What’s up, doc?

I have been needing to get some updated labs done–all of them, actually–so I asked around on Facebook in my expat groups here for everyone’s favorite doctor. A Belgian woman was recommended to me, so I sent her a message on WhatsApp.

And yes, that’s how it works here! You don’t call some understaffed office that doesn’t answer, or get some rude bitch who immediately either transfers you somewhere else or puts you on hold indefinitely. You just send a quick text to the doctor directly, who replies herself either same day or next day.

So she did, and I had an appointment to see her 3 days later.

This experience alone–just contacting the office and getting an appointment–is pretty much the complete opposite of my experience in the US.

Here in Cuenca, you can go to the lab without an order from the doctor. You just walk in, and then check the boxes on the form for the labs you want done. Then you pay, and they draw your blood right there. All my labs–there were like six of them–cost only $140. I had my results that same afternoon. My doctor’s appointment the next day? $40.

And these prices are without insurance.

The doctor’s office was clean and modern. I waited only about 3 minutes to see her. She had no receptionist. She gathered all my info herself, and then did the exam. It is a very efficient process.

For a fat, old Gringa, my labs all look fairly decent, though I could lower my cholesterol. But it turns out that despite soaking all my fruits and vegies in a vinegar / water solution, I have “Traveler’s Tummy,” and am now taking IFAXIM for it, which I bought at the pharmacy without a prescription. She thinks it’s the local water here causing the gut anguish, which surprised me. I said, “But I was told that the water is safe to drink?” She said, “For locals, it is, but your body will not be used to the things found in our water.” And so now I’m on a search for an under-sink water filter.

To sum up, I’m so very happy with the health care here! It far surpasses the care I received in the US.