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Dark side of Seguro Popular


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2 minutes ago, AngusMactavish said:

After rereading the OP, I found no question asked.

What was the question?  I re read the OP's post and what followed.  I gather that it's about the bad news that SP is not like having private insurance; fewer choices, less comfortable facilities and a philosophy of being somewhat stingy with pain meds. ( I have SP insurance and have very low expectations: am hoping never to need to use it.)  It was once humorously described on a web board as "Mash, without the incoming artillery".  I'm trying to imagine a family member being willing to sleep on the bare floor. ( Ouch, for old bones.)  What more can be said about SP?  Beats being without treatment and is a humane move from the Mexican government that even expats can have.

Then, the thread wandered into a discussion of pain meds, which strikes me as absolutely normal, and in this case useful, "thread wander".  Problem with that?  Why?

 

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1 hour ago, gringal said:

I'm trying to imagine a family member being willing to sleep on the bare floor. ( Ouch, for old bones.) 

Don't worry, the social worker is willing to cut some slack. Remember too, that Seguro Popular is also an insurance plan, and modern, well equipped public hospitals accept this a payment, or co-payment (for example an EKG using their small scanner is free, but a cardiologist bringing a bigger machine is 1,000 pesos (a bargain)). The Occidentale Hospital in Guadalajara has over 30 specialties, they just fixed their CT scanner. The main need for assistance I thought was language translation, but it turns out nearly everybody at this medical level speaks English, at least at this Hospital. Nothing like MASH at all, except for open wards. Good chance to practice your Spanish, meet some incredible people. Alone in a bed, in a private room watching Mexican cable, seems to me the most boring, depressing choice.

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1 hour ago, addtocart said:

I guess the OP will have to post his question again and hope it stays on topic.

Be careful a newbe is watching.

I just wanted to confess I took Tramadol while in Thailand.  I took it everyday.  I didn't have pain, I had misery.  The sense of well being I got helped me through it.  I've taken a lot of different drugs.  Cigarettes are the most addicting of them all.  Any others were easy to kick.  I swear, many people have addictive personalities.  Shopping can become an addiction.  So can playing golf.

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2 hours ago, Joco said:

Why is a psychiatrist taking a pain med course?

It was not a pain meds. course but a Dr.s medical course required by law to keep her "Cedula" [license] from expiring every 15 or whatever years - an update to her Dr.´s degree and  Psychiatrist specialist degree. Psychiatrists are MDs with an added speciality of Psychiatry.

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Chillin.intetesting stuff after reading the horror stories.

So you are saying if we pay something more we kind of get a vip s.p. service?

No sleeping on hard floors. Nurses available, that kind of thing?

Is this done before any operation or treatment or when you are there?

Is this type of additional service available in all s.p. hospitals ?

Who recommends you go the occidente hospital and arranges operation etc? Your local doctor ?.s.p. doctor ? 

Would be great if you can explain the full protocol as many of us seem unsure whats available and whats not.

 

 

 

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13 minutes ago, AlanMexicali said:

It was not a pain meds. course but a Dr.s medical course required by law to keep her "Cedula" [license] from expiring every 15 or whatever years - an update to her Dr.´s degree and  Psychiatrist specialist degree. Psychiatrists are MDs with an added speciality of Psychiatry.

I know psychiatrists are MDs but they prescribe medicines for mental health, not pain meds.

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27 minutes ago, modeeper said:

Be careful a newbe is watching.

I just wanted to confess I took Tramadol while in Thailand.  I took it everyday.  I didn't have pain, I had misery.  The sense of well being I got helped me through it.  I've taken a lot of different drugs.  Cigarettes are the most addicting of them all.  Any others were easy to kick.  I swear, many people have addictive personalities.  Shopping can become an addiction.  So can playing golf.

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Tramadol does nothing for me. The best I've found here is the generic Lyrica. It is great for most pain.

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13 minutes ago, Joco said:

I know psychiatrists are MDs but they prescribe medicines for mental health, not pain meds.

But she is an MD also and took a update course on MDs required by law and I presume she knows a lot about all medicines including pain medicines. It isn´t really that important what they teach Drs. at these required courses but they must also review current protocol the federal government´s  Secretaria de Salud publishes to update all medical paractioners in Mexico to keep their license renewable. The Secretaria de Salud is running the Seguro Popular and overseeing all other socialized medicine in Mexico plus the private sector. The very top administrators of IMSS and ISSSTE are federal Secretaria de Salud employees. They say what goes on in Mexico with health care by their extensive laws and organizational system.

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I have been taking two 50Mg Tramadol tablets per evening for about three years. Per advice received here, I have cut down to 1.5 Tramadol tablets per evening with no ill effects or desire for a higher dosage. Next week I  will drop down to 1 Tramadol per night and if able, ie. no pain, will stop taking it altogether unless the pain returns.

Thanks all for the advice and encouragement to cease taking said drug.

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The path to Seguro Popular insurance is through your SP clinic doctor to do the paperwork and to see a specialist. The other path is through the emergency room. Unbelievable number of young nurses in training, (yes - Guadalajara does seem have abundance of beautiful ladies B)) lots of people just preparing volumes of paperwork. Cardiac related bumps you into priority, but the Occidentale does not have a catheter lab - no room they say. You have to go private for that - approximately $5,000 US total. I was in there for just over a week, I came out more "Mexican" than I went in. Which, for me, is a good thing.

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51 minutes ago, johanson said:

I have been taking two 50Mg Tramadol tablets per evening for about three years. Per advice received here, I have cut down to 1.5 Tramadol tablets per evening with no ill effects or desire for a higher dosage. Next week I  will drop down to 1 Tramadol per night and if able, ie. no pain, will stop taking it altogether unless the pain returns.

Thanks all for the advice and encouragement to cease taking said drug.

Everybody's different Pete. Slow and steady wins the race. This link is worth reading.

https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2017/06/08/how-to-stop-tramadol-without-withdrawal-symptoms
/

It's not just the pain relief. Tramadol affects neurotransmitters in your brain, including serotonin which is the "feel good" neurotransmitter.

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Thank you Ferret and others for you advice. rather than quitting cold turkey, I have gone from 100 to 75 Mg and will not drop further until I hear from my Family Doc up North who wrote the Rx. It has been only three days, but so far so good.

Sorry we are talking here about a subtopic which was not the intent of the original poster.

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Just an update on my former neighbors mom.

The hospital medical team has determined that an operation can proceed, but first the family has to give 900 ml of blood to the hospital blood bank to replace what is expected to be used during the operation.

Sadly, only one member of her family could meet the requirements, but was declined as she could only give 180 ml (300 ml per person) and had to stop because of a sharp drop in her blood pressure. 

I offered my blood but the age limit is 18 years or older and no older the 60.

Apparently this lady has a lot of friend in her neighborhood so the family is going to put a posting for donors. By the way, any type of blood can be donated as long as you meet the age requirements and pass a blood screening test.

 

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2 hours ago, johanson said:

rather than quitting cold turkey, I have gone from 100 to 75 Mg and will not drop further until I hear from my Family Doc up North who wrote the Rx. It has been only three days, but so far so good.

 

You know what works for me?  .. a change in environment or routine.  It's called tipid turkey.  Anything that directs the ritual, is part of the ritual, must go.  

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  • 1 year later...

I am halfway through reading Bill Bryson's book: The Body, a users guide. What a fascinating creation our bodies are. Three small things stand out so far. Smoking only causes cancer in 1 out of 5 people. Liver diseases, of which there are many, alcohol abuse is cause less than one third of one type. Lastly, on topic, the statistics of death among the elderly who have had a broken hip are astonishingly high. Leading one famous member of the British medical community to quip "We come into the world through the pelvis, and leave the world through our hip".

Also I wanted to add, the general hospital occidente recently added a whole new wing, specifically funded for senior care in Jalisco. It has 320 new beds. Yes, they require a lot of paperwork, and opinions, before they make any cut.It does require patience and perseverance. Isn't this better than hiring an egotistical private surgeon (of which there are far too many), who is prepaid and then charges in like Zorro. If you die on the slab, the worst your family will get is a shrug (you pays your money, you takes your chances) the best you might get is a crocodile tear and the offer of thoughts and prayers.

I was also wrong on palliative care, it is different than Canada or the U.S., where you typically might end up in your dying days. In Mexico it is more like what we call adult daycare (a good new title for this forum, eh wot!) it is nursing care for those who should not be left alone during the day, they are returned home to their family's care at night. I don't know what they do if you have any family. This is why there are so many Social Workers involved in any public medicine systems in Mexico.

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I had a very painful shoulder operation according to the surgeon and what they did is anesthetize my shoulder and arm for 2 days.. After that I was on 3 types of pain medicine. tramadol and 2 others and it was more or less ok.. So much for letting you feel the pain so you would not feel the pain.. My shoulder and arm were like wood and I did not feel anything.. after that I was in pain for a couple of months but it was bearable..Could not sleep much but it went away after 2 months... I

I know several older ladies that were not operated  after fracturing their hip.. I think the Mexicans accept that we will die soon enough when we are in our 80´s and that many do not survive even if they are operated on so they save the resources they have for younger people.. and that is part of life.. 

In France, one of the yellow jacket  men who protest every week.end is a doctor. He chose to live in a very isolated area of the country and there was an accident in his area. Two people were badly hurt and would not survived if they were not taken out by helicopter quickly. He ordered 2 helicopters and he was told there could only send one in that area.. He fought and said one of the person would died.. He asked which one should get out first and was told " your call", He made a choice and the other person died..  He had a nervous breakdown and cannot cope any longer because he had to make a choice.. Sometimes it s life and if 2 could not be saved,,, at least one was ok..

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