Porto Santo - A Tour of the Island, and a Visit to the Hospital!
Niord's Big Adventure
Tony Gratton
Sat 19 Aug 2023 13:49
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Friday 18/08/2023 Porto Santo
Tony's chest is getting no better despite consuming
copious amounts of Paracetemol. We have booked a bus tour of the island, and by
the time we have had showers, then lunch onboard, we are in a rush to get to the
rendez-vous in time. The marina decided to change the entry system to the
showers overnight, and we now need a card to get in. Said card only works for
the gents, so Claire has to make do with that while Tony and Rob stand guard
outside!
The bus tour is fantastic, with some amazing views,
though we wonder if we will have to walk back at one stage as the bus refuses to
start at our last viewing point. After much scratching of heads, and a phone
call, the driver finally coaxes it into life.
On returning to town Tony bows to the inevitable, and
takes a trip to the hospital. There's quite a queue to get in, but after a while
he explains the problem, and settles down to wait. He gets to see a doctor quite
quickly, and shows him his medical notes. The doctor is very serious. He gives
Tony a lecture about how he should have come in sooner, the dangers of
internal bleeding and neutropenic sepsis, and tells him in no uncertain terms he
needs to be much more careful! Three X-rays later, and Tony realises the gravity
of the situation. He sits like a naughty schoolboy in front of the stern doctor
again. He announces the news. Tony has a broken 5th left rib. Luckily, there is
no internal bleeding, no perforated lung, and the prognosis is good. Strong
painkillers are prescribed, and Tony is banned from flying or diving for a
month. Our return plans and Schengen management is in tatters!
Tony is so relieved, after passing the news onto Karen,
he and Rob have a massive beer while waiting for Claire who is visiting her
favourite shop again. Claire goes for a swim while Tony and Rob share a litre of
Sangria. We walk along the beach to a restaurant recommended by our friendly
immigration officer, and have a steak with a bottle of Douro. The walk back is
painful for Tony, and he realises he needs to rein things in once he starts on
the painkillers. The dinghy ride back is uneventful, and so to
bed...
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