Monday 27th February 2012 Bora Bora
Anne’s Birthday, today and tomorrow, (today is 28th in Sydney and tomorrow is 28th here)
The view in the morning from our balcony.
Bora Bora 4WD excursion
We spent 3 hrs circling the Island and climbing to three lookouts by an open 4WD.
Spectacular Scenery
Enjoy the afternoon back on boat, including some swimming, port days are great at the pool as most people are ashore.
Anne in pool and all the empty chairs.
It is standard practice to have a small cake and sing Happy Birthday at our sit down evening meal.
Anne was blowing out her candle when stroke hit.
Anne is OK with me adding these pictures, they show how quickly things changed.
Anne was taken to the ship’s medical ward while they accessed her condition. We had no way of getting her to hospital within the golden three hours, would have to wait to next morning to transfer her to 
hospital.
I returned to our cabin later that night to pack and find it decorated with Happy Birthday balloons.
A birthday we will remember!!!
Tuesday 28th February 2011 Transfer to Papeete Hospital
We were scheduled to leave ship at 7:20 am but ambulance did not arrive to 8:45 am (everything works on Island time, very lay back)
First ,tender from ship to shore
Ambulance to Moorea Hospital
Moorea Hospital, had to transfer from Fire brigade to Hospital ambulance and be checked before going to ferry (“It is the Law”)
Next new ambulance and transfer to 10:45 fast ferry to Papeete
Ferry trip 30 minutes
Next ambulance to hospital (15 minutes)
At Hospital by 11:55 am
Tests all afternoon
Princess have arranged accommodation (at my cost) in The Royal Tahitian Hotel only a few hundred yards from hospital.
The Sun was setting before I arrived at the Hotel, I was told it was very close so asked for a taxi, got minibus with driver and assistant, in the end the hotel is across the road and 100 metres down road. That cost me $US20.
The Beach (greenish sand) My room (101) on left Gardens
Wednesday 29th February Papeete Hospital Day 2
I went to the service station around the corner for breakfast supplies, cannot visit till noon so I asked where a supermarket was.
I was drawn a map like this, reality was the supermarket was not the first road, it was more than a km past garages, the distance from Supermarket directly home was 2.5km so I did more than my 6 km today, but have a lot of catching up on re walking.
Also given key to back gate so I can walk straight there in 5 minutes.
Reality is shown below
Spent afternoon and night at Hospital, can see a slow improvement.
Note from the content, I have a lot of free time.
Thursday 1st March 2012 Papeete Hospital Day 3
Went to Hospital at start of visiting at 12 o'clock, Anne was sitting up eating her lunch, not a great shot of her, but she ate a lot. Cleaning up all you see here, only a yogurt for me.
After lunch she had another CT scan, she said doctor was happy.
Princess Cruise’s port representative has given me a mobile phone with 4 hrs of local calls or over an hour of calls to Sydney. They all have been so helpful.
Friday 2nd March 2012 Papeete Hospital Day 4
I had organised yesterday to go over earlier and help with lunch, when I arrived at 11am, Anne was having heart and stomach test, stuck probe down her throat and have monitor strapped to neck with probes on stomach.
Told no clots found
Physiotherapist visited and will start on treatment Tuesday (long weekend here)
Bachelor Pad
Back in afternoon early to have some dinner, I have not found any better place to eat than the Hospital Canteen
Anne was gone again, this time of an MRI scan, have not seen results tonight.
Tonight she was very tired
Stomach test with tube stuck down throat
Heart Monitor
Talked to Sally, David, Una and Paul.
MRI at 3pm then told she could sit in chair for dinner.
She was glade to get into bed, did not have energy to eat much tonight.
Talking to her mum
Saturday 3rd March 2012 Papeete Hospital Day 5
Early morning message from Anne was encouraging, first time she has used the phone. She has been moved out of intensive care ward and into a standard ward, the only difference is she is 4 rooms down the corridor, no monitoring, a TV (French only) and it is cheaper.
Hospital is this close I am standing at the Hotel back gate.
Kevin was disgusted this morning, the Hospital Chaplin came in and as soon as he found we were not Catholic he left. Christian or Protestant, he was not interested in trying to talk or pray.
Kevin when to the supermarket to buy some socks for Anne, was fascinated by the plastic cans they are selling some drinks in here.
Anne is happy with no catheter, prefers the nappy.
They bought us two meals for lunch, so both of us were well fed.
Anne sat up for breakfast, and want to sit up for dinner. Our favourite nurse is back today and our new nurse has some English.
I am writing this in the hospital, so the English should be more better (she did find and remove this test) and the spell checker (Anne) is correcting for me.
Kevin rang Telstra on there $0.25 number, calls to Sydney cost $6.60 per minute, SMSs $0.75 and local call $1.75 per minute. I checked on getting a USB 3G so could have Internet at Hospital for Anne, very expensive $20 per 100Meg and Skype not allowed.
So it is likely not to happen much to Anne’s disappointment. Anne in the chair for dinner, partially enjoyed to jelly, stewed apple and custard but icecream would have brought back more childhood memories. Written by Anne and corrected by Kevin as Anne is having trouble typing one handed.
Dinner and Anne ate everything, nothing for Kevin but after lunch he did not need anything, compare left and right pictures.
If you receive an unreadable SMS, sorry, but she is keen to try
Sunday 4th March 2012 Papeete Hospital Day 6
6:30 am Wake up call from Anne, she was having breakfast and wanted to say good morning.
Had 10 am call wanting cake, biscuits are the best I could do at 7/11 type garage.
Anne is looking much better today, having the hair washed and combed helps.
I did my first bed pan job (the highlight of my day) as they have stopped using a nappy.
And I now can change the sheet with the bed still occupied.
I know some wanted to send flowers, but the price from Australia is exorbitant, ($150-$200) so I have brought some for all who have been thinking about her and these roses were only $AU13 here.
They fed Kevin a large tender steak, peas, French bread (can the French make bread?) water and an orange. Anne got the mushed version, mince, and pea potato mix, bread but she gets desert, Jelly, apple puree and a yogurt. I did finely cut up some of the steak for her which she enjoyed.
Dinner supplied to both of us again
She is off the drip (had to explain this term to the nurse) and must keep drinking a lot of water.
I have brought back to the room, the IPad and IPhone so I connect then to Internet here and hopefully Anne will be able to look at Facebook and her mail this afternoon after it is downloaded here.
I am amazed with the size of this hospital, the centre structure on the left is the central courtyard on the plans on the right.
Click for Hospital Week 2