She fears Medicare cutbacks could make things even worse.
"I'm tired of going to physicians that just don't care," she says.
Once she learned the doctor in Celebration would take her, and her insurance, she was sold.
If the wealthier residents of the Disney-developed town have access, Maria asks, "Why can't we?"
At the doctor's office, the distant call of seagulls and rustle of a gentle breeze fill the waiting room as an ad on the television shows an island golf resort.
David stares at the waiting room's wood floors, then points at Maria's ankle. "Enchada," he says. Swollen.
Maria leans back in the chair and closes her eyes. David holds her hand.
The television, set on HGTV, shows a young couple in Austin, Texas, searching for their first home.
A nurse calls Maria's name.
Dr. Eduardo Parra-Davila begins the appointment with a question.
"How have you been since the last time I saw you?" he asks. "Are you still having a lot of issues?"
Maria responds in Spanish.
"Tengo un dolor bien fuerte," she says. I have a very strong pain.
Medical problems have haunted Maria her whole life. When she was 3 weeks old, she had her first asthma attack. More than 25 years ago, she contracted pneumonia, a lung collapsed and she went into cardiac arrest. Doctors placed her on life support. It took her nearly a year, she says, to work up enough strength to hold a coffee cup.
A decade ago, her eardrums burst. Left legally deaf, she received a cochlear implant -- initially denied by a doctor who didn't think Medicare would pay for it. Now, piercing pain on her right side keeps her awake at night. Lying on a heating pad hasn't helped. Sometimes, when she tries to eat, food lodges in her throat. Her eyes begin to water. She cannot swallow and can barely breathe.
The doctor says tests have confirmed that she has two hernias -- one in her diaphragm and one on her left side. He doesn't know what's causing the pain on her right side.
"La cirugia se tiene que hacer ya," he tells her. The surgery must be done right away.
After he leaves the room, Maria looks stunned.
David rushes to her side, rubs her back and kisses the top of her head.
"It's gonna be OK," he tells her.
"Well, at least I get to stay here in the Ritz Carlton," she says.
The scheduler suggests a date that's less than 10 days away. Maria asks for more time so they can settle into their house.
She is worried about David.
Before she comes back for surgery, she wants to buy him some frozen vegetables he can prepare easily. And she plans to freeze a giant container of chicken noodle soup.
David says he wants to get her an adjustable bed to help her recovery.
