I have two stories about healthcare, and Krystel is the subject of both of them....pobrecita!
The first story begins at el Estadio Jalisco, where my friends and I got wasted at a
Chivas VS Cruz Azul soccer game 2 weeks ago. While Moni watched me try to make small talk to a toungless street child, Krystel and Daphne bought and ate the famous Guadalajara tortas ahogadas from a sketchy street vendor next to the stadium (very bad idea). Days after, they both presented with similar symptoms; stomach cramping, bloating, constant fullness, nausea with food consumption, fatigue, diarrhea... Daphne got diagnosed a week later by a sweet physician who works at our clinic. She had
amebiasis, a parasitic gastrointestinal infection common in developing countries, from the sketch tortas stand. He diagnosed her for free, but even if she had been a regular patiente, the consult would have only cost her 100 pesos, less than $10. She took anti-parasytic meds, also very cheap, for two days and she is completely fine. Krystal, on the other hand has had to endure much more; The ugly inefficient side of Mexican Health Care System.
So, most likely, no OBVIOUSLY, this girl also has amebiasis. Her hospital appointment (she doesn't work with us at our clinic) was at 4:30 and the doctor did not show until 5:30. She told him her symptoms and about her roomie who shared the bunk torta with her was being successfully treated for amebiasis. The "doctor" poked her liver, which was enlarged and painful, referred her to a lab for bloodwork yesterday, and did not diagnose her or prescribe her the anti-parasytics. Strike one. 400 pesos (a little less than $40)
Yesterday, she got bloodwork. The doc forgot to tell her she needed to fast prior to the blood work so she had to go home and fast for 8 hours. Waste of her time, strike two. A complete blood count, no liver function tests, were taken from her when she actually got her tests done. Strike three, she has an enlarged and tender liver and they didn't check to see if it was damaged, easily done with a blood analysis. The only unusual thing they actually did find was increased leukocytes (a type of white blood cells)....this is a clear sign of INFECTION in the body (still no amoeba diagnosis???). They then made her drink 2 liters of water to do a bladder scan and pelvic ultrasound. Even though she has NO symptoms of a urinary tract infection or crazy lady-part problems. WTF is up doc? He wasn't there to read the results. Strike FOUR, come one Krystel... Nurse Carrie is now SCREAMING second-opinion time! Today she has to call him. Each visit is costing her money. 400 more pesos. Bend over Krystel, the Doctor needs you to take it like a puta.
But what is worse? Being a patient in Mexico, or being a patient in the U.S.? She told me this other story about living back at home and bursting her eardrum (BTW one of the most agonizing, painful things you can go through...said from personal experience). It was during the summer, when she was an uninsured college student who had to wait for school to restart in the fall to be treated by the school physician. That, or pay an unknown and most likely ridiculous amount of money to be seen by yet another inefficient health care system. Because she decided she couldn't afford to have it treated and waited it out (what a tough girl!), she has severly reduced hearing in her right ear. She told me if she covers her left ear, everything sounds like it would if she were underwater through her right year. That will never improve on its own.
So it seems we have few options after hearing about Krystel's misfortunes. Waste our time in a slow, inefficient health care system, tough out our health problems even though this act may add to the severity of the problem, or pay over-inflated health care costs.
Am I a pessimist, or is health a privilege rather than a right? I hope things are starting to get on the right track back at home, but I won't be holding my breath.
PS- I make 5 times as much as a nurse in México. Thank you over-inflated health care costs.
