We weren't really intending to engage in any medical tourism on this trip, although we had in the backs of our minds the possibility, particularly here in Mérida, which has an excellent reputation for health care options. Hearing stories from other expats here about their good experiences gave us confidence to give it a try.
I've had a sore shoulder that's been bothering me for several months. I have no idea what I did to it, but it caused me great pain when reaching backward or upward to any great degree. I kept thinking I just slept on it wrong and that it would eventually go away, but it never did. The cost of treatment back home, especially after spending a small fortune on Deborah's kidney stone procedures this year, made the Mexico option more appealing. So I made an appointment and the next day saw orthopedist Dr. Javier Pasos Novelo who, in excellent English, diagnosed Capsulitis. He prescribed some anti-inflamatory pills and ten sessions of physical therapy. The latter included ultrasonic heating of the joint, electrical stimulation, and a number of exercises intended to unfreeze the joint and improve the range of motion. I recently completed those sessions and a follow up visit with Dr. Novelo, and can report significant improvement. I can't say I'm 100%, but I'm by far the best I've been in months, and the good doctor said if I just continue the exercises at home I should eventually be able to regain full capacity. The cost for this excellent treatment? Each of the two doctor visits was US$24. Each session of physical therapy was US$15. It is safe to say it would have cost several times that amount back home.
Deborah of course has had her own health issues. In addition to the aforementioned kidney stone procedures, which dragged on for weeks and were riddled with complications, she has been suffering since June of 2011 with all manner of bladder pain and urinary tract infections – a problem that has plagued her off and on for 35 years. At an expat friend's suggestion we went to see a urologist at Clinica de Mérida. We just showed up without an appointment and, amazingly, Dr. Jorge Navarrete Fernandez saw us right away. He met with us for an hour, asking lots of questions and listening intently to Deborah's long medical history. He prescribed some anti-spasm medication for her to try and ordered up a urine test, urine culture, and ultrasonic evaluation. (In Mexico you can actually order up this tests yourself, or tests like mammograms, pap smears, etc., and then decide whether the results warrant further discussion with a physician – very efficient!). The urine sample she was to collect at home no more than one hour prior to dropping it off at the hospital, so she followed the prescribed cleaning ritual, collected the sample, and then we jumped on a bus and rushed across town with cup of fresh pee in hand. After dropping it off at the lab we headed across the hall for the ultrasound. Deborah was thankful they took her right on appointed time because she had to drink a full bottle of water an hour beforehand and was ready to burst and the pain was excruciating. The cost for all three tests was US$83. Dr. Fernandez charged $59 per visit.
The tests were all normal: no infections, no tumors, no overly unusual voiding amounts, no anything. This lead Dr. Fernandez to speculate that the problem had to do with the nerves around Deborah's bladder giving off false signals, exacerbated by pressure from her colon. Much to our surprise he prescribed an antidepressant drug, which apparently has been used successfully on many patients with similar problems. It affects both the central nervous system and the nerves around the bladder and in this way can help alleviate the pain. Those of you who know Deborah might think giving her an antidepressant would send her bouncing off the walls, but in fact, initially, it actually made her kind of depressed. Drugs can be weird that way. She felt very stoned and lethargic – not her normal perky self at all. But with time her body has gotten used to the drug and she is finding it does relieve much of the pain. The jury is still out as to whether this is the best drug, or even the right approach, but initial indications are positive.
Fortunately, neither of our doctors have prescribed any Maya head flattening procedures thus far.
No comments:
Post a Comment