Great Sale

I wake up around 3:00 AM and can not urinate. That is when I realize I have a UTI, Urinary Track Infection. I have had this every few years, without the urinary blockage. The one other time I had a complete blockage required a trip to the emergency room at the Hospital in Burlington for a catheter. Anchored in this remote area of the Bahamas my options are not good.

After being awake half the night I get on the VHF radio at 6:00AM and asked if any boats anchored at Great Sale have a medical kit with a Foley Catheter. No answer. We can not get any cell connection with our Bahamas Cell and try turning on our Verizon Roaming. To our great surprise we have one bar and can make a phone call to DAN (Divers Alert Network) which is used by sailors for medical advise and evacuation. We have a connection but they are not very helpful. They tell me to get to a medical facility. The fact that is at least 8 hours away by boat makes that advise useless, with the increasing pain I assume I will be delirious in a few hours. Around 7:00 AM a trawler in the Anchorage “WorkNot” responds on the VHF, that they have a Foley Catheter in their medical kit I can have. The captain quickly lets me know they do not know how to use it, Gee no volunteers to insert it. Our friends Mark and Karen on Sea Vu Play lower their dinghy and go to pick it up. 

 

Just as Mark and Karen get to "WorkNot" their outboard stalls and will not restart. So Rhonnie Garigen, owner has to lower his dinghy and tow Mark and Karen and the catheter back. Not the way Rhonnie was planning to start his day since they are on their way east to the Abacos.  Meanwhile I am pacing back and forth wondering where Mark and Karen are, who are out of sight, behind some other boats.

Once we have the Catheter we call DAN back to talk with the Doctor again on getting instructions. He refuses to give any, I guess figuring they will be libel if any thing goes wrong. He is concerned about contamination and infection. Infection I already have and have started taking an antibiotic, that I told the Doctor about, that I keep for emergencies. Apparently, he feels no liability if I die from a “pre-existing” condition.

 

Mark and Karen’s son is an Army Nurse Practitioner and they are able to get him on their AT&T phone. I can not call him directly on our Verizon phone. Through their phone and the VHF Travis provides me with instructions and entertains anyone else in the vicinity with a VHF Radio.  Since I had a front row seat with my previous catherization I am somewhat familiar with the process. The one advantage of the blockage pain I was having, is that it made inserting a catheter inconsequential. I surprisingly, quickly insert the catheter and get instant relief draining my bladder. I thought I was going to fill the bucket. We quickly get everything squared away and start sailing to the West End of Grand Bahama. Not our original destination, but we have sailed this route before, which involves a last section that is very shallow and we will past there at low tide.

 

Mark & Karen rafts up with us to improve the communications.

An hour or two later I discover I did not properly inflate the balloon on the end of the Catheter to keep it from falling out of the bladder. I do find that I can urinate without the catheter. I quickly discover I don’t have a lot of control if I don’t try to pee often. Hey, incontinent is better is than being “continent”, its pain free, only a little messy. It’s easy to hose down our self draining cockpit. I remember that I have a diaper stored away for soaking up oil spills, I stick it in my underpants, not adult size.

Anyways we make it to the West End Marina, late afternoon. Sea Vu Play does plow through the bottom on the last leg before approaching the Marina. I get a ride to a local clinic that is open 24 hours. The Doctor tests my urine and notes that I have some blood. There has been less and less during the day, but she recommends that I go to the Hospital in Freeport. I disagree and sign a wavier declining her advise. I only wanted to make sure I did not cause any other more urgent problems with the Catheter. Our fee for the Clinic visit is $30.

 

We get back from the Clinic and have dinner at the Marina restaurant which is very good. Me and my trusty diaper. Later that evening I suddenly have the urge to pee, but am not able to make it to the bathroom, I discover those diapers sure can hold a lot of pee. No wonder parents are always smelling their babies diapers.

We talked with two other boats at the marina that were planning on sailing to Fort Pierce and leaving at 4:00 AM. We all decide to do the same.