Mexican and U.S. government health care
As some of you may know, I am serving at the U.S. Consulate in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. I hadn’t really been feeling well since last winter, but about 4 weeks ago I was bad enough that the senior officer at post sent me to a doctor. There is a doctor that the Consulate personnel are supposed to start with, but the senior officer is mad at him right now, and sent me to someone else.
The doctor asked m a few questions, sent me for a chest X-ray, and told me I had an infection. He prescribed antibiotics and bed rest. This was on Wednesday, and he said come back on Monday.
By Saturday, I was in worse shape. I called a friend and she took me to the emergency room. The doctor came in, took blood and gave me another chest X-ray. He said infection, and sent me home.
On Monday, I saw him again, and he said it was an unspecified viral infection. Go home and rest. I saw him again on Friday, and same thing.
The next Monday, the Consulate management decided to ask the Regional Medical Officer (RMO) in the Embassy in Mexico City for authority to evacuate me to the U.S. He said no, and I should have a head X-ray to check or sinusitis. I had that and saw and ear, throat and nose specialist who said I didn’t have it, but had a viral infection.
The next day, I reported this to the RMO. He thought maybe I should be evacuated, but he had to clear it with his boss in Washington. I ended up talking to that boss, and after questions, he thought I had a viral infection, but wanted a test to rule out a parasite.
To get the lab to run the test, the Consulate went through the doctor that I was originally supposed to see. He wanted me for an office visit before he would have the tests run, and after seeing me, expanded the tests. He looked at my blood work, and said my glucose level was 507 and go to the emergency room. I spent the rest of the week in the hospital being shot full of insulin, and the State Dept. decided I should go home and be treated for diabetes.
And that’s my story of being caught between Mexican and U.S. government run health care.