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Tackling
the Tummy in Latin America - A Visit to the Local Clinic You've packed your flight bag with all the necessary medicine:
Pepto-Bismol, Imodium, malaria medication for the jungle hikes,
been vaccinated for Hepatitis A and B, and drink only bottled water
on your vacation. In spite of your careful precautions, you wake
up one morning with persistent stomach cramps that will not go away.
What to do? If staying in a large hotel or city, often there is
a doctor on call or nearby. If you are in a small town head on over
to the local clinic. If concerns with language difficulty, diagnosis,
and sanitation immediately surface, put your fears to rest. Although
these small clinics are not equipped to handle major surgery, the
doctors often speak some English, use sterilized equipment, and
are quite familiar with the diagnosis and treatment of local intestinal
viruses. On a recent business trip to Antigua, Guatemala, my colleague was
afflicted with severe stomach pains. We walked over to the nearby
clinic and sat down in a shady, cool, outdoor adobe waiting room.
While the doctor attended to my colleague, I quietly read my book
and observed the patients that came to the clinic: A young Mayan
with a broken arm in a cast, a very pregnant woman accompanied by
her smiling husband cuddling their first- born in his arms, and
lastly a very old and very dignified Mayan woman, obviously the
matriarch of her family, who was helped to her seat by her adult
grandchildren. As she passed me by she nodded and smiled warmly
as if I were a long time neighbor or friend. About an hour later
my colleague emerged, having been examined, X-rayed, diagnosed with
an intestinal "bug", and given her medication - all for the grand
total of $17.00 USD. Although being sick while away from home, can be a disconcerting
event, it is not always a cause for panic and, when viewed in retrospect,
can be an interesting cultural experience.
Back toGlobalBrenda's
Writings
WRITER'S BIO
Brenda Elwell is the author of The
Single Parent Travel Handbook and managing editor of The Single
Parent Travel Network, a Web site and
free monthly newsletter chock
full of Single Parent Travel Specials.
A veteran of over thirty years in the travel industry, she has traveled
independently to more than 60 countries, half of them with her two kids
in tow. Brenda may be reached via e-mail at brenda@singleparenttravel.net.
If you liked what you read, please support The
Single Parent Travel Network by buying The
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