Somtimes its better to be sick here than back home.

[Conchman]

Yesterday I woke up with some of the worst sore throat I ever had, probably tonsilitis. I could barely swallow and when I did it hurt like heck. I went to the pharmacy and explained in my bad spanish "yo tengo uno infeccion aqui" and pointed at my throat. She gave me 9 pills of amoxicilin which cost 251 pesos. All this took less than 5 minutes. Today I feel so much better already.

If this had happened in the US, I would have had make and appointment to see a doctor or go to a walk in clinic, sit and wait in the office, then drive to a pharmacy, then wait to get the pills, etc. It would have cost hours of driving, waiting, buying, and paying, and cost who knows how many hundreds of dollars.

A friend of mine's daughter (in the US) recently got in a small car accident, he took her to the hospital because she had a small bump on her head. After a few hours of waiting and a check up that showed nothing, he was charged US$9,500 (well his insurance was).

 

[Bronxboy]

If this had happened in the US, I would have had make and appointment to see a doctor or go to a walk in clinic, sit and wait in the office, then drive to a pharmacy, then wait to get the pills, etc. It would have cost hours of driving, waiting, buying, and paying, and cost who knows how many hundreds of dollars.

Not if you have connections. I know quite a few Dominican owned stores in The BX that have amoxicilin under the counter. lol

Feel better!!!

 

[Criss Colon]

Problem is,you will NEVER KNOW if your "sore throat", was due to a bacteria,or a virus.Because you didn't have a "Throat Culture".You took an antibiotic which you probably didn't really need.Over use of un-needed antibiotics is the reason many bacteria are now resistant to antibiotics.
You are not alone.
cc

 

[jrmirador@alumni.iu.edu]

I ill advise consulting a pharmacy attendant for medicine, since they're usually not professionals but sales persons. There's a reason why antibiotics need to be regulated and sold with a doctors prescription. Amoxicillin is a penicillin derived antibiotic which is only effective against gram positive bacteria, but useless against gram negative bacteria and fungi, and of course not effective on viri. It's overuse has made it practically inefective nowadays, unless it's administered along with clavulanic acid.

 

[suarezn]

I ill advise consulting a pharmacy attendant for medicine, since they're usually not professionals but sales persons. There's a reason why antibiotics need to be regulated and sold with a doctors prescription. Amoxicillin is a penicillin derived antibiotic which is only effective against gram positive bacteria, but useless against gram negative bacteria and fungi, and of course not effective on viri. It's overuse has made it practically inefective nowadays, unless it's administered along with clavulanic acid.

I hope we never get to the point where things are regulated like The US. I really don't see a reason why I need to make an appointment and have to pay a doctor to write me a prescription for something I may already know. If I need a Throat Culture I can just walk into a lab and have it done with the results in a couple of hours instead of the days it takes here in The US. For instance I have high cholesterol. To know what my cholesterol numbers are I have to make an appointment with the doctor (normally at least a month away), go through the BS where she tells me that I need to take my pills, etc...and then she'll order the test, then I have to schedule that test (another week) and then wait for the results (yet another week). I get this done in a couple of hours when I go to The DR and it costs me less than 30 USD.

The US is definitely better for major surgeries or illnesses, but for simpler issues it's better to be in The DR.

 

[beeza]

I just figured that the health system in the US wasn't about curing poorly people, but just about making money.

Hypocratic oath? Have they heard of it?

 

[jrjrth]

I just figured that the health system in the US wasn't about curing poorly people, but just about making money.

Hypocratic oath? Have they heard of it?

~Beeza Begging your pardon, however the US health care system will care for people AHEAD of any promise to pay or up front payment....they do not turn anyone away from being treated with or without payment, US citizen or not....they get treated and hope they get paid, and if they do not get paid it costs all of us paying US citizens in the long run!!!

In the RD one must pay FIRST dying or not....so who's about making the money???

 

[beeza]

Yeah, but come on, a bump on the head costs you the price of the car that you were in when you did it? That's just wrong. How can you justify that extreme cost? If I need medical insurance to travel to the States I need cover that goes into the millions. I don't want to buy a hospital, I just want a decent doctor who is more about making me better rather than getting rich.

And yes, the DR's medical system is even worse when dealing with the hospitals. But at least it wouldn't cost me a house to have an ingrown toenail fixed!

 

[Acira]

I think it has been over more then 30 years I have took something of antibiotics, I stay the hell away from them. I have read enough about patient cases in hospitals with bacteria where no antiobitica was able to handle them with some deaths related to that fact too. I am talking in particular about the feared 'hospital' staphilococcus Aureus which is finding its way out of the hospitals in developed countries to communities too now. Not a good sign.

 

[jrjrth]

Yeah, but come on, a bump on the head costs you the price of the car that you were in when you did it? That's just wrong. How can you justify that extreme cost? If I need medical insurance to travel to the States I need cover that goes into the millions. I don't want to buy a hospital, I just want a decent doctor who is more about making me better rather than getting rich.

And yes, the DR's medical system is even worse when dealing with the hospitals. But at least it wouldn't cost me a house to have an ingrown toenail fixed!

~Albeit expensive for health insurance in the US, we are in fact paying to cover other that do NOT have coverage and cannot afford the insurance, along with Malpractice Insurances that the Dr's and Nurses must have in order to treat patients and protect themselves if suided. It is just how it is in this social order that we all live in today....whether we like it or not!!!

 

[windeguy]

Keep in mind that Conchman did say "sometimes". And on that I completely agree.

 

[dv8]

well, overuse of antibiotics in DR has epic proportions. this is why majority of people end up having to take expensive new generation antibiotics when they do get to see the doctor...
but i see no reason to fuss over the medicine as we do in civilized countries, i prefer over the counter culture here, especially when it comes to painkillers (i take them by a ton).

 

[belmont]

Getting only 9 pills is a big mistake. You are feeling 100% yet may have not have eradicated the pathogen. A dangerous complication from discontinuing an antibiotic too soon is the bacteria may localize on the heart valves and result in valvular disease. Any penicillin related antibiotic should be taken for a full 10 day course to prevent complications.

 

[AlterEgo]

Getting only 9 pills is a big mistake. You are feeling 100% yet may have not have eradicated the pathogen. A dangerous complication from discontinuing an antibiotic too soon is the bacteria may localize on the heart valves and result in valvular disease. Any penicillin related antibiotic should be taken for a full 10 day course to prevent complications.

You're right - years ago my dad didn't finish his antibiotics, and the infection lodged in his heart valves [endocarditis] and damaged his mitral valve. He spent over a month in the hospital on IVs, and then a few years later he had to have open heart surgery for that valve.

All because of a few pills that he didn't think he had to take.

AE

 

[Chip]

Problem is,you will NEVER KNOW if your "sore throat", was due to a bacteria,or a virus.Because you didn't have a "Throat Culture".You took an antibiotic which you probably didn't really need.Over use of un-needed antibiotics is the reason many bacteria are now resistant to antibiotics.
You are not alone.
cc

Very good point Cris.

Nonetheless, from my personal experience taking my girls to the pediatrician in Orlando for 5 years and here for 5 for both cases the doctors always prescribe antibiotics regardless of the cause of the irritation because even if it is a virus there is the threat of a secondary infection. In fact, the doctors office in Orlando has their own blood testing machine and 9 times out of 10 they still prescribed antibiotics. Furthermore, growing up my mother said they prescribed them most times that we went to the doctor. Finally, maybe Americans have figured the danger of overuse of antibiotics but apparently it has been to late stem the super bacteria that are constantly developing in the super clean American hospitals.

 

[monfongo]

Chip, Why don't you give up your American citizenship, seems like you never have anything good to say about the country where you were raised ?

 

[Africaida]

Very good point Cris.

Nonetheless, from my personal experience taking my girls to the pediatrician in Orlando for 5 years and here for 5 for both cases the doctors always prescribe antibiotics regardless of the cause of the irritation because even if it is a virus there is the threat of a secondary infection. In fact, the doctors office in Orlando has their own blood testing machine and 9 times out of 10 they still prescribed antibiotics. Furthermore, growing up my mother said they prescribed them most times that we went to the doctor. Finally, maybe Americans have figured the danger of overuse of antibiotics but apparently it has been to late stem the super bacteria that are constantly developing in the super clean American hospitals.

That's when you should have changed Pediatrician because it is not my experience at all. I would drop any doctor in a second who prescribes antibiotics 9 out of the 10 times to me or my children.

 

[Chip]

Chip, Why don't you give up your American citizenship, seems like you never have anything good to say about the country where you were raised ?

Really, why don't you read more of my posts?

But hey I'll paraphrase it for you:

I love my country inspite of it's flaws. We still have the most effective government in the world that works for it's people. It is also the the most transparent and recently the most benevolent. How many trillions of dollars has the US freely given away since WWII? We have excellent medical care assuming one has access to it and a professional military that does what it can to prevent the loss of innocent lives even at the cost of it's own.

Our problems have derived from our continued distancing from our forefather's and early settlers vision of this country; a decided Christian one open to all believers. Unfortunately, our excellent legal system has been hijacked by a few extremists and now Hollywood that would have us believe our Christian heritage is no longer important nor relevant in making policy decisions or legal judgments that would benefit the majority of the Christian believing population. We also have many good Christian churches and believer but many new ager's that openly dismiss God's abhorrence of homosexual relations and the taking of innocent life.

Still, I love my country but at the end of the day my belief in Christ takes precedence over every other allegiance as it should be for any true Christian. I don't see a conflict with trying to be a devout Christian yet loving my country in spite of it's flaws, just like I love the DR too.

 

[Chip]

That's when you should have changed Pediatrician because it is not my experience at all. I would drop any doctor in a second who prescribes antibiotics 9 out of the 10 times to me or my children.

You have the advantage of being trained in the medical field. But what about the rest of us? We also went to other doctors as well.

 

[jrmirador@alumni.iu.edu]

Good read!


Antibiotics lead to mental illness, destroy gut health | Natural Society