Blame It On The Moon? Hernia surgery in Costa Rica.

Today we have an appointment for a follow-up visit with Rob’s surgeon. His hernia has healed but he is getting some discomfort near the incision.

Rob feels that he should have no pain and be able to go back to his Herculean work-out regimen. Even though other people have said it will take a while, my husband believes his superior Italian genetics should allow him to heal faster than the average mortal.

It’s no surprise that when we arrive at the hospital the waiting the room is filled with people. However, today I come prepared with a few things to keep me busy: Sudoku puzzle, WWII history book, and a roll of toilet paper. I have learned all three are invaluable while visiting this Costa Rican public hospital.

After a couple hours, the same doctor who performed Rob’s surgery waves us in. He is still sporting the same Groucho Marx mustache from our last encounter. Rob describes the slight discomfort he is having so the doctor tells him to drop his pants.

“Aqui?” Groucho says as he pokes at a spot just below his scar.

“Yes, there. How did you know that it hurts right at that spot?”

“Si, el lunes.”

Rob pulls up his pants and asks me if I understood what he said. We mumble back and forth to each other, “What does he mean? Lunes means Monday… what do you think … maybe he’s asking when the surgery was.” Rob and I negotiate like we are in the middle of a corporate buyout.

My husband insists the man wants to know the date of the surgery, walks over to the desk, and grabs a Dora the Explorer calendar off the wall. None of this makes any sense to me since Groucho is already staring at the file with all the medical information. The frustrated Doctor gets up and darts out of the room.

“Great, you just ticked off your surgeon,” I say to Rob. “I knew it wasn’t about the date of the operation.” In a few minutes, the doctor walks back in holding a different calendar in his hands.

“Lunes, si?” he says as he points to the days with a full moon. “The moon,” he says in English.

I take a moment to consider this diagnosis and display, what I imagine is, the typical quizzical expression one might get when learning a celestial body is responsible for residual hernia pain. Remarkably, it’s also the same expression I had when I learned there was no toilet paper in this Costa Rican hospital.

Once again, Rob and I go back and forth over the possible merits of a moon diagnosis.

“Well, there are gravitational pulls” I say. “The tides roll in and out… people’s arthritis gets worse when it rains… why not your hernia with a full moon?”

“Makes perfect sense, I’m a crippled werewolf.” Rob then asks when he can work out. He does this by going into a posing routine similar to one seen on a Mr. Olympia stage.

The doctor leans back in his chair surely wondering why these two nitwits are still in his office, especially the one doing a rear double bicep pose. “Two months,” he says before escorting us out the door and handing us a prescription for Ibuprofen. Not inner galactic Ibuprofen, but actual earthly drugs that will likely help with the inflammation.

Once home, Rob collapses on the couch and asks me to pour him a cup of coffee. When I suggest he do it himself, he explains he can’t… moon pain requires him to relax for the rest of the day. It turns out this uncommon diagnosis suits him just fine.

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Written by Nadine Hays Pisani who was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey and attended Rutgers University. Nadine moved to Costa Rica in 2007 with her husband and dog, Clementine. When not writing, you can find her at the beach, on the back of a scooter, or frantically tossing scorpions out of her bed. She shares her weekly adventures on her blog: Happier Than A Billionaire.

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Andrew Makarik

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Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.