This year is already driving me crazy.

First, malaria; now, kidkey stones. Kidney stones have been my nemesis since I was 12, but I was hoping that after being hit by malaria twice, I could get a break.

Obviously, the body knows nothing about mercy or justice. It just does what it has to do. I am guessing that the malaria bug somehow triggered the already malfunctioning kidkeys to either produce more stones or free the ones that were stored there.

This time, I bought some strong painkillers, and have been taking them before the pain makes me puke.

As it is customary here, we accompany the medical treatment with natural medicines, so I got some pills that worked some years ago and I am drinking water mixed with some big-eared oregano leaves and Indian/sour cane sticks (Costus allenii maas).

I can't afford private medical attention this time, so I had to settle for one of our small understaffed and underequipped outpatient hospitals. The worst thing about these ambulatorios is not the attention itself (or lack of it in many cases).

There are visual reminders in every wall that Venezuela is ruled by sick minds and that most people have accepted that as a matter of course; as if this has always been like that; as if those images were a natural part of our culture.

When the left was on the opposition sidewalk, they complained about the colonization of our country by the capitalist mentality and the American iconography and products. Now they do not see anything wrong with boards like this one (which you can find in every govenment institution, including schools and hospitals).

I wonder what would happen if the posters were gone? Will the doctors be unable to do their jobs? Will they forget what they learned in med school (assuming they did go to med school)? Will they lose their motivation to work? What exactly do the images of Bolivar, Martí, Fidel Castro, Ché Guevara and Hugo Chávez do for the medical personnel and the patients in a given hospital?

To make matters worse, the echosonogram was performed by a young woman who was probably more fitted for a fast-food restaurant. She was in a hurry and wanted to finish her shift. I will have to go for a second opinion and at least a printed image of whatever it is the ultrasound shows. They do not give you that here. They may not have resources for some basic medical-related things, but they make sure the decoration is always there. There will always be resources for ideological propaganda and brainwashing.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you are safe and healthy