Preparing For A Medical Emergency Abroad

TMP 78 - Shana
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Jenn: Hey everyone. Welcome back to the Travel Mug Podcast. So this week we're gonna talk about something that's really important and a lot of us try not to think about it when we're traveling.

But that's being prepared for having a medical emergency while traveling abroad. I promise we will have some fun this episode. It's not gonna be all serious business, but we do wanna welcome our guest, Shana, to the episode. So she is an aortic dissection survivor.

Shana: Mm-hmm.

Jenn: Which happened while she was traveling. She's also a successful voice actor, musical theater performer, and has turned her experience into a one hour musical adventure. So we've made it fun. So welcome to the show, Shana.

Shana: Thank you.

Jenn: So first, let's talk about your travel history. Any favorite travel destinations or anywhere that's on your bucket list that you haven't been yet?

Shana: Oh man, I love travel, especially solo travel. So favorite places. I've been Prague for sure. France back when I was doing a lot of scuba diving, I was in Belize and Honduras, the Bay Islands Hawaii. There are so many great places. New Zealand is on that list of places I have not been yet.

Jenn: Mm-hmm.

Shana: I haven't been to Australia yet, and uh, and I still travel quite a bit and, and still do solo travel as well. So hopefully I'll make all those places.

Jenn: Yeah.

Meggan: Yeah, definitely. Definitely. Yeah. I think for both of us, New Zealand and Australia are both on our list as well, and of course I would never pass up an opportunity to go to the Galapagos islands either.

Shana: Right.

Jenn: Seriously. Yeah. It's that long flight to New Zealand and Australia that we're like, Ooh, I don't know if I'm ready.

Meggan: And I suppose you're in Seattle, is that right, Shana?

Shana: Yeah, I'm up in Seattle, Washington.

Meggan: Yeah. It's a little bit closer for you, I suppose, than it would be for us, but it's still a long ways to go.

So take us back to your Ireland trip in 2019. So what were your original travel plans and sort of walk us through what ended up happening to you.

Shana: Sure, sure. So I felt great, was in fantastic shape. Took my family to Iceland and then Scotland and Ireland, and I knew I couldn't go by myself. I was supposed to go to a work conference in Ireland, but if I didn't take my husband to Scotland, he was gonna be really upset.

So I planned this huge trip. It was like, you know, three and a half weeks and I, we hiked and we did all these amazing things and I felt a little off a couple times where I had some heartburn, you know, but you in your mid forties, husband's like, have some Peptid AC you're fine.

Jenn: Yeah..

Meggan: Yeah.

Shana: And uh, and, and yeah. And so they flew home on a Tuesday and I remember that was the day that I went up to Giants Causeway. So like, they flew home. I got in a, on a bus, went to Northern Ireland, hiked for five or six miles like you do, right? Had a great time. Went across Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, which is up there, Northern Ireland.

Meggan: Yes, I've done it.

Shana: Coolest place. Right?

Meggan: It's so fun.

Shana: I felt fine. I felt fine. Got back on the bus, came back to the back to where I was staying. Drove to Cork. Spent the night in Cork with an Airbnb couple. They were delightful. Did not know I was gonna get to know them as well as I did. And I still felt good.

Saw my college roommate the next day for like, like a, like elevensies like brunch, right? And then I drove across the mountains to dingle out to the, the Dingle Peninsula. Yep. And I felt fine. I had a coughing attack cause we, oh, we'd all had colds. Everybody had a cold in the, in the, we were up in, up in Scotland and I coughed quite a bit.

I pull into my Airbnb and I got out and I went inside and it, my first thought was so weird, I went, oh, it's not cute. It's a very weird thought. It was really cute too. It was so cute. Your own little cottage, right? I was like, this is a very ugly cottage. Okay, that thought, that's a really weird thought.

Everything kind of went gray suddenly. And I went, I should get my phone from the car. That's not normal. And so I went out and got my phone, came back in, and thankfully I travel with wifi all turned on all the time. Those little, those little pocket, the little, little get like almost like a little puck.

Sky Roam and um, so I already had wifi, so I didn't have to look that up. And I was like, Uhhuh, I was really glad, I was like, how do you dial emergency services in Dingle, Ireland, which is by the way, the middle of nowhere. And they're like, 999. I'm like, okay, 999 and the guy answered. And I was like, I'm either having a panic attack, which I've never had or something's really wrong.

Cause at this point I'm, I'm just sweat. So much sweat, like, like dripping in your eyes, kind of sweat. And he's like, well, let's get you some help. And it took him 20 minutes to get to me. I haven't even met the Airbnb hosts at this point. My suitcase is still in the rental car, and I was laying on the bed.

It was a very, it's a comfy bed. The guy talked to me for 20 minutes and then they suddenly were there. They came in. Well, first, they got lost. Actually, I helped. I'm like, no, no, you need to make a right. Like through the Big stone thing, the go. Come back a little bit. Apparently the whole neighborhood knew what was happening cuz the, the ambulance is trying to find me.

So they get in there and the first guy, he grabs my wrist and he goes, I can't get a pulse. She has no pulse. And I said, well, I'm talking to you, so I think we should assume I'm still alive.

Meggan: If you didn't mind, I would love to assume that.

Shana: And then the other guy goes, oh, we're gonna have a right crack with you on the way to the hospital.

And that's sort of like how it all started was nobody was sad. Nobody was scared or depressed. It was distressing. But I didn't really think I was in a grave, grave, great amount of danger they put me on. I remember kinda waving to my Airbnb host, like, okay, I'm gonna have to leave the car. I'll let you know what's going on. Gotta go with this guy. And he, they were great, Lisa and, and and Ian were incredible. They took my rental car back. They brought my suitcase to me. They had all kinds of stuff. All the Airbnb hosts were amazing. Wow. So I was only at their house for 20 minutes. We left each other hysterical reviews on Airbnb.

Hers says she was very brave. We loved having her for her short visit. And mine says, oh, the bed was amazing. And it's cuter than you expect at times. You don't expect anyway if you, if you read them. I've had, since then, I've had a couple people go, we read those reviews about the place in Dingle. Did something happen there?

Meggan: What was the part about the sweat stain that you left on the bed? I tried,

Shana: they, they, they needed to wash the sheets for sure. Right. So they get me to, to carry, ding was Tralee, the town is called Tralee and it was I think it's the, it's the Kerry hospital and it takes 'em forever to figure out what's wrong with me.

I'd look, I just looked too young. I didn't even look my age. I was 45, looked maybe 39. And so they didn't, they just couldn't figure it out. They could see fluid around my heart, not good. So they finally give me a CAT scan and then things start moving very, very fast.

Jenn: Mm-hmm.

Shana: So they put me back on the ambulance. They forget to lock the ambulance in. So that first roundabout they have in Ireland. Very exciting because I'm like, woo. And I think I yelled Yee-haw, and they're like, I think we need to strap her in. Yeah, that'd be good. So again, that's, that's how this, the trip started too. Cause, and I remember they loaded a nurse with me and a doctor and he looked so scared.

I remember thinking, huh, that's not normal. I don't think there should be. That's weird. They're putting us, what's he gonna do? Is he gonna like do surgery on the road anyway? I'm like, well, hopefully we won't need him. I also remember that we were gonna be going back on that road that had a castle in the middle of the freaking road.

I remember thinking, driving around it earlier in the day, there just castle in the middle of this road. So I kept cracking jokes in the uh, like this is a road trip. He looks scared. They're putting barf bags everywhere. He got really car sick, the surgeon.

Jenn: Oh!

Shana: That's, We're on a road trip at 10 30 at night. I keep cracking jokes about Don't hit any sheep. They're like, is sheep seriously backseat driving back there? I'm like, yeah, and there's a castle. You wanna miss the castle. And, and, and everyone's having a good time except for the poor, The poor sur surgeon. And so I started making more stories. I'm like, all right, we just need to have fun.

Let's just make this a road trip and I'm gonna tell stories. And I remember I was like, let's just pretend that I, I'm a spy. I'm a spy. We have code books and I've taken terrible shrapnel to the chest. We've gotta get back across the border.

Meggan: Oh my god Shana! You're stressing me out.

Shana: I'm a performer! This, this, but this is so funny cuz the surgeon grabbed my foot, he goes, This is really helping.

Ok, good. Cause you're not throwing up anymore and that's really nice.

Meggan: That's great. That's great.

Shana: And then they start fighting about where to bring me on the, on the radio. I remember hearing the fight and they're like, we gotta bring her right to the doors. It's like, oh, they can't be doing that. You gotta bring her around to emergency. Like, no, we're not bringing her around. We're bringing her right to the front doors. So then I start cracking more jokes. I was like, and I can't remember what I said at that point, but they, they do, they bring me up to the front doors. You know, a month later, I knew why. I walked that 15 minute journey it takes you to get from the emergency door to the surgery.

It's like 15 minutes. I see why They were like, no way. They ring me up and they prepped me for surgery in three minutes in the elevator on the way up. And I remember I was like, she's like, we're gonna have to cut off your wedding ring. And I'm like, no, no, just do soap. Soap will do the trick. Just soap it off.

And like when I got my wedding ring back, it said, soap did the trick. It was funny. And they were like, you couldn't be in a better place for this. And they put me out. So I literally had no idea any danger. And when I woke up- 14 hour surgery, I mean, I didn't, well, you know, I don't know any of this at this point.

I dunno, I've shouted my husband's phone number to a nurse who called Ben. So I'm having a great time on a road trip. I have no idea. I, I just figured I was having a heart attack or something. They'll figure it out.

Meggan: Right.

Shana: And so when I wake up, I remember my first thought was, Hey, I was joking about getting a tummy tuck and I remember I wanted my roots done and why have I, I noticed where I was shaved and I was like, oh, that's gonna itch. That's gonna itch so bad. And so I'm laughing and the nurse comes over, oh, hun, hun you're awake. And I wasn't intubated anymore. She goes, what's, what is it? What's it? I go, do you have something for the itching? So the joke that got workshopped that went into the show of telling the story to so many other ERs was, you know, if you have to get a Brazilian wax, full anesthesia is the way to go.

Meggan: That, that's a rule to live by.

Shana: Right? Yes. So I, I woke up in a, I wouldn't say I had a great time in the ICU cuz that I don't remember a lot of pain. They had me on really good, really good meds. I was like, there were a lot of us in the same room. I remember I had a dedicated nurse they were watching hurling, like H U R L I N G.

That's some good violent stuff.

Jenn: Yeah.

Shana: And I'm on morphine going, that looks like a good time. And then I kind of noticed I've got, you know, A scar. I mean, I was, I would, they, what they do is they, they open you up kind of down by, down in your, in your bikini line.

Jenn: Mm-hmm.

Shana: That's where they shave you. So I had a big scar down there, and then also the one in my chest started, you know, you can see it here, it goes all the way to my belly button.

Jenn: Mm-hmm.

Meggan: Oh, wow.

Shana: Plus drain holes. Oh yeah. They, they open you up completely. And then later I found out all the fun stuff they do while you're under, I mean, it's, they, yeah, they turn, they basically turn you off. They, they get you really cold. And then they remove your heart and give it a really cool yeah. I, I have a Saint Jude mechanical, Irish heart valve.

Meggan: Nice.

Shana: And then they put it back in and they, you're still like, like 32 degrees. Then they kind of start to slowly warm you up and then they zap you.

Meggan: Oh wow. Really?

Shana: Yeah. So I'm didn know

Meggan: very Grey's anatomy.

Shana: I didn't know any of that until long after I was home.

So while I, while I was in Ireland, the with the beautiful thing is they finally got ahold of my family, took him four days to get back. But they are so good about not telling you what's wrong with you. Like the US would be like, okay, you just almost died from all this stuff. Sign all this paperwork. Never do this, never do that.

And I've just, and, and now that I've been in the medical system here, I'm always like, guys, no. My husband will read that because I didn't have to read all that stuff.

Jenn: Yeah.

Shana: I just got busy healing. And my nurses will be like, oh, yer grand. And then they just bring you tea. So in the Ireland, they bring you tea at the hospital four times a day.

Jenn: My gosh. That's hilarious.

Meggan: Wow.

Shana: And the first time they brought the tea, I, I, I'd been moved to the wards. So I had three roommates and they were all really fun, wonderful people. All of us going through a lot.

Meggan: Yeah.

Shana: But we did have a good time, felt a little like a slumber party. Cuz at one point I had the tea cart. I was like, do you have coffee? And my Fiona behind her going, Yeah, and I'm like, and she has a blood clot in her hand, but she's still moving her hands like this. And I was like, no, no. I tea. I'll have tea. And she's like, two sugars. I'm like, okay, two sugars and milk. And she's right, the coffee was really horrible.

But I learned to really like Barry's tea, because we were in Cork University Hospital at this point, and that's where they make Barry's. But yeah, it was four times a day. You, you had tea and it wasn't, do you want tea? It's what do you want with your tea?

Jenn: Right.

Shana: And

Meggan: You're having tea.

Jenn: You're having tea

Shana: uhhuh. And the crazy one too is when I got a phone call, I got, I got a phone call and they were like, sh Shana, you, you have a call. And I was like, okay, I, it, my husband, I've got my cell phone. They're like, no, no, no. All the doctors in Kerry wanna talk to you.

Meggan: You made an impression.

Shana: I was like that is that normal? She goes, oh, no, no. It's not normal at all. Just like, okay. So I get outta bed and I'm like, padding over. And I'm like, hi. And they're like, are you okay? How do you feel? I feel great. And they're like, you feel great? Yeah, I'm good. I'm good. Okay, well, we've just all been thinking about cha. Again, nobody had told me how bad it was.

Jenn: Right.

Shana: I mean, I knew I had a big scar and one of their doctors came and saw me, brought me flowers. Really, really cool stuff. And again, I'm still, you know, and I remember too, that people would fi, it's a teaching hospital, people would file past, and the looks on everyone's faces was like, because I only had a 6% survival rate, and I didn't know that right.

Jenn: Yeah.

Shana: 6% chance, which is, I mean it, wow.

Meggan: When did you find all of that stuff out?

Shana: In the States. I started to know a little bit, so my husband arrived and the first thing I still was like, again, I'm on morphine having a good time doing voiceover, like sneaking into the X-ray room to record Microsoft's sexual harassment videos like you do.

Right, right. So I was not in a bad state mentally. I was having a good time still. Husband was not. They told him a little more of what was going on. He got there, they put him up of all places, and it was kind of hard. He was in the place where they put the people who are on hospice, like their spouses.

Jenn: Right.

Shana: I'm fine, but he's staying in the place with all the spouses that are Yeah, hospice. So he stayed there. He would come see me during the day. And finally the, the, the nurse or No, no, the doctor surgeon. Tall, beautiful woman, blonde hair. She came in at, gotta be 6, 6'2. Very tall woman. And she's like, My husband was like, so can you tell us what happened?

Cause my first question was, do I get to wear a cape now? Am I a superhero and can I still scuba dive? Was my first question.

Jenn: Right. Important things.

Shana: She just looks at me like.

I don't think you can scuba dive is what she said. And that's actually, I know, I know a dissection survivor who does, but most of us don't. It's, it's a little, that pressure stuff could be kind of weird. Right. But she basically tried to kind of said, she was like, well, you're, you're doing really well. Better than most people do, have had this happen.

And so she didn't, again, she didn't tell us that much either. Either. Then we're gonna dismiss you from the hospital. I had a place to live cuz friends of friends of friends needed a house sitter and the other Airbnb people had already brought me so much food and like gowns and it, it was great. And so we had a place to live right away for free, and I was there, I was stuck in Ireland.

I couldn't fly for three more weeks.

Jenn: Right.

Meggan: Oh wow.

Shana: So Ben was there for two weeks. My, I didn't see my eight year old this whole time, which was really hard.

Jenn: Yeah.

Shana: Um, So Ben was there two weeks. He flew home to be home with, with the eight year old. And then my mother came who at the time was 75 and had never been to Europe and always wanted to go.

And at one point she said to me while we were bar hopping in Dublin like you do after Open heart.

Meggan: Sure

Shana: With your 75 year old mother. She's like, should we be having this much fun? And I was like, why not?

Meggan: At this point you definitely should be.

Jenn: Yeah.

Shana: When I got home, yeah. I had two infections in my chest when I got home. That was no fun. So then I, I basically got, went right back into a hospital. And being in the states in a hospital was more like incarceration. But what happened was I started telling all the stories I just told you guys.

Jenn: Mm-hmm.

Shana: And that's what became a show, because it was almost like standup comedy. I got to work it and every, every new technician got another version of the story.

And so the jokes became honed to where when I went to write the show, which was like in November maybe, cuz I didn't know a pandemic was coming. I was gonna go do some theater.

Jenn: Right.

Shana: I wrote the whole show. In November of 2019, and Cathie Ryan's music is so beautiful. I got permission from her. I was listening to her stuff on the airplane on the way home and went. Oh my gosh. These songs, these songs, they're about Carrick-a-Rede. There's a, there's a song called Carrick-a-Rede, so that's in the show. And all songs about the heart. And I was like, wow, I'm gonna, this is, this needs to happen. So yeah, I, the song like Staying Alive, I got the Bee Gees totally gave me permission. They got copies of the show and they're like, ah, yeah. I'm like, okay. So we got Staying Alive in there. And so we, yeah, we, I talked to a couple musicians wrote it, and the pandemic hit.

Meggan: Well that is actually what I wanted to ask you about traveling. So, and what Shana is referring to is she has a whole musical, like we mentioned about this.

So we're gonna dive into that in a second. Cause I honestly can't wait to hear a bit more about that. I wish I could honestly see it in person at this point, but I feel like I'm living it like right now.

Shana: You are. This is pretty much the show.

Meggan: Everyone's getting a sneak preview that's listening. But I do wanna talk about traveling since, because even just listening to your story you know, of course is wild. And, and it makes me anxious, so I can't imagine. So talk to us about maybe having traveled since and mm-hmm. If so, how was that for you? Anxiety trepidation? What was it like heading back out into the world?

Shana: Well see, we've got pandemic in there and I remember distinctly talking to a friend who had a brain tumor and survived. He's doing Okay he had it maybe eight months before all my stuff happened, and he called me during the pandemic. He goes, pandemic, freaking you out. I went, Nope, not even a little. He goes, me neither.

I don't, and I think it's because we had been through so much. Your bar goes down.

Meggan: Right.

Shana: Because you're just, you're really glad to be breathing. And so when you wake up every day going, oh, I'm alive. Hmm. Three good things today. Well, I'm alive and I'm breathing you, you suddenly used you things that upset you and worried you, like air airplane crashes used to scare the crap out of me.

Yeah, I don't need, I don't even care. I'm not saying they don't happen, of course they do, but I don't waste any energy on it anymore cuz I've been through something utterly horrifying.

Meggan: Mm-hmm.

Shana: And chose to not internalize it because I should without going too in depth, cuz it gets too hard to listen to.

And someday I'll write a book called My Trilogy of Ologies.

Meggan: Okay.

Shana: Because I was in the hospital workshopping all this material. We found lots of other things that I survived in a six month period. Oh, and so that I wasn't traveling during that time, but that many diagnoses. You- travel becomes something precious and beautiful and and wonderful. And solo travel. I think if you do it right, For me in terms of anxiety, I make sure I have medication in two bags. Okay. Cuz you know, bags get stolen, you drop one you, they get, they get lost. So I make sure that my medication is in several places. Like you do your money, your money, and your medication's.

In several places I travel with a blood pressure cuff. So I can immediately check my blood pressure. I'm on Warfarin, so I travel with all of my med, like all the meds. I can do my own testing. And what, and in the, and I also have to watch that I'm not, that my numbers are okay to fly. I have all kinds of things that I have to deal with in order and there are some people who dissect, who never travel again, and they're probably some medical professionals. Because we are the aortic, I get the athlete aortic athletes, those of us who have repairs, we are still the cutting edge.

Jenn: Right.

Meggan: Wow.

Shana: They don't exactly know how we're all gonna do. I exercise a lot. And it's very helpful. I just had my heart looked at on Thursday night of last week.

Jenn: Mm-hmm.

Shana: And we're, we're great. So there, I mean, I, do I need to go scuba diving tomorrow? No. Do I go cycling? Oh yeah. Do I do all kinds of other stuff?

So travel, so I, two years later I went back, I. To Ireland with my daughter. Same place. I mean, talk about really immersing yourself. You know, we flew into, into Dingle, we flew into Dublin and then drove to Dingle, and you had that moment where you're going right past where it all happened. And I remember where I had the coughing attack, and I could see I didn't actually go to their place.

I didn't see the little cottage. But as we were driving by the, the right turn, I told Maddie was awake and she's, you know, she's 10. I went, well, that's kinda where it happened. Let's, she goes, mom, let's just drive on by. That's what we're gonna do. And we did. We drove over what they call a mountain pass.

It's a very cute little speed bump. And we came on down and we pulled into the new place where I was gonna stay, which is right outside Dingle. And the woman, again, incredible Airbnb host. On the second morning I was there, I shook in bed for three hours. Hmm. So it wasn't like I had no reaction or had totally stuffed it.

Jenn: Right.

Shana: But I also remembered we, we were supposed to go hold raptors, owls and, and, and birds and stuff that afternoon. Yeah. So by noon I looked over at my daughter and went, I think we should go hold birds. And she's like, yes, let's go do it. And, you know, shook it off, got in the car. And drove right over and played with birds and so it's, I do get some PTSD occasionally. Absolutely.

Meggan: Mm-hmm.

Shana: They tend to not last more than about, I would say, 90 seconds. So, and I've learned a lot of coping mechanisms. I had one in Switzerland last September. I solo traveled to Iceland and Switzerland.

Jenn: Mm-hmm.

Shana: Iceland was amazing. Oh, it always is. Careful. Oh, Iceland is always amazing.

Jenn: We love Iceland.

Meggan: We totally get it.

Shana: I wanna, I wanna go again. Yes. So in Iceland I know, and I'm staying again in an Airbnb by myself, and I just, I have those little things I make sure I have. When I was in, in Scotland, oh no, Scotland, I went, when went to over to to Switzerland, going up to 10,000 feet super fast.

Hmm. So I think it's got a little woozy for me a little quicker than some people. Right. But I remember because they even say, Hey, you're going up really quickly. And other, other people fared worse than I did. But I do, cuz I probably, cuz I was going really slow and being really careful and, but it was amazing and totally worth it.

And I had one moment on that trip too, where I think I just sat there on the bed and went, why am why am I alone again? And then boom, I was back with people and, and felt, and that that was the trip. I got Covid, not till the very end. Careful but not insanely careful. Careful. And I ne it didn't get covid the whole time we were, it was here and sure enough, I woke up in Switzerland at the conference with the littlest bit of what I considered heart pain.

So heart pain's something I pay attention to.

Jenn: Yeah.

Meggan: Mm-hmm.

Shana: And so, cause I know it had a little sniffles. And so I, of course went to the ER. See, I tend to go to ERs quickly. I don't mess around. Switzerland, it's very expensive, by the way. And that's why I carry travel insurance. Switzerland's $500 just to take the cab and you write the check like to them before they even like take you, right?

Expensive. So I got there and it was, again, they're doing a small EKG on me and I'm, I'm that unusual person where the, and in the Switzerland, they're not nearly as as funny as Ireland. They're a little more sedate.. He's like, ma'am, Thank God it's just covid. Once again. It's like, thank God it's just covid.

Jenn: Ok, great.

Shana: And I was, I was like, oh, it's just Covid. Oh, that's amazingly, that's best news I've had all day. And then I just didn't let it scare me. I knew they, well, they also wanted me outta the country. So basically, yeah, I got to stay a couple extra days. Beautiful view. And then, you know, Triple gloves, triple masks on.

Nobody was gonna get that in the, from me on the way home. No. Got home and never gave it to my family. Everybody would, you know, and e everyone at that conference ended up having covid. Of course, I was just the first one, I was the, I was the one to go to the hospital and get diagnosed.

Jenn: Right.

Shana: And then since then, I've also, you know, that was the big trip last fall. I went to Mexico in January. That was amazing. That was absolutely wonderful. And again, solo.

Jenn: Nice.

Shana: So I'm, yeah. So I still, but do have those, I would say I'm not quite as carefree as I was maybe 10 years ago. I'm a little more careful. Meds have to be carefully and, and I also know how to get more meds always.

Jenn: Mm-hmm.

Shana: In whatever countries I'm going to. And I carry insurance and depending on where I'm going, there's always the stuff where they will evacuate out immediately. Yeah. Yeah. There's that kind of insurance too, so, yeah.

Meggan: Yeah.

Jenn: Yeah. I think those are all really good tips. Like if we're gonna give people tips to kind of take with them out into their travels, like travel insurance is,

Shana: yes.

Jenn: Huge. And I think that most, I hope that most people are getting travel medical insurance now. I hope

Shana: I can tell you, they called me every day in the hospital.

Jenn: Did they?

Shana: Because I was a solo traveler.

Jenn: Yeah.

Shana: And they called every day, not just to say, Hey, we're gonna pay your bills. Which by the way, was only $10,000 for open heart surgery in Ireland.

What?

Jenn: Wow.

Shana: It would've been a million dollars in the States.

Jenn: Oh, easy. Wow.

Shana: Yep. It was only 10,000. They just wrote, they wrote the check here. And then to get home, they made sure my mom was with me, otherwise they would've had someone on the plane with me.

Jenn: Right.

Meggan: Wow.

Shana: I mean, really it was Alliance. They did a fantastic job and they still, they still cover me.

I do have a little bit of preexisting stuff. They tuck in mine now. Yeah. Like, please don't dissect again. I'm like, well, I prefer not to as well. Yeah, right. But I, yeah, I do go with them still.

Meggan: Mm-hmm. They're like, this is Shana's file. Everybody sort of needs to look out for this. Yeah.

Shana: Yeah.

Jenn: Yeah. Oh, that's amazing. Yes. And the wifi device that you mentioned. I like, I've never used something like that, but Oh my God.

Shana: Iceland. Iceland. Well, Iceland 112 by the way. If you gotta dial and dial emergency services in Iceland, it's 112. I haven't, but I have it memorized, although they have it on everything. They're, they're, they're Iceland, man. They will come, they'll get you. You could be out on the Ring Road. They're gonna come get you. They, I all the, all the rental places, all the rental cars have them. Where you have like wifi, wherever you go, and I think it's because that country is.

Jenn: Right.

Shana: Very remote and can be very dangerous if you're not smart.

Whereas going to Europe, the sky roam and I can't vouch for it now. I still have one, but I, at the time, this is what, you know, four years ago, it was fantastic because I would just literally, I could turn it on once and just keep it charged. And wherever I, wherever I went, man, I had, I had wifi.

Jenn: Yeah.

Meggan: Excellent. Mm-hmm.

Jenn: Yes. I love the medication in two bags. I've never thought to do that. I've always put it in my carryon, but like now I like, you know. But if you like

Shana: if you leave your carryon in the bathroom,

Jenn: purse, yeah.

Shana: Yes.

Jenn: Carryon and a purse, and then at least you have something. And knowing how to get more medication is

Shana: mm-hmm.

Jenn: In case. You lose it or run out or something happens.

Shana: And for people who are diabetics, things like that, I've had no trouble traveling with all of my little devices.

Jenn: Mm-hmm.

Shana: My tiny little and basically I use the same thing diabetics do for finger tests. Cause I do blood tests.

Meggan: Right.

Shana: If the reason I have to bring all my blood testing information and INR.

International RA ratio testing kit, whatever it is, is because if I forget my medicine, my medicine's really important, right? I have to take it

Jenn: Yeah.

Shana: For blood clots. And so if I forget to take it or something weird happens and with time change, it can, I can test right there on the spot.

Jenn: Right.

Shana: The other thing was crazy in Ireland, they said to me, this is so funny. The nurse is like, okay, we're gonna have to talk about alcohol. You're gonna have to keep your drinking to two drinks a night. And I was like, that's more than I drink now.

Jenn: Wow. Yeah.

Shana: And she's like, well, you're gonna have to start, cuz you have to keep it consistent.

Meggan: Oh, the Irish!

Shana: Right? Because in the States they're like, you can't drink, can't drink anything.

Yeah. In, in, in the US they're like, you should just not drink. And then you have to worry about it. Where the Irish are like, of course you're gonna drink. Here's how you manage it with Warfarin.

Meggan: Please just take it easier than normal.

Shana: And I, and they also, I remember going outside and everybody had their, I, their, you know, their IVs with them and they're sat there smoking and there's huge signs that say, don't smoke and voice over going smoking's bad for you.

And then they were interviewing me and they're like, now, when did you quit smoking? And I was like, I have never smoked. Yeah, yeah. We know. But when did you quit?

Like never. I didn't start. I don't smoke.

She was funny. I swear she still didn't believe me. Yeah. Okay. I'm gonna write down, never smoked. Like it's unusual here.

Yes. My goodness.

Jenn: Oh my gosh. So Shana, it's really funny just you mentioning your scar. I also, I probably can't see it on video, but I am here to hear as well. So I had a, a ventricular septal defect.

Shana: Okay.

Jenn: Which was repaired and everything is good, but it's just funny to meet other people with the same chest scar. I don't meet a lot of people in my, in my everyday life. But I like, besides, I mean, I've had medical emergencies, but thankfully, knock on wood, none while, I've been traveling, but I have been traveling with people who've had medical emergencies and I like, I do wanna reiterate like the importance of getting timely care and if you feel like something is off, like getting checked out because out so many people just kind of like it'll be fine.. And then sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't.

Shana: If I'd chosen to take a nap, I wouldn't be here.

Jenn: Yeah, exactly. So it's, so yeah, it, timely care is super important, whether you're traveling or not, if you feel off, get checked out.

Shana: Yeah.

Jenn: Um, And yeah, definitely knowing the emergency phone numbers and then a lot of countries have phone numbers that you can call for medical care that you can ask for advice that's not like emergency.

Mm-hmm.

So here in Canada we have 811. I don't know if you have something like that in the us. In Scotland it was 111, which is where we were when we had to call and they were amazing. They were like, no, you need to go to the hospital. And they called the hospital ahead. And because we were, it was emergent, but we could drive ourselves kind of situation. And I called ahead and, and made the experience as, as good as it could be for a medical emergency on my best friend's wedding day. So,

Shana: Ooh.

Jenn: yeah. It was, everything worked out and everybody is fine, but it also could have gone another way if we had waited to get this person checked out. So and I also wanna mention, I for like non-emergency medical situations that you can often go into a pharmacy and talk to a pharmacist and they can help you.

Sometimes they can give you a medication or they can at least point you in the right direction. I think pharmacies are really underutilized as a medical service here in Canada and, and when

Shana: True in the state, in the states too. And the other thing about pharmacies, drugs are, have different names in different countries. A lot.

Jenn: Yeah.

Shana: And I do remember them. I was like, I'm allergic to Demerol and them shouting, what the feck's Demerol? Someone else screaming. I think it's a pain med, she's fine. I mean, I'm like, and I also kept saying, but I'm really allergic to Guinea pigs.

Jenn: And they're like, okay, cool.

Shana: Cracking myself up over there. And she's like, I don't think we need to hear about the Guinea pigs anymore. But I was like, But I love Guinea pig. They're loading me on the ambulance. But yeah, the, some of the, the stuff they put me on later when I got to the States, it was hard.

Jenn: Right.

Shana: So I'm just remembering I haven't, this is not, that's not in the show. I just remember thinking, wow, the names can be different. Yeah. And that's where the internet's your friend? It can Parsi. Oh, oh, oh, oh. paracetamol. I'm gonna say it wrong. Par anyway. Tylenol, that's a different name.

Jenn: Oh, yes.

Shana: It starts with a P.

Jenn: Yeah, yeah,

Meggan: yeah. So now like the pièce de résistance, tell us about broken wide open. So where did you get the idea for the show and like, how did it come together? I know you talked about it a little bit, but sort of, yeah. Laid out there for us. How did we get to this point?

Shana: So on the airplane on the way back, I was listening to Cathie Ryan, who's an amazing musician out of the north, north of Ireland near Belfast.

And years ago I presented her, I was running a performing arts center and she was one of the performers just adored working with her, love her music. Cause I've never really sang Celtic music. But I was listening to these lyrics and I was like, holy crap. Wow, this really fits what I just went through at least three or four of the songs and I thought, huh.

I'm not sure on the plane. I thought, oh, I know I should, I should, I should do a show. I just remember loving the music and then I got locked up at, at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle and that was not fun. It wasn't like being in Ireland at all. There are no jokes about that, that incarceration. I used the word incarceration.

It was awful. And I remember I started then writing some of this stuff down, and again, they would just take me, it was so many doctors, I got mad at one point. I was like, I'm done. I'm done telling my story. Ironically, then I'd write a show about it. But at the time I was like, I just can't tell this anymore.

And, but I had to keep telling it over and over and over. And then I changed. We changed, we changed medical insurance, so I had to tell the stories more. So there was more storytelling. And finally, I think it was a CAT scan person said, are you writing all this down? I was like, I should, these are funny jokes.

These are funny jokes. She's like, this is standup comedy. And I was like, I should write it down. You're right. And so it was right before Thanksgiving and I did, I was like, you know what, I'm just gonna sit down and I'm gonna write it all down. And I don't, were broken wide open where the, even the, oh, the name of the show.

There's the irony. I had come up with the idea to do a solo female, just a singing cabaret show, maybe six years ago, seven. I was gonna call it broken wide open.

Meggan: Wow.

Shana: That's where it came from. I've kind of forgotten about that. Mm-hmm. It's like, well, we're gonna use that title cuz that's not, that's not, I hope I didn't mentally say, Hey universe, I'd love to have a plot to go with these songs.

Meggan: Hope you didn't put that out there. And then all this

Shana: Right. Yeah, but it, it worked out okay. So it's okay. But I was like that, that, that's how that happened. And it came together very fast. I mean, it's been hopped and rewritten six or seven times and we just changed it a little bit again. But it's, it's been, I, I wrote it fast and then without thinking, I sent it off to two friends who are playwrights, very like world when renowned playwrights.

I was like, here, can you read this, please? I'm not even kidding. You know, I wouldn't ask. And one of them got back to me like, I don't know, three hours later. Going, workshop this, do this now.

Meggan: Wow. Wow.

Shana: And I said, okay, yeah. Thank you. I go, I need that, that I needed that.

Jenn: Yeah.

Shana: To be able to be like, oh, this is worth it.

Okay. And then I called my friend David Koch, who I've known, I've known the director for my whole, my whole adult life. And I called him and I said, will you direct the show? And he went, of course, I'll direct the show. And so he directed it. Robertson Whitmer, who's on accordion base, he's basically the, the, the music director.

We never worked together, but we've known each other 20 years. I've worked with his wife. I mean he, I told him what again we're, it was, it was right before the pandemic, but we still met on Zoom. But then everything, everything for the audio drama, cuz we did it as an audio drama, we all did on Zoom. And then I recorded the, the story here.

And then we did all the singing in Dave Pascal's studio, which is maybe 10 minutes for me.

Jenn: Mm-hmm.

Shana: With masks. And we'd take masks off. I would sing, we'd mask back up. But that we did all of it during the pandemic and we released it, spoken realms. They decided, I contacted them and they were really do have all the rights for the songs and went Yes.

And so he is like, okay. And so we did it through spoken realms and then Blackstone Audio picked it up and that was awesome. So it's only, it's 55 minutes long as an audio drama. And that was, that was wonderful and good to do during the pandemic. Right. And we had a, you know, quick priority, a couple live songs and the, but the intent was always to do at as theater again.

So, so currently we are scheduled to go back into Dingle, which is so great because it's where well, it's where it all happened and all the people we're gonna be playing a pub in Dingle on August 16th. And then we go to Cork and play a couple pubs there. And then we go to the Edinburgh Fringe Fest and do six shows. As part of the festival with two musicians that are from the states, and then we're hiring guitarists over there.

Jenn: Oh, awesome.

Shana: And then we'll come back and do it in Seattle with the full band next year, so Oh, wow. Yeah. That's how it all, it all came together. It just kind of kink.

Jenn: Yeah.

Shana: And the hardest part for me is I have to be off book. I, cuz I'm a voice actor now. I'm very used to having all the lines like, just in front of me.

Jenn: Oh yeah.

Shana: And the first time I did it, I could just read it because, you know, it was right there. And now I'm like, oh, oh, I have to memorize things again. I did a 10 minute version and survived. So I know I can do the full 45 minutes and.

Meggan: Oh, I, i, we believe in you.

Shana: It's basically a lot of the stories I just told you and then some songs.

Jenn: Right. So before we let people know where they can follow you online we'd love for you to share with us and our, our listeners, like what is your biggest take away or learning experience, like share some of your words of wisdom.

Shana: Hmm, hmm. I would say especially for travel. Enjoy all of it.

Jenn: Mm-hmm.

Shana: Even the parts that are totally unexpected and maybe grumpy making, right?

Meggan: Mm-hmm.

Shana: So the plane gets canceled. That's another awesome night. Hopefully in a place that's not too creepy. And if it's creepy then you should write great jokes about it. I mean, you find okay, you know I have a friend of mine was stuck I think recently. Somewhere where they couldn't even get a room in Dublin, something was happening.

Oh, Kenny. Kenny, Kenny G not Kenny g Kenny Loggins are performing. So they basically just pub hopped all night cuz there was nowhere sleep. That's a but that's But see that if you can enjoy that.

Jenn: Yeah.

Meggan: Right.

Shana: That's what you wanna enjoy. You go, oh, oh my bag's gone. Huh, well, how am I gonna cut back to get my bag? That's gonna be an exp. That'll be an experience. What can I enjoy now to and from having to deal with that? It's just getting creative. And I tell my kid this when we travel. Yeah, the, the pact that we make, and I also toured as a theater performer, and I think this is when I created this, it's kind of all highs and lows.

But the lows can be absolutely amazing if you change your attitude.

Jenn: Mm-hmm.

Shana: And I think that is what got me through the open heart surgery, laughing. I mean, that's a little weird. Not everyone should be expected to do that.

Meggan: Sure.

Shana: But at the same time, I had a great time when people say to me, oh, what was it like? I go, it was really great.

Jenn: Mm-hmm.

Shana: And I mean it, I'm not even like putting some slick thing over it. I mean, I, there were ti Oh yeah, there's, oh, I, this the, then it's in the show. There were at night. I had to read until I passed out cuz of fear, right? I'm not gonna be, I'm not gonna lie and not be like, you know, am I gonna make through this?

I'm probably gonna make it through this. Oh, especially when you're, my mother, bless her. She's, this is not in the show, but I'll tell you guys, she called, oh no, this isn't the show. I did put it in because I was like, she's like, you're strong, you'll probably pull through. And I'm like,

Meggan: you've likely got this

Shana: probably?! I've already decided I'm fine. So don't, don't even, don't probably.

Meggan: Oh, mothers. Yes.

Shana: She's, and then, and then when she came and visited, we went bar hopping. So it's all good. But I mean, yeah, having an add, how you choose to face the situation, whether it's something small like, you know, they don't, they, you don't have the right room.

All the thing, all the things that happen traveling.

Jenn: Yeah.

Shana: Yeah. Having a sense of humor.

Jenn: Mm-hmm.

Shana: Packed with you is the, that would be my, my wisdom, my key. No, so I can think back to some things on tour as well. You know, they had to stay in a hospital one time.

Jenn: Oh fun.

Shana: The, the closed down wing of a hospital.

Meggan: Nice.

Shana: That's creepy. We had a really good time. We played cause and we were like 21. But anyway, weird things like that. Right. How do you deal with that?

Meggan: Yeah. That's why I packed my husband to travel with me, cuz he's, he's the funny one, so I'm like, you're the sense of humor that's going to make this okay for me.

And so that's why he comes along.

Jenn: Yeah, I love that. My my dad, whenever something is challenging or frustrating or, you know, interesting, he always says another chapter for the book and I love that attitude about it, so.

Shana: Mm-hmm.

Jenn: I try to keep that when I get a little bit stressed out.

Shana: Travel can travel can have its stresses. Well, it has its natural stresses. We're not sleeping enough. Yeah. Maybe the plane was uncomfortable. There's a million things that can cause us to be you know, have those things. I also think planning in advance for comfort. Whatever that means to you. For me, it's earplugs, it's a sleep mask. It's music, it's having, for me, it's all something soft.

That was a big one for people who've been through anything medical where you need that kind of comfort. Now, when people ask me if they're in the hospital and I think what I wanna get them, they get soft socks from me and some kind of really soft blanket.

Meggan: I'm gonna call you if I'm ever in a medical emergency.

Shana: Yeah, you need need something soft.

Meggan: I want soft stuff, Shana.

Shana: Yeah, it's it. It was, I remember it was very helpful. I had this little Hairy Haggis and I know haggis is food. However, when we were up there in Scotland, if you go to like, I think we were probably one of the touristy places. They sell all the little tiny, like tribble looking, little Scottish haggis', wee hairy haggis'.

So I had one and I remember I was unpacking my tiny, I'm very good at packing only one bag when Id go to Europe. Thank goodness I, and I remember, although for five weeks I was a long time in one tiny suitcase. Mm-hmm. And I wore out the clothing. I remember I was unpacking it with like my oxygen hose and I think I was, I was crying cuz I was like, and I pull out this wee Hairy Haggis and I was like, it's just us.

And, and then I remember I had that moment where I was like, I wanted to do a Hamlet thing with my wee hairy haggis. And I looked, oh, this is, this is not in the show and should be. I looked over at this man from Limerick and then I thought, oh my God, there's a joke there too. I was like, there once was a man from Li No, no, no, just, just kidding.

Meggan: Just keep it in somehow. Keep it in.

Shana: Yeah. But that haggis, the haggis one everywhere with me and I pat him a lot and people will go, Is that a haggis? And I go, YESS the wee Hairy Haggis.

Meggan: It's your security haggis.

Shana: Yeah, it was. It was. And he went with us last time too. We took pictures of him everywhere. And so this will be the, this'll be the second time back.

So this will be the four year when we do the actual show in Edinburgh, it's on the four year anniversary date.

Jenn: Oh wow.

Shana: Not on purpose, it's just when the fringe is happening.

Jenn: Right?

Shana: No. Mm-hmm.

Jenn: So where can people find you online to get more information about?

Shana: So broken wide open.com is the website, and that website can lead you to either contacting me or you can get the audio drama, which is on audible.com.

There's two broken wide opens. It's not the Steamy Romance, it's the other one.

Meggan: Good to know.

Shana: Yeah. Yeah.

Jenn: Oh, okay. Yeah.

Shana: Yeah. It's, it's the one about the hearts.

Meggan: Maybe I'll just get both and Right. I listen to the other one after your story.

Shana: Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. That's how to get ahold of me. Yep. Mm-hmm.

Meggan: Excellent. Well, thank you first and foremost so much for, for coming on and sharing your story with us. Like this was incredible to hear sort of something scary that can happen, but also how you've turned it into something so special. So thank you.

Shana: Thank you guys,

Meggan: and thank you so much everyone for listening.

Thing. Of course, as always, to the Travel Mug podcast, you can find us online at travelmugpodcast.com. Also on Facebook and Instagram at Travel Mug Podcast, and obviously on YouTube. This one's a good episode to watch on YouTube, I'm sure. So do check us out there if you wanna see the shenanigans in person.

And you can support the show through Buy Me a Coffee or by sharing the show with a travel loving pal. And we will chat again soon. Bye everyone.