IMSS info

[freeeye]

If I fall off the horse, you'll get a faster update

[freeeye]

I should add this part of the story:

The friends we went with today aren't married so when they were signed up, the person doing the paperwork assumed that they were both male (gay- "life partners") and that's what took so long when they were in line in front of us at the doctor sign up window. She had to have them change things so that she was a she.

The stories I had heard before were that people had to be married or "blood relatives" to sign up. I've since heard that you don't need to be officially married and that even single people can sign up now.

[smokin joe]

The gringos ahead of rick and sarah were trailblazers, or guinnea pigs so to speak. So when it was their turn all they had to say is we want what they got. The young fellow behind the window said your application would be much quicker because of the nice people that were ahead of you, they did all the dirty work.

[freeeye]

IMSS UPDATE:

Today we went for our initial IMSS doctor appointments/checkups. IMSS tries to see new people every two months or so, whether or not you have anything wrong with you. And they are big into preventative medicine. We went to the IMSS hospital across from Kntucky fried chicken on Fco Medina, a block or two south of Caracol shopping center.

Our appoints were for 11:30 so our ringleader, Robin, knowing the system a bit better than the rest of us, suggested that we go at 9:30 because, she said, they don't really care about the appointment time; they really only care who is there first.

She was probably right. We got there just after 9:30 and were weighed and measured within 15 minutes. Then we were told to go to "Medicina Prventiva" for shots and stuff. People are offered different shots according to their age and sex. You are not required to have any immunization shots if you don't want them. One of us didn't get the flu vaccine because of an egg allergy (the vaccine is made with eggs).

The receptionist sized us up immediately and found a translator for us and he took us over to preventive medicine on the other side of the building. We had thought that we were doing fine but I guess she noticed that when she had said "derecho" to me while standing on the height scale, I turned right.

The nurse in preventive medicine was delightful. She didn't speak English but she knew what she was doing and she laughed at my jokes about being afraid of shots. She also laughed when, after she asked if I had anything else wrong bothering me, I said soy viego. She said there was nothing she could do about that and laughed.

After we we got the shots and another appointment tomorrow morning for cholesterol and diabetes tests we went back to the main area and were shown in, one by one to see the doctor. He spoke excellent English and asked me only how I was doing and if I needed anything. One of our group arranged for a colonoscopy while talking to the doctor. One of us got antibiotics for some big cuts on his legs and one of us asked for worm medicine for all of us, kind of like a mother hen would trying to protect her brood.

We made checkup appointments again for the end of December and went to the farmacia at IMSS for the antibiotics and worm medicine. That takes only a second but they were out of wormer so we were told to come back at the end of the week for it.

The whole process was finished a little after 11. 4 people, mulitple shots, 4 consultations and a trip to the farmacia in around 2 hours. Not bad.

I'd recommend going early in the morning for any appointments until everyone starts doing that and then switch to afternoons....

[kcowan]

So the regular IMMS checkups are every 2 months? Seems like overkill to me. What is the problem with worms? Is this diagnosed or just preventative? What might cause them?

Estoy viejo but there are no treatments that I know of.

[freeeye]

The worm thingy was just a request by one of us, Robin, who heard the rumor that people should be wormed here once a year. I think Juliana said that. I used to worm my horses once every 6 months.... Dogs a little more often. And when I say "wormer" it's just the old cowboy in me describing generally any intestinal parasite medicine (which is very common to use in the tropics). Tourists don't need to worry about "worms" but full-time residents might be wise to keep up on the program.

Actually, the checkups are probably not every 2 months normally. I just found out that he wanted us back in a month and a half because the computers weren't working today (god, I know what that's like...) and he needed to see us again to enter our personal info. It looks like the main emphasis for new new people is to check them out with tests, etc and to introduce them to Mexican preventive medicine. I should mention that we are all pretty physically healthy and we are in the stage where they just want to get to know us and learn what our needs are.

All of you should ask to see the last (2008) Winnipeg Fireman's Beefcake Calendar if you want to see what one of us looks like au naturale, or damn close to it. It's not me. You might find me in the 2008 Old Gringo Hamburguesa-cake Vallarta Calendar.

[rabihorcada]

One of the things we were worried about was getting kicked out of the program if we didn't "measure up". No pre-conditions, they say, and you are kind of on probation for a year. But this is all pretty vague. One pre-condition is high blood pressure, and 1 of us came up with 150/90, which sounds kind of high to me. The nurse said it was borderline high, and the person needed to walk for 30 minutes in the morning, but there was no thought of disqualification or anything.

A friend we spoke to said that she was diagnosed with breast cancer within her first year of enrollment, but that she paid for her treatment at IMSS (very reasonable) and they kept her on the program with some kind of conditions. So, even if you are worried about current health problems, if you really want to join this program, I would go ahead and see if they will work with you.

All of the staff at the hospital have been very kind in working with us who are not fluent with the language, and they are totally without attitude. Patience, respect, and humor are all recognized attributes at IMSS.