Job Discussion Forums

[dixie]

I am wondering if this is a common experience, or just one that I am "lucky" enough to always have. Every time I go to a doctor I am given a perscription for one type of meds or another. Even if it is something that I have researched on my own and know that there is little (percription wise) that can be done, I get told to take something.

And it scares me. And it leaves me with little confidence in the ability of Mexican doctors.

Have others had this expierence? What do you do if you know better? I do not want to be paying for meds, or taking them on lame advice.

[Guy Courchesne]

A second opinion is always good. It's like getting directions...never trust the first thing you're told!

Many Mexicans I've discussed these same issues with seem to lean on the idea that the more expensive the health care is, the better. My experience has been otherwise though. The best care I've ever had came from a free trauma clinic (for a broken foot) and a lower-cost GP working out of his own home. The worst care was from a specialist in fertility, working out of supposedly the best hospital in the city.

[TheLongWayHome]

[El Gallo]

I would check recommendations for doctors or dentists.

The father of my students is a doctor. When he had impacted ear wax, he simply went to Simalares to have his ears cleaned out for 25 pesos instead of paying an ENT 500.

A dentist I know wanted 3000 pesos for a crown replacement. My friends referred me to a dentista who did the same for 900 (albeit maybe not the same quality to last for 10 years but it was much more expedient at this time)

In regard to prescriptions, the real problem here is one can buy antibiotics over the counter and overuse them causing future bouts of bacteria to become immune to these medicines. Self-medication is very tempting but also very dangerous.

My favorite alternative is to first try the Zoque herbal cures from my friend's mother. It's amazing how many times they do work instead of pharmaceuticals.

[lozwich]

Dixie,

I have little confidence in the experience of most doctors, not just the Mexican ones. I'm guessing you're going to the doctors to get a doctor's note for if you're off sick? What I would do, is research online (http://www.mayoclinic.com/ or http://www.drweil.com/) and if its something that you don't need medicine for, just get the note, and tear up the prescription. Doctors all over the world prescribe unnecessarily.

However, you might know that in the last few years I've been in and out of lots of hospitals (2 surgeries and a recent blindness scare) and what I've learned is to always ask someone you know and respect the opinion of if they know a doctor who can help you. Even if they're not a specialist in the field you need, they might know someone who can help you.

And now, unless the doc can draw me a picture or otherwise demonstrate what is going wrong with me, I don't leave their room so that I'm sure I understand. I have various chronic health conditions, only one of which I take drugs for, and the others are controlled by lifestyle choices. For that reason, the fewer drugs I take the better.

I had the flu for the first time in 25 years last December, and while I was absolutely horrified and confused about what was going on, it was interesting to learn that a good cold is a good workout for your immune system and can help make it stronger. Try telling that to all those pharmacists who insist you have a flu shot every year, even though you're not in a high risk category!

[lozwich]

And this just in, something in this month's Inside Mexico about how to choose a good clinic for tests..

http://insidemex.com/downloads/issues/IMX21-OCT.pdf

[MELEE]

After a distasterous doctor experience with my girls from 11 months to 15 months (four months of constant sickness, multitudes of medice and even medical aparati in my home) I decided to get out of the "specilist" game and take my daughters to a GP. He's been great. Not only does he charge like half of what the pediatricians do, he believes in holistic medicine and gave us immune system builders that got my daughters off medication when the other pedi had us on the road to asthma and alergies. Apart from the chicken pox, they hardley been sick since. You really need to shop around. I've been know to defend seguro on this board and I do believe in it, but you have to know how to work it and use it for big things but not little things. Actually seguro often knows how to work you too. When I was pregnant I had to got to 80% of my seguro prenatal appointments or they wouldn't pay my maternity leave. The appointments were with the "family" doctor my employer was assigned to and he knew I was also seeing one of the top ob-gyns in town. My appointments when something like this. Weigh in, blood pressure and tummy mesaure, then he's ask me, "So what does, Dr.---- say?" I'd tell him and he'd right that on my chart and say see you next month. I do give him some credit though. The first time I saw him I didn't tell him I already knew I was having twins. He measured me and said---I think you've got two in there!

You can also find some great homopathic doctors in this country. One of my students dad is one, I'd go to him all the time if it wasn't three hours to get there. A lot of the homopaths are actually MDs who went to med school before studying homopathic medice so when something comes up that allopathic medice does better (like gall stones) they recommend you see a regular doctor.

[NinaNina]

Melee is right on the money with this one. Not only is homeopathic medicine fantastic in Mexico, I have had great luck with various alternative therapies. We found a woman who interviews us and then uses crystals to determine what immunity boosters my children need. She has a beautiful homeopathic pharmacy and has treated my children for everything from sore throats to night terrors. Her consultations, including the remedies, run me about 150 pesos. What would I do without her? I am currently taking una de gato and other natural medicines after leaving tamoxifen behind.

[dixie]

The doctor visits are for something more serious and prolonged than a sick note. But the doctor has the same attitude - "Take this" - despite there not really being anything to take.

It just bothers me because I now have zero faith in doctors here (he was recommended by a friend) and I need one. I was also told info regarding the possible need for surgery but when I returned home and did my own research, everything I read contradicted him.

Homeopathic medicine might be an option in the future, but not right now.

[lozwich]

Hi Dixie,

It really sounds like you're stuck there.. I'm going to send you a PM...

Take care
Lozwich.

[Milenka]

Dixie, feel free to send me a private message, I may be able to help you if you let me know the kind of health issue you are dealing with.