Warning, this is an extremely long post!!
You think you would be safe right? Well, this one was an adventure. Lu, Kate, and I had just graduated from nursing school and we decided that before we all started working, we should go on a big vacation. We decided on Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and invited another friend to come along. The trip started out all fun and dandy. We had an amazing hotel right on the beach. The weather was fabulous (most of the time). Basically, we spent every morning/afternoon on the beach lounging in the sun trying to fend off the vendors trying to sell us jewelery and tattoos. 
It was so warm and comfortable down there. The water was a little on the rough side, but we still went in and played. At night, we would walk down the coast and look at all the little shops that they have right there. 
There was a little Mexican Restaurant right outside of our hotel on the beach. It was probably my favorite place to eat. They had amazing salsa. We were all kind of nervous to eat and drink the local foods and drinks because we didn't want to get sick. We mainly stuck to the well known establishments and didn't venture too far into "real" Mexico. We heard about a club called the Nowhere Bar and decided to give it a try one night. The funniest thing is that we went in there and everybody kept asking us if we wanted alcohol. We kept saying no. They were pretty persistent. Eventually, the owner of the club came over and started talking to us. He gave us free bottled water and snacks. After we hung out at that club for a bit, the owner told us that he could get us into one of the other clubs just down the street. So we left with the owner and walked to the Zoo. I am not really the clubbing type but I figured why not. 
The coolest thing about it was that when we got there, there was this long line of people waiting to get inside. Since we were with the owner of the other club, we walked right in, no waiting in line for us. Ha, we felt so cool. We sat in a corner booth and then the owner of the Zoo came over and started to chat with us. I mean come on, 4 Mormon girls from Utah who don't drink sitting with the 2 owners of different clubs. We definitely had the hookup.The next morning, we all got up early so that we could make it to the marina to go on what we thought was going to be this really fun snorkeling trip...we really had another thing coming our way. 
We got there way too early so we had the great opportunity to walk around and around this flea market. There were some fun things to look at, but none of us brought any extra money. We had already paid for our boat ride and so we left everything else home. We finally got on the boat with a bunch of other people and that is when it hit us. We were on a booze cruise!! The person who set it up for us told us that we would have spectacular opportunities to snorkel and see lots of fish and then go out to the Arch and snorkel there. First off, the water was so choppy, it made all of us non-drinkers sick, except me of course (no, I wasn't drinking either!). Kate and Lu and Rach all decided to eat some of the cantaloupe for breakfast that they had on the boat, and I think that was part of the problem. Anyways, before we even got out to Pelican Rock (I think that is what it was called), all the girls were sick while the rest of the people in the boat were completely drunk. I will say, it was kind of funny to watch all the drunk people. I mean, I don't think being drunk and snorkeling is the greatest combination. 
This picture pretty much sums up how much fun we had on the boat. When we finally got to the place to snorkel, we all jumped in the water and a bunch of people were vomiting. Which in a sense was nice because that was the only way we were able to see the fish. I was expecting this coral reef, or something along those lines. Nope, we would put our heads in the water and they would throw chum from the boat. The fish would come and eat and then swim away. Not my idea of snorkeling. After our first attempt at snorkeling, we started back towards the marina. I was angry because since everybody was so sick and the water was pretty choppy, we didn't even get to stop at the arch and play. 
That is what I really wanted to do. I got this picture while we were passing it.
Doesn't it look like fun over there on that beach? I would have definitely given up the whole rest of the booze cruise for the day there on that beach. Oh well, there was nothing we could do and we passed the arch and headed home. Kate was feeling the worst and then Rach and Lu. I felt pretty good, so while the other girls were inside our hotel sleeping, I went out to the beach to read and relax. 
I took this picture for Luke because before I left, he was telling me how good Coke Light (Mexico's version of Diet Coke) was and that I had to try it. Originally, that can was for Luke but I thought, how perfect is this. I am on the beach reading and relaxing with a Coke in my hand, so I drank his Coke Light. Don't worry, I bought him a couple more to make up for it. When I got back to the hotel room, Lu and Rach were getting ready to go out and go clubbing. I had had my fill of the club scene the night before so I decided not to go, and besides Kate was still feeling really lousy with you can probably guess what. So those two girls leave to go to the club and me and Kate are left at the hotel. I am on the back porch and the next thing I know I hear a big crash inside the room. I run in to find that Kate had collapsed to the floor!! I finally get her to come around after a couple of seconds (it felt like minutes!) and got her over to the bed. I run to the front desk to see if they have a thermometer or a blood pressure cuff or anything that would help her. Of course they didn't. They did tell me that they could call in the doctor on call and he would come to our room. I went back to check on Kate and ask her what she thought we should do. We eventually decided that we should probably have the doctor come in to look at her. The doctor finally showed up and he had this other guy with him who smelled like alcohol...doesn't instill a lot of trust in the doctor does it. Anyways, they found out that she had a really high temp and was really really dehydrated (I could have told them that). He said that she needed to go to the hospital to get fluids and stuff. Great, I thought, when Lu and Rach get back from the club, we wouldn't be there and I would have no idea how to tell them where to go or what hospital we were at. 
Thank goodness, when the ambulance arrived, they got home. They were extremely surprised to see the commotion in our hotel room. The paramedics got out and came in and attempted to get IV access on Kate. Since three of us were nurses, we were all cringing at their attempts. First of all, no gloves were used and they hardly cleaned the area!! Yuck. and second of all, they were attempting to place 18 g. IVs in her hand. I could have told you that wasn't going to work! After 2 or 3 tries, I was about to step up and do it, but then the doctors friend (the one who smelled like alcohol) stepped up and got the IV on the first try! Maybe the alcohol helped to calm his nerves....
We then got loaded up into the ambulance (it was my first ride ever, how exciting huh?) and Lu and Rach had to ride in the doctors car. Next thing I know, we are driving into the ghetto. There are stray dogs running all around and just a lot of old, condemned buildings. We get to the hospital and I am trying to talk to the nurses or anybody for that matter, and nobody speaks English. I now have a new appreciation for the people in my ED who cannot speak any English. I feel their frustration. There was no way we were going to leave Kate alone at the hospital, so we all set up shop on the floor. Eventually, I think one of the nurses realized this and brought us in some blankets. Throughout the night, Kate got IV fluids and some meds.
We got there way too early so we had the great opportunity to walk around and around this flea market. There were some fun things to look at, but none of us brought any extra money. We had already paid for our boat ride and so we left everything else home. We finally got on the boat with a bunch of other people and that is when it hit us. We were on a booze cruise!! The person who set it up for us told us that we would have spectacular opportunities to snorkel and see lots of fish and then go out to the Arch and snorkel there. First off, the water was so choppy, it made all of us non-drinkers sick, except me of course (no, I wasn't drinking either!). Kate and Lu and Rach all decided to eat some of the cantaloupe for breakfast that they had on the boat, and I think that was part of the problem. Anyways, before we even got out to Pelican Rock (I think that is what it was called), all the girls were sick while the rest of the people in the boat were completely drunk. I will say, it was kind of funny to watch all the drunk people. I mean, I don't think being drunk and snorkeling is the greatest combination. 
This picture pretty much sums up how much fun we had on the boat. When we finally got to the place to snorkel, we all jumped in the water and a bunch of people were vomiting. Which in a sense was nice because that was the only way we were able to see the fish. I was expecting this coral reef, or something along those lines. Nope, we would put our heads in the water and they would throw chum from the boat. The fish would come and eat and then swim away. Not my idea of snorkeling. After our first attempt at snorkeling, we started back towards the marina. I was angry because since everybody was so sick and the water was pretty choppy, we didn't even get to stop at the arch and play. 
That is what I really wanted to do. I got this picture while we were passing it.
Doesn't it look like fun over there on that beach? I would have definitely given up the whole rest of the booze cruise for the day there on that beach. Oh well, there was nothing we could do and we passed the arch and headed home. Kate was feeling the worst and then Rach and Lu. I felt pretty good, so while the other girls were inside our hotel sleeping, I went out to the beach to read and relax. 
I took this picture for Luke because before I left, he was telling me how good Coke Light (Mexico's version of Diet Coke) was and that I had to try it. Originally, that can was for Luke but I thought, how perfect is this. I am on the beach reading and relaxing with a Coke in my hand, so I drank his Coke Light. Don't worry, I bought him a couple more to make up for it. When I got back to the hotel room, Lu and Rach were getting ready to go out and go clubbing. I had had my fill of the club scene the night before so I decided not to go, and besides Kate was still feeling really lousy with you can probably guess what. So those two girls leave to go to the club and me and Kate are left at the hotel. I am on the back porch and the next thing I know I hear a big crash inside the room. I run in to find that Kate had collapsed to the floor!! I finally get her to come around after a couple of seconds (it felt like minutes!) and got her over to the bed. I run to the front desk to see if they have a thermometer or a blood pressure cuff or anything that would help her. Of course they didn't. They did tell me that they could call in the doctor on call and he would come to our room. I went back to check on Kate and ask her what she thought we should do. We eventually decided that we should probably have the doctor come in to look at her. The doctor finally showed up and he had this other guy with him who smelled like alcohol...doesn't instill a lot of trust in the doctor does it. Anyways, they found out that she had a really high temp and was really really dehydrated (I could have told them that). He said that she needed to go to the hospital to get fluids and stuff. Great, I thought, when Lu and Rach get back from the club, we wouldn't be there and I would have no idea how to tell them where to go or what hospital we were at. 
Thank goodness, when the ambulance arrived, they got home. They were extremely surprised to see the commotion in our hotel room. The paramedics got out and came in and attempted to get IV access on Kate. Since three of us were nurses, we were all cringing at their attempts. First of all, no gloves were used and they hardly cleaned the area!! Yuck. and second of all, they were attempting to place 18 g. IVs in her hand. I could have told you that wasn't going to work! After 2 or 3 tries, I was about to step up and do it, but then the doctors friend (the one who smelled like alcohol) stepped up and got the IV on the first try! Maybe the alcohol helped to calm his nerves....
We then got loaded up into the ambulance (it was my first ride ever, how exciting huh?) and Lu and Rach had to ride in the doctors car. Next thing I know, we are driving into the ghetto. There are stray dogs running all around and just a lot of old, condemned buildings. We get to the hospital and I am trying to talk to the nurses or anybody for that matter, and nobody speaks English. I now have a new appreciation for the people in my ED who cannot speak any English. I feel their frustration. There was no way we were going to leave Kate alone at the hospital, so we all set up shop on the floor. Eventually, I think one of the nurses realized this and brought us in some blankets. Throughout the night, Kate got IV fluids and some meds. 
In the morning, Me, Lu, and Rach took turns staying at the hospital until the afternoon when Kate was going to be discharged. The thing that really sucked is that during this time, Rach started to feel really sick and started to get a fever. We knew exactly where this was going. I was at the hotel when Kate got released and I didn't realize that they made her pay the entire hospital bill and ambulance ride before they left. It makes sense though. Anyways, they had to almost max out all of their credit cards to pay the bill. When this all began, I had talked to Kate's parents and they had bought her a plane ticket home for the next day (Sunday). On Saturday, we were trying to figure out what we should do because if Rach had the same thing as Kate, she would have to go to the hospital and we didn't have enough money left to do that. I decided to see if we could change our tickets from Tuesday to Sunday. Delta told me that there was exactly 3 seats left on the flight that we needed and lucky enough, it was the same flight that Kate was on. I told them I would call them right back. I ran to the room and talked to the girls. Either we would be hanging out in the hotel room the whole time waiting for Tuesday to come or we could go home and get her taken care of in the States. 
We decided to go home. I tried to get a hold of somebody from Delta to book the flight, but nobody would answer the dang phone. I had to get up very early Sunday morning (we are talking like 4 am here) to get a hold of another person at Delta. They told me that since it was so close to the departure time, the ticket price was going to be $600 each. I told them there was no way we would be able to pay for that since we had spent all of our money at the hospital. I explained what had happened to us to at least 3 people before I talked to the person in customer service. He put me on hold and then about 15 minutes later, he told me he got us on the flight for $100 each!! He basically saved the day! I went back to the hotel room and said we are packing up right now and going to the airport, there was no way we were missing this flight! 
When Kate was discharged from the hospital, they gave her some prescriptions that we filled. The stupid thing was that they were pills and she was still vomiting up everything so she couldn't get the anti-nausea pill to stay in. We made it to the airport and both Kate and Rach were feeling like crap. We got on the plane and made it home. We dropped Kate off at her house and her parents took her to their doctor. We dropped Rach's stuff off at her house and then went straight up to LDS Hospital to the ER. They put an IV in her and gave her anti-nausea meds through the IV which helped a ton. Basically, they did in 3 hours what it took the Mexico hospital 18 hours to do!! We were sure glad to be home!!Probably my favorite part about coming home early was that I was going to get to surprise Luke. The tricky part was finding out where he was without letting him know I was home. My phone wouldn't let me text message in Mexico but I decided to write a text and tell him I found a place where I was able to. I attempted to figure out what he was doing, and luckily found out he was at home doing homework. After I left Lu and Rach at the hospital, I went straight to his apartment, stinky and all from traveling all day! He was so surprised that I was home, it was fun to see his expression. I was able to email and talk on messenger to him while I was in Mexico, but this was so much better!!!
So now that I have been a nurse for 2 years, I think if I were to go back to Mexico, I am bringing my own IV fluids and starts!!!
