After my September 2009 back surgery on my two Tarlov cysts, I had mandatory bed rest, ordered by my doctor, for a solid four weeks. After another two months, my incision had completely healed, on December 11, 2009 – exactly three months after my operation.

I was walking, pain free. Jim, Matthew and I made frequent trips across the border to Calexico to do our shopping, collect our mail, and drive on to El Centro to eat at Denny’s in the El Centro mall. The mall is where we buy our dog and cat food at Petco.

Life was wonderful.

However, on Monday, January 4, 2010, I suffered a temporary setback.

I found it difficult to get out of bed as my left leg felt a bit numb! Well, I totally freaked out.

That very Monday evening, Jim and I were at Dr. Carlos Maya’s office, anxiously waiting for him. When it was our turn, I rushed into Dr. Maya’s office, hopping on my right leg.

“Dr. Maya hola! You have to help me! This morning my left leg went a bit numb! What has happened? Everything was fine?’ I wailed.

“What have you been doing MaryAnn? Have you been exercising?” asked Dr. Maya.

“Well yes, I was doing some Jane Fonda exercises, you know, lifting up my legs, while lying on my bed; lifting up my butt, while lying on my bed, you know,” I said.

“Then Jim had a muscle spasm on Christmas Day. He was in so much pain that I had to drive him to the Emergency Room at the Hospital Almater on Avenue Madero. I dropped him off; parked the truck, and walked to the Emergency Room where I helped Jim find the patients’ waiting room.”

Dr. Maya nodded.

I continued, “Jim got to see the doctor immediately, who gave us a prescription. We walked across the road to the Almater Pharmacy to get the prescription which included an injection. Back at the hospital Jim got his shot, and then we went home.”

“I helped Jim, who could barely walk, to bed; did the dishes; walked our dog; cleaned the cat litter, and Matthew helped clean the house and cooked the food…other than that…nothing much,” I moaned.

Dr. Maya smiled and turned to Jim, “Jim, now you need help yes? and on Christmas Day as well?”

“Twaren’t nothin,” said Jim.

Dr. Maya nodded and said, “Let’s go, MaryAnn, stand against the wall, and put your hands against it. Now I am going to press on your spine, you tell me if there is pain, OK?” said Dr. Maya.

I complied. Dr. Maya pressed against each disc on my spine. “Pain?” he asked. “No,” I said.

“Now lie on the couch, face up, face up – OK? I am going to lift each leg up and you tell me if there is pain.” said Dr Maya.

Dr. Maya lifted up my right leg, and yanked it around. “Pain?” “No,” I said.

He then did the same with my left leg. “Pain?’ “No.” I said.

While Dr. Maya was moving each leg around, I felt like a grasshopper with its legs being pulled around.

“OK, come sit down,” said Dr. Maya.

“I cannot walk, you see; my left leg is numb – something is wrong with my left leg! See Dr. Maya?” I continued to wail.

“MaryAnn, sit.”

“Jim, is Maryann like this? No relaxation?” asked Dr Maya.

“You got it right Dr Maya,” said Jim, also shaking his head.

I could have almost smacked these men. I have a numb leg, and all they can do is smile and shake their heads!

“Dr. Maya? OK – I’m ready to listen.” I said.

“You have inflammation!” said Dr. Maya.

“Inflammation? what inflammation? my wound is healed, you see, my scar is so beautiful – the healing is done!” I said.

‘”No, no! The nerve from the S1 controls the movement of your left leg. It has been irritated.” said Dr. Maya

“I said to you, just walk. When we did your operation, the neurosurgeon and I worked together, with the spine, the bones, and we are very very careful with the nerves. The spine is full of nerves.

“Any nerve that is cut, the patient cannot walk. You can walk. The nerves inside your S1 and S2 must stay calm. No carrying heavy things – no driving – when you drive, you have to twist and bend your spine, right? Anytime when we cut open the back, the nerves get irritated, and your numbness in your left leg comes from the S1 nerve which is now irritated, and angry. Do you understand?” asked Dr. Maya.

“So I have a nerve problem.” I said.

“You have an irritated nerve, slightly inflamed, MaryAnn,” said Dr. Maya.

“I am going to give you a prescription,” Dr. Maya answered.

Returning to his desk, Dr. Maya began writing on his pad.

“I am writing out a prescription, for you MaryAnn. Jim, this is for three injections, one each day. Jim, you can give shots?” asked Dr. Maya

“Shucks, no – only gave a shot to a horse once,” said Jim.

“You don’t know how to give shots?” asked a baffled Dr Maya.

“Jim, here, this is the prescription – it’s for anti-inflammtories, for all this you go down to the pharmacy, and they can give the injection materials – then just go to any hospital for the shot. OK?” said Dr. Maya, handing the prescription to Jim.

“Maryann, are you taking any medications that I should know about?” asked Dr. Maya

“No just aspirin, nothing else,” I replied.

“After you finish my medication, come back and see me in 21 days. All of this is anti-inflammatory, to calm down all the nerves, and continue with the recovery.”

“Just because your scar has healed, the inside of the sacroiliac and the nerves all need time to recover,” said Dr. Maya, smiling.

“So it’s my S1 nerve that is irritated? that’s it?” I asked.

“Yes, this is common with back surgeries, and you had the Tarlov cysts! These all sit on nerves!” Dr. Maya explained.

“Why did you ask me what other medicines I am taking Dr. Maya?” I asked.

“We don’t like our patients to take any strong painkillers, like opiates, too strong”

“Why?” Jim asked.

“Opiates make it difficult for doctors to see the real healing of the patient. Opiates will hide all the pain, and when the opiates wear off, the pain is worse!” said Dr Maya.

“If you were on opiates, MaryAnn, I would not be able to identify your pain, and any nerve damage.

“Back surgery is very complicated for the patient. The post-operation, avoiding scar tissue inside the sacroiliac, very important. Scar tissue will grow wrongly can irritate the spinal nerves, and the back pain will come back again.

“The nerves especially get irritated and that is very normal. Taking opiates like Vicodin. I am not for my patients to do it. Also it is addictive.

“Let the recovery of the spine, and the nerves be simple and basic. Good for patient, and for us surgeons. You understand?” asked Dr. Maya.

“Why are you moving around so much, MaryAnn? This is not what I want you to do. You have to walk slowly, rest, rest. Do everything slowly,” said Dr. Maya, visibly upset.

We thanked Dr. Maya and will see him in 21 days.

After we got back into our truck, Jim laughed, “No more Jane Fonda leg exercises and what-not you’ve been doing Maryann!”

“Well…don’t you go pull a muscle spasm on me just three months after my back surgery Mister!” I said.

“Why, sure, MaryAnn. Next time I’ll choose the right time for my back spasms,” said Jim, flooring it and cutting out into the traffic.

I am now five months into my Tarlov cyst operation recovery.

My S1 nerve is doing great. I got the three shots, at the Hospital Santa Monica, right near our home (we just walked in – no doctor appointments in Mexicali). I am not bending and taking Dr. Maya’s prescription, and Advil (great stuff at a friend’s suggestion), and back to being my old self.”

December 1st, was the first time I crossed the border to Calexico, two and a half months after my Tarlov cyst operation!

While I was recuperating, Jim had to go alone to Calexico for our usual errands.  Today, I got into the front seat of our truck, Matthew sitting in the back, Jim at the wheel, he stepped on the gas, and we were off to the border-town of Calexico. Yippie-Kai-Yay!!!!!!!!

While waiting in line for U.S. customs, we saw a blue car, a Jetta, with Pennsylvania plates in front of us.

There were two American gals, with their 4 dogs inside the car. The two larger dogs had their heads poking out of the car, and were enjoying every moment, while the 2 smaller dogs hopped around inside the small Jetta. The women bought little vases and welcome signs from the Mexican street vendors along the border crossing line. They also bought cold drinks and bottled water for their pets, which they dribbled out of the bottles for their pets to drink. We love dog and cat people, and it was such a nice scene.

We reached checkpoint, at the same time as the two gals and their four pets. The border patrol guards, after inspecting the gals’ passports let them and their dogs all through.

On a prior trip, Jim had asked the U.S. Border Patrol guy what was their policy on pets? The guy said, “So long as they look healthy we let them in.”

“No papers?”

“Nope.”

“How many pets can I bring into the U.S., that way?” asked Jim.

“Don’t think there’s a limit,” came back the answer.

Good to know.

We had lunch at Denny’s in El Centro at around 2:00pm – the tab came to $54.00 for the three of us. Looking at the bill, Jim said, “Heck, that would be about 702 pesos – plenty for six people back in Mexicali.”

Next, we popped into the Social security office, and the IRS next door, to clear up on some paperwork. Jim is still trying to get Social Security to give us credit for years they have missed – yeah, that’s right – years they have missed. Well, they are checking on it.

Friends – don’t be like us – get your earnings statement from Social Security at least once every couple of years. If you wait too long – they may have “lost” the data they say, and you will be getting less on your Social Security. Incredible!

Then it was off to Staples to get some toner for our computer printer. Wow, ninety-six bucks – and it used to be around seventy.

The price of food and printer ink have gone up.

Jim complained, “Our dollar’s goin’ down! The next time we order online or get it back in Mexicali.”

Leaving Staples we turned the radio on to NPR – just about the only English language station in the area.

Jim joked, “I’m not a Commie just because I listen to NPR.”

Matthew asked, “Is it a Communist radio station.”

“Pretty near,” laughed Jim.

We had seen on the TV about the White House crashers, and were all amazed at how these two people managed to get into the White House without proper invitations.

Now it was on NPR.

Jim just shook his head and said, “Those bums coulda killed the President. So what if they had no weapons goin’ in – there were plenty of knives lying around on the tables. They should have taken those bums out and shot’em in back of the White House.”

“I agree,” chimed in Matthew – I don’t care much for Obama, but he is our President.”

“You bet,” said Jim.

On our way back, we stopped off to collect our mail and drop into Wal-mart’s Calexico store. Matthew needed a portable heater.  It gets cold at night in Mexicali, even though it is sunny and in the 80s/70s during the day, but, at night, it drops of by a good 40 degrees. It starts getting dark by 4.30 in the afternoon, now.

“Are we going to get a Christmas tree,” asked Matthew.

“What in tarnation for?” asked Jim.

“Well, the lights and all…,” answered Matthew.

“I think were a little old for that kinda stuff,” said Jim.

Matthew didn’t respond, but slumped back into his seat like a spoiled little kid – he’s a funny guy, that way.
We live in tough economic times. For folks who want to live – what we think is a great life – in Mexico, I highly recommend that you buy The Best How-To Book on Moving to Mexico, by Carol Schmidt, Norma Hair, and Rolly Brook, three retired people who have moved to Mexico and made a great go of it.
We live in a border town, and our experiences are different from theirs in many respects, but we learned a lot from their book.

Recently, we read about a 97 year old woman, and her two sons who had lived in their car, after they were evicted from their apartment.  It broke our hearts.

With their combined income, they could live quite comfortably here in Mexicali. Small two or three bedroom apartments here in Mexicali cost only around $250 a month.  According to the newspaper, that 97 year old woman was getting a lot more than that on her Social Security.

Too bad they don’t know about Mexicali, where they could have a decent life.

Jim and I decided to drop in on our old trailer park neighbors, Don and Irma, up in El Centro.  There are a number of trailer parks in and around El Centro. We lived, along with Don and Irma in one of the more affordable ones, Happy Campers. At Happy Campers, the full hookup to electricity, water, and sewer cost $400 a month. The electricity was metered, so you had to pay extra for how much you used. Happy Campers seemed cheap back when we first moved in there, but compared to Mexicali…it cost a fortune.

Don and Irma were real happy to see us, and we were happy to see them, too.  When we arrived, Don was busy re-webbing his lawn chairs, with a festive red and green webbing for Christmas. Later on, he would re-web for spring. When you live in a trailer park, you always want your lawn chairs to look good, with no frayed webbing. It’s one of those things people notice.

Don had been a furniture repair guy before he retired, so all his furniture was always in the best of shape. Irma had worked for a rug cleaning company. They had two boys, all grown up now. Rick, the older boy, had been working as a lumberjack in Rounds, California, but quit and Don and Irma had not heard from Rick for over a year. Their younger boy, Roy, worked on a ranch in Texas. Roy was a good boy, and telephoned Don and Irma at least once a month. Good kids are hard to find!

It was coming on 11:30am when we arrived, and Irma insisted on cooking up some lunch for us. She knew Jim loved fried Spam, and so did Don. Luckily, she had a couple of cans. In no time, we were all munching on Spam sandwiches, and drinking orange soda pop.

“Ike died, dropped dead last month out by the camp laundry,” said Don, putting down his sandwich.

“Oh, what a shame – what happened to his wife, Amy?” I asked.

“Don’t know – she sold her trailer and left – didn’t even say goodbye,” answered Don.

“Poor thing,” I answered.

Compared to Mexicali, Happy Campers trailer park did not look good – not good at all. It was a bit run-down, the swimming pool was empty, and a lot of trailers were up for sale – sign of the times, I guess.

Once those folks sold their trailers, God only knows where they would find a place to live. In the States, you can’t get much cheaper than a trailer park. What’s the next step down?

Don and Irma were pretty much OK, so far as we knew. Don was lucky enough to be doing some part-time sofa repair work in El Centro. Irma, with her arthritis, was pretty much stuck in the trailer. Did Don and Irma ever consider moving to Mexico? Absolutely not! Don was dead set against ever moving out of the States, “Lived here, and gonna die here,” we heard him say, more than once.

After stuffing ourselves with Spam sandwiches, we offered to take Don and Irma for a ride, which was the only right thing to do. It would do them good to get out of gloomy old Happy Campers trailer park, at least for a while.

Of all places, Don and Irma suggested we take a ride over to Desert Trails trailer park, “Where the rich folks live – the full hookup is $100 more a month than we pay,” said Don.

“Yeah, and you pay extra if you want to use their golf course – can you imagine a trailer park with a golf course, even folks riding around in golf carts?” chuckled Irma.

The entrance to Desert Trails RV Park and Golf Course is lined with beautiful palms, leading up to the clubhouse. Once inside, the place was beautiful, green lawns, clean streets circling around the golf course. Irma was right; there were some people riding golf carts. Some of the trailers had even been built up into real homes.

We drove around the road that circled the golf course. We all were surprised to see how many trailers and RVs were up for sale. One of the units even had an official realtor’s sign on it – these folks could afford a realtor!

“Looks, like the rich folks are having some hard times too,” said Don.

“Yup,” answered Jim.

Our slow drive around the circular road took us back to the entrance. We waved to the lady in the sales office on our way out. Then, it was back to Happy Campers to take Don and Irma home.

In half an hour we were back home ourselves. Back in a country where things never seemed to change – where you never hear a word about hard times, or anything like that. Was it ever great to be back in Mexicali!  We were happy to be back in our house which cost less than what Don and Irma were paying at Happy Campers.

Sure our roof leaked during this week’s rain. But, guess what? We are going to have the entire roof repaired for 2,500 pesos – only200 bucks! You may wonder why our landlord is not taking care of the roof. Well, it doesn’t work that way in Mexico.

Our place is a stone’s throw from the U.S. border, and good old Calexico. We have the best of both worlds.

“I sure hope Don and Irma never have to sell their trailer – being how things are,” I said.

“Yup,” answered Jim.

Every so often, Jim and I take a short hop across the border to Calexico, California. It’s a short trip as Calexico is on one side of the border and we are on the other. Jim could throw a horseshoe from our back yard into Calexico, easy.

Usually, we get there pretty early in the morning so we can have breakfast at McDonalds. On our last trip we went to El Centro, which is about 12 miles north-east of Calexico because Jim had made an appointment to see a doctor for some stomach problems. I told him, “Why not just go to our Mexicali doctor, Arturo?”

Jim’s answer seemed to make sense. “MaryAnn, I’m on Medicare, and my doctor visit in El Centro is gonna be pretty much free.” Read the rest of this entry »