Skin grafts

Maria has had what I thought was a serious foot infection and with treatment it was getting better.   It seems it hasn't been infected for a few months but she still has 'open sores' ..... and by open sores I mean you can see a bone and a few tendons. Doctor says at the age of 86 and thin as a rail she just does not have the energy to grow more skin like younger person might. I'll let you search for photos if you really want to see something similar.

Intentional missing picture

So after using 3 doctors in the area including Dr. Rosa for cleaning, dressing and pain control we finally visited the head doctor of Centro de Salud // Seguro Popular in his private practice.  He was the first to tell us that skin grafts were the only way to close her wounds. He even said that Seguro Popular would do it for free ..... but at their Guadalajara hospital.

Problem is Guadalajara is 5 hours away requiring an overnight in a hotel the day before, probably using a taxi, very possibly a second hotel stay after, lots of gas, maybe tolls, food .... so we are talking  5-6000+/- pesos a trip   Total treatment is 3 visits a month apart.

Now comes the money issue.  Family can't and won't contribute.  It's really a combination of both but one side of the family hasn't helped with small things in the past.   Really sad and I can't help any more than I do. Maybe a "not free" doctor in Colima could cut the housing and gas out of the equation but it's still a couple thousand pesos.

I'm used to "if you really want it .... get it done".   Looks like this may not get done

Room Temperature

At least those are Dr. Rosa's instructions when it comes to drinking or eating cold. Her rational is a virus will "take advantage" in the cold. She kinda frowned when I brought up a cold cerveza.  Ice cream I can do without but cold drinks in this weather are hard to put aside.

So the whole story is that part of the reason I quit smoking back in mid December was due to a sore throat. When it didn't go away at the end of January I went to the first doctor (Dr Rosa's son) and got antibiotic pills.  At the end of Feburary I went to another doctor and she gave me 3 strong antibiotic shots.   So this past week it was Dr. Rosa or a specialist in Manzanillo.

Dr. Rosa has 2 cameras similar to Dentista Woo and I was able to see the infection with small little blisters. Maybe when the other two doctors looked it was only red and no blisters .... but blisters are a sure sign of a viral infection and not  bacterial.  Antibiotics do not work on a viral infection.  So a few swab samples went off to a lab in Guadalajara and I went home with a box of Maclov.   Looking up Maclov when I got home and find it is a common treatment for Herpes and there is the connection to the blisters.   Two weeks for the lab results to come back but in the mean time we're headed in the right direction and no more antibiotics.

Don't do a knee jerk on Herpes.   It is not a sexual virus but a type can be transmitted sexually.   My type can be transmitted also but more likely from a cough, sneeze or not washing my hands. I picked it up from someone else when maybe my immune system was a little low. 

Conjunctivitis or something in my eye

The illustration is to save you looking at what can be kind of gross photos found on the Internet.

So three days ago I was convinced I got a real fine ash in my eye while burning some yard waste.  I couldn't see anything and neither could Lorena. Conjunctivitis feels like you have a small particle in your eye.   The next day Hugo tried to convince me it was the same  infection he had and that his 2 year old had.    The baby had it first and gave it to Hugo.   I have no idea how they gave it to me or how it's transmitted.  I bought 2 little bottles of saline eye drops for Hugo and myself and it helps a lot.  Baby and Hugo eyes have cleared up.   My eye is still watering  but no longer feels like something in it.    I'll check with a doctor tomorrow if it's still bothering me.