About a week ago you heard about Ellen’s big toe. Last Monday we went to the doctor. We followed his advice. Now, even though we frequently experience shortness of breath, the “crazy” part of “mal de altura,” or altitude sickness, seems to have passed.
Last Monday we came in to class and decided we needed to visit the doctor. I had developed tight lungs and a cough that was very similar to what I experienced when I was first commuting from St. Paul to Los Angeles. Back then I was given an inhaler and told to live long and prosper. Ellen had been experiencing difficulty sleeping and anxiety surrounding the shortness of breath.
Linda, at Yanapuma (our school) called at 9:00 and made an appointment for 10:00. We grabbed a cab at 9:30 and headed to the Doctor’s office, arriving by 9:30. The office was above a pharmacy. We walked up, and his door was wide open. We were the first appointment of the day.
Dr. Guillen invited us in. Ellen explained her situation. As she was looking for something, I asked if he could talk to me about my cough. No problem.
Side Note:
As explained by Mercedes, our teacher – in Spanish, the noun “problem” is masculine, even though it ends in an “a.” It is, therefore, “el problema.”
The noun for “solution” is feminine, even though it ends in “ion,” typically masculine. It is therefore, “la solucion.”
In other words, for some unknown reason, the Spanish language has defied its own conventions on gender to call problems male and solutions female. Food for thought?
We ended up being checked out. The doctor told us to go home and go to bed for two days. No more walking to and from school for a while. He told me to go get an inhaler at the drugstore. No prescription was needed. As he said, “medicine is different here in Ecuador.”
At the end of the session he asked if there was anything else. I suggested we pay him. “Oh yes, $20 is my normal fee.” Had we been Ecuadorians, it would have been free.
We have refilled several prescriptions. They seem to be about $4-10 for a refill.
Another Yanapuma student has had dental work done, repairing some fillings. Not only is it quite a bit less expensive than in the U.S., but they have not used any novocain during his procedures. They don’t find it necessary. He said, even though he has had a long-standing fear of dentists, there was absolutely no pain.
It really shows you how crazy expensive medical care is in the U.S.!