Magic meds

Two weeks are enough. I woke up with a sore throat, and two days later it became a fever and headache, whole-body aches, chills and shivers, coughing and runny nose. Sunday was the worst, but I stayed in bed the whole day, took a cocktail of non-prescriptions, called in sick on Monday, went back to work on Tuesday, 75 percent better. I started getting better, taking various types of medications and going through dozens of Kleenex. By Friday I was 100 percent. Most of the time it was just sniffling and weak coughing, but I relapsed last Monday, and each day it got a little worse, until yesterday during lunch, when my friend John said,

“Ok, I can’t handle watching you like this anymore. Just looking at you makes me sick.”

With about three pesos in my pocket, on the desperate day before payday, we went to the pharmacy and he picked me up some azitromicina, an effective, three-day antibiotic that helps with nasal and respiratory infections. The label says, “Sale of this medication requires a doctor’s prescription.” Pharmacists and clerks will sometimes give you a prescription med if you tell them your symptoms and say, “This is what I had last time and the doctor prescribed me those pills and they worked.”

Even if they won’t sell you meds, you can see a doctor; most pharmacies have a doctor on hand, and you make an appointment for 20 pesos ($1.50 usd) and he or she will give you a prescription. It’s a great system if you’re a little ill, and it beats having to pay $50 in the US just to walk into the hospital. On the other hand, it’s better to go more upscale if it’s serious, ‘cos Dr. Simi ain’t gonna do it for ya.

As for these antibiotics…so far, they're working. I took the first yesterday afternoon, so that means no drinking this weekend.

Even if you don’t have insurance in Mexico, medical treatment is reasonable. My three pills cost 110 pesos ($7.50 usd). A good deal, since they also treat other things (that I'm not worried about), like gonorrhea AND the clap.