Mexicali---any updates?

[citygal 0]

Just checking in on the folks who are in Mexicali or flying down today or tomorrow for thier sugeries. I am scheudled to fly out Thursday and NOW my friends are freaking out. They are worried about aftershocks during my procedure.

I heard some of the hospitals can postponed procedures for today and were on generators. Come hell or high Water....may have now be come hell or earthquake!

I hope everyone there is safe and recuperating....please keep us posted

[Dalisgirl 1]

Oh...Citygal....

I'm SUPPOSED to fly down at the crack of dawn tomorrow and I have been up ALL night (til 7 am) watching the News. I do not know what to do as of yet. So confused and now feeling stressed. My daughter is on Spring Break this week, perfect time for my surgery. Otherwise, I might have to wait until summer. Was SOOOO looking forward to this and am wondering if I should cancel and just pay the extra and go local.

And I have seen reports of aftershocks!

Been a lot of Earthquakes...Haiti, Chile, Mexico.

[citygal 0]

I know my friends are freaked out, but if the power and all is restored, I am still planning on going this week. I understand your feeling stressed out...my freinds (although well intended) are writing me every 5 minutes. I certainly would make sure you connect with Nina before heading down there....keep me posted on what you decide to do....this is crazy!

I'm really wondering how the folks that were in the hospital are doing?

[ichefmastersgirl 4]

Just got my first email from Scott he was in the Hospital when it happened and then there was 2 more that I knew of at the Hotel. He said they are all fine and doing well he should be heading home in the next couple of days (he had a tt done) and Ann Marie and David are also fine I believe they will be having their surgeries tomorrow. I still dont know when they will do mine. I do know the good thing was they were all on vacation last week so no surgeries were done by Dr. Aceves. I believe my group on Monday was the first after there vacation. I hope everyone else is able to get theirs done on time. This sitting and waiting a wondering crap is getting to me. Well all I can do is just keep waiting.

Kathy

[citygal 0]

Kathy- I think you are remarkable....considering you must be on pins and needles you've been really "calm and cool" thorugh all of this. Keep us posted on how you are doing and if you get pushed back anymore it's possible you and I will cross paths down there.

[ichefmastersgirl 4]

Sitting in my hospital bed doing something online I started to hear what I thought was someone rolling a hospital bed down the hallway outside my room.* The noise got a little louder and everything started shaking a little more as it approached my room.* About 5 seconds after the shaking started, I realized it wasn?t a bed, but could only assume it was an earthquake.* Having never been through an earthquake, I really didn?t know what to do.* An email I once received instantly popped into my head.* Its subject line was, ?this could one day save your life?, and was an email about earthquakes and collapsed buildings.* The article stated that one should never lay beneath an object, but rather beside it (couch or bed or something big that wouldn?t compress).* The reason being is that when a building collapses, there is an air space created right next to the object that would give a person a better chance to survive.* As the shaking and noise intensified and the lights started flickering, I decided that I didn?t feel like being crushed to death today and got out of my bed and onto the floor beside it.* I lay there staring at the ceiling and just assumed the building was coming down.* How could it not?* How on earth does the ground just start moving like this?* It was the most un-natural feeling to me?no control, just laying there waiting for something to happen.* I?m not sure how long it lasted; my guess would be 30-40 seconds.* It stopped pretty sudden like, not like how it began.* It was at its max, then it was done very shortly after that.* I got up, thanked God for keeping me safe and opened my door to the hall.* There was someone there that was waving me to come on and get out of the building.* I didn?t have a long walk to get outside, but saw there was some damage out in the main area, all lights were out.* Several ceiling tiles had fallen and some other things were dangling from the ceiling.* As I made my way outside, all I noticed was the controlled panic of people and mostly the hospital workers.* They were in and out of the building carting bed-ridden patients and bringing out supplies.* Others were crying, most just looked very concerned and one lady was rocking back and forth chanting to herself.* It was very difficult to watch as one little boy was carted out.* It looked like he had just been admitted because he was very bloody and had not yet been treated, from what I could tell some sort of head gash injury.* I?m guessing it was his older brother that was holding his head and neck and talking loudly to him to try and keep him awake and alert.* A short time after people were carted out, a few cars trickled in with people that had been injured at their homes.* Most due to flesh wounds and they were taken care of as soon as they pulled into the parking lot.* Yolanda happened to be there because her son?s father in law was admitted and his room had actually been right across from mine.* She said they get earthquakes, but not this big.* Sometimes between 3 and 4, but this was the biggest she had ever felt.* Yolanda is my patient coordinator, probably mid 50s and has lived in Mexicali for most, if not all her life.* She had just witnessed a 7.2 earthquake.* While in the parking lot, there were several smaller tremors that could be felt and even as I am typing this a good 15-16 hours later, I just felt another small one.* I don?t think they?re done yet either, as someone last night mentioned something about 24 hours after it hits?talking about an earthquake and the aftershocks.

After several hours in the parking lot and when things had quieted down a bit, Yolanda went in and grabbed all my stuff and said she would be moving me to the hotel for the next two nights.* We hopped in her car and started off across Mexicali.* There was no power, so all street lights were out.* Everything was closed and there was some visible damage.* The damage was mostly large windows that had blown out and some exterior stone on buildings that had crumpled to the ground.* I was surprised to see only (what I would consider) minimal damage.* I also learned that Yolanda is an aggressive driver . J*

It was another sleepless night for me.* There were several more aftershocks throughout the night and each time my heart would start pounding harder and faster.* They?re small, but they start the same as that big one?so that same feeling rushes back.* Also, things started running through my mind?what kind of structural damage was done to this 6-story hotel in the big one?* Since they?ve never had one of this magnitude before, how was the building affected?* Will one of the small ones ?set it off? and send the 5 floors above me down to my level?* Before I went to bed that night, I moved the nightstand out from between the 2 beds because that?s where I was going if the place decided to come down.

Thankfully nothing has collapsed and I?m ready to be back in Colorado.* These earthquakes are for the birds.

I just received this email from Scott!

Kathy

[Tracy46545 6]

That Yolanda is one awesome lady! glad she and the Aceves team are safe and the patients are accounted for and safe.

[Itstime 0]

Ichef,

Thank you for updating us on the conditions in Mexicali. I was worried bc a 7.2 is a good sized earthquake and expected some serious damage. Glad no one was hurt so far and hope you get home soon. This is the second earthquake in a few months but this one was very close to Mexicali. Take care. Anyone else from the forum there?

[ichefmastersgirl 4]

Ichef,

Thank you for updating us on the conditions in Mexicali. I was worried bc a 7.2 is a good sized earthquake and expected some serious damage. Glad no one was hurt so far and hope you get home soon. This is the second earthquake in a few months but this one was very close to Mexicali. Take care. Anyone else from the forum there?

I am not there i live close by in Yuma. I was going on the day it happened and they called me and told me not to come. I know of 3 People that are there Ann Marie, David and Scott. Scott is the one who sent me the update. He told me the other 2 are fine and I think are getting their surgeries tomorrow. I have not heard from anyone about mine being rescheduled yet. So my life is on hold and my bag sits by the door ready to go.

Kathy

[ichefmastersgirl 4]

Kathy- I think you are remarkable....considering you must be on pins and needles you've been really "calm and cool" thorugh all of this. Keep us posted on how you are doing and if you get pushed back anymore it's possible you and I will cross paths down there.

I have a feeling we will be there at the same time:thumbup:

I believe it is meant to be that we meet. Have a great day and tell your friends to take a deep breath and you will be fine because you will be with a staff that did a great job through the whole thing and that your doctor refused to do surgeries until everything was perfect.

Have a great day.

Kathy

[imwendylou 0]

Thanks for keeping us updated Kathy. You must be beside yourself with worry. I know I am, and I don't go for another 3 weeks. Glad your friend Scott is okay and thank him for giving us a full account of it.

[Itstime 0]

Kathy,

I see, you are still waiting! Terrible timing for all of this but hope everyone gets their operation soon..it will happen! Say hi to Dr. Aceves and his wonderful crew for me.

Linda (that was funny about Yolanda being an aggresive driver!!!)

[FireFly 0]

Thank you Kathy.

[educationrulz 18]

I hope this works out for everyone scheduled for the next couple of weeks and that everyone there is safe. I can imagine how agonizing it would be to have your surgery on hold but it's probably a good thing to have missed out on the worst of it. Hopefully we'll get more updates from the people there during the earthquake and learn that all is well.

[pnw218 14]

I exchanged emails with my coordinator today. They felt it at the clinic but there was no damage. No changes to their schedule.

It would be very scary to be in a hospital during an earthquake!