – did you know that Havana is a city of a size comparable to Toronto? The doctor on call took one look at me and said an ophthalmologist was required and seeing as it was Sunday morning I must wait until that doctor arrived from her home.
So it wasn’t sunburn afterall – in fact I probably exacerbated the problem by applying more sunscreen. I’ve never experienced an acute allergic reaction but that’s what she said this was and I had in fact burned off the outer layer of my cornea. She was brutal with the eyewash and the gunk she applied and then taped two gauze patches over my eyes to keep the gunk in. Then two shots – one an antihistamine and the other a relaxant - and two prescriptions to take with me and she set me off into the world of the dark for a minimum of 24 hours.
Instead of touring Havana for the afternoon I was put to bed to let the eyes heal. There is no way to describe the helplessness that one feels when one suddenly loses their sight. The brain kicks in to remember your surroundings but that is difficult when even they weren’t really familiar. I became totally dependent on my husband to guide me, to apply my lipstick and comb my hair, and to order my dinner, cut my meat and place my food on my fork. Our friends had a great time the next day teasing me about what I ate. I even went to the stage show that night after dinner and listened to the music with a new sense of hearing.
At the end of my 24 hours of darkness the resort doctor took off my patches it was such a relief to look at his face – and actually see it. Another prescription and a written list of instructions and I was off – back into the world of the sighted.
So what did I learn in Cuba – I learned that they have a wonderful medical system. Apparently my treatment was no different than what a Cuban resident would have received, even though I was at a hospital for foreigners. My total cost to see three doctors, including a specialist who gave up part of her Sunday, for two shots and three prescriptions was just over $100 Cdn. I learned that they are very caring people and dedicated to the careers that have been chosen for them. I also learned that every Cuban is an employee of the government and as there is no free enterprise in this country, there are also no taxes.
Will I go back to Cuba – you bet. And the next time I hope I can actually “see” Havana.
June Oliver
March 22, 2006
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