Visiting the Doctor in Quito, Ecuador
I went to the doctor today.
I haven’t eaten much in the past 8 days because everything I have been eating seems to be running right through me.
I first had symptoms last Monday mid-day (Montezuma’s Revenge – if you don’t know what I’m talking about, ask someone).
By Friday I was feeling better.
So I went out for Alex’s Birthday.
I ate fried food and had a couple of drinks.
Saturday morning, we were supposed to go to Otavalo Market.
Instead, I spent half the day asleep, and the other half of the day in the bathroom.
I was feeling better today, but just to be sure, we went to the doctor.
Visiting the doctor in Ecuador was pretty much like visiting the doctor in the US, except it was a more personable experience.
We waited in the waiting room for 10 minutes, and then the doctor called us in.
We met in his very comfortable office for 10 minutes discussing things. This alleviated the intimidating feeling of experiencing the “exam-room” first thing. The doctor took some time to hear what was going on.
Then we walked down the hall into the very modern exam room, where the doctor used a stethoscope, blood pressure arm cuff, and took my temperature with the electronic ear reader thing.
He had me lay back, tapped my stomach a bit, and had me sit back up.
He asked a few more questions, and let me know I probably have some kind of parasites (which I already knew, because I’ve been able to see them (and I’ve been helping my body fight them) when I close my eyes. That’s a whole other topic for a different post).
The Doctor prescribed me 6 pills for Colufase which I’m to take every 12 hours.
In 3 days, he assures me, I will be parasite free… because the medication is pretty darn effective (apparently).
$40 for the doctor visit (which I’m sure is the price for gringos, but no big deal) and $8 for the 6 pills.
Overall, a good experience visiting the doctor in Quito, Ecuador.
(I just realized, that’s the first time I’ve even been to a doctor outside of the US. I’m glad it was a good experience.)
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So you’ve got to explain (or make another post) about what you said:
“I’ve been able to see them (and I’ve been helping my body fight them) when I close my eyes. That’s a whole other topic for a different post)”"
Please expand
Jesse
Will do in a bit, but remind me if you don’t see it within the next 3 weeks.
Hope you are felling all better now. Wow, a $40.00 office visit. That is cheap. Ours are a minimum of $90.00. Yea you !! Hope you are having an awesome time. I am sure you are. We really, really miss you both.
Lynn
Yep. 100% better. 3 days of Colufase (1 pill every 12 hours – 6 pills total) and I’m back to good! We miss you too! When are you coming to visit us? We have 2 bedrooms here in Quito… hint, hint…
Wow! That’s cheap for an obvious “tourist” to the doctor’s office.
In America–$100-$125 for sure, and the pills would have been at
least $2.50-$6 PER PILL!!
It was definitely cheap I thought, and I’ve since found out that since it’s a private practice, $40 is what they charge everyone, even locals. I was happy for the inexpensive and effective prescription as well.
I’m in Quito now and a friend recommended that I take Colufase for the same reason. Your doctor didn’t do a blood culture, did he? Is a friends recommendation enough to go by when taking a foreign drug? I’m pretty desperate so I’ll try anything.
From Jonathan:
I’m not sure what the actual make up is of Colufase, and I’m not a doctor. So this is just advice from a friend.
But I know that within 3 days (6 pills) of taking Colufase, I was feeling much better from the icky stomach parasite I had which didn’t go away for two weeks prior.
Hope that’s helpful.
Thanks!
Jonathan