Forum Discussion

moisheh's avatar
moisheh
Explorer
May 25, 2015

When Fear in Mexico is Real

There are so many posts about crime and safety in Mexico that are just a waste of bandwidth. The following is something that most of us never consider. We are back in Canada. Although we live in the country I spend 3 days a week in a rented Condo in the city. I awoke Thursday am and did not feel "right". But like a typical guy I just wrote it off to being indigestion. I sat there for about 10 minutes and then quickly drove the 5 minutes to a hospital. In seconds I was hooked up to an EKG machine. An ambulance was waiting to take me to another hospital with a Cath Lab. I was given Nitro and some other meds. The ambulance was state of the art with constant communication to the lab via telemetry. Another 5 minute ride and I was on the table. Multiple blockages. Once stabilized stents were inserted. Although I am a huge critic of our Canadian Socialized Medical System I had to eat my words. The Drs., Nurses and Paramedics were amazing. I was released on Saturday but will have to return in a few weeks for additional stents. I am not supposed to be doing any work: Mental or physical but I am going to try some office work for maybe an hour a day. This morning I started to think about how this would have transpired if I was still in Kino. We are fortunate to have a lot of retired firefighters and paramedics in Kino. There is a first responders group but at this time of the year most are NOB. Cruz Roja has an ambulance. One of those Sprinter Vans. Equipped with NADA! The oxygen tanks are usually empty. The battery in the ambulance is usually dead( or has been stolen) and often there is no fuel. The attendants do their best but the training is minimal. The drive to a hospital in Hermosillo is one hour plus. Unless something has changed there are no EKG machines in Kino. I probably would have died or suffered a massive heart attack/stroke. Everyone should assess the emergency facilities in your Mexican community. Larger centres like Maz or PV may not have state of the art equipment but they can handle this type of emergency. Smaller communities may have nothing. In Canada and the USA small communities may not have the latest and greatest but they have ambulances with all that is needed to safely get you to a proper facility. Remote areas are covered with air ambulances. Being as most forum members are of an age where heart problems are not unusual everyone should find out what happens in an emergency. Who do you call? Where will they take you? Is the ambulance always ready to go? Is it equipped? Are the attendants trained? Your life may depend on the answers. Please excuse some of my technical terms. This is all new to me.

Moisheh
  • darbone85737's avatar
    darbone85737
    Explorer
    May 25, 2015
    We have a Canadian friend who picked up an e coli infection from eating in a restaurant while travelling in Mexico. He went to a "hospital" in La Penita where he was treated unsuccessfully under less than optimal conditions. He wound up hospitalized in Puerto Vallarta where he remained until the insurance company refused to continue to pay his medical bills. Eventually he had to fly back to Canada leaving his truck and trailer behind. Thankfully he's now on the mend.

    My wife had an extremely serious asthma attack 2 weeks ago. We live 3 miles from a hospital and I doubt I could have driven her to the ER in time. Calling 911, the EMS ambulance crew had her on oxygen and in the hospital in slightly more time than it took for me to get dressed and find my car keys. She was on a sedated and on a ventilator in ICU for 3 days. One of the first things I thought of was "What if this had happened in Mexico?" It's most likely she would have been lost.

    This has changed my feeling about travelling south of the border, especially by RV. We need to remember that "this ain't back home"

    Glad you had a good outcome.
  • Tripalot's avatar
    Tripalot
    Explorer
    May 25, 2015
    Moisheh - so glad everything worked out for you. Follow your doctors recommendations and get back to feeling better. You make some v.g. points wrt to medical facilities and things that we should all keep in mind regardless of where we travel.

    We have had 3 extended trips to Mexico that were wonderful, but being a bit older now, we have decided to stay in Canada and US. Crime in Mexico is another issue that has helped us make this decision.

    Thanks for some good advise.
  • silversand's avatar
    silversand
    Explorer
    May 25, 2015
    Woah. Glad the treatment and outcome of your situation "up here" was outstanding! You are very lucky.

    I read this morning that the life expectancy for someone with a blocked heart / heart attack, or similar is only ~3 hours or less.

    I think as we get older (I mean over 55 ~ 60), we have to realize that the probability of us encountering severe accidental health situation diminishes tremendously; however, our probability of running into catastrophic health issue due to being over middle-age (ie. any of the myriad heart conditions that can lead to rapid mortality) increases tremendously. So, as we age, we trade one set of potential negative health cohorts for another.

    Its a tough call whether to travel in the 3rd World (or, least-developed countries) when we're post ~~60. Life is all about probabilities-- thousands, millions of possible outcomes whether we stay at home, or travel through least developed places. I suppose, if we live in a post-industrial highly-developed country, one could stay at home, work out in the home gym and pool; order all our food from grocery store delivery; never drive in winter; avoid public transit (cesspools of human-to-human airborne pathogens) and air and train; organize your life so you set up at your office in your home; have an emergency plan for the 7 most likely scenarios to befall one (flood, tornado, hurricane, civil unrest, earthquake, medical emergency); avoid alcohol and tobacco completely; mitigate most potential health disasters by having every relevant test done annually.........but how many of us do all this religiously, a little bit, more than a little bit, or 100% ? IMO, if one practiced just 5 of the above religiously, this alone would probably prolong our lives some x years...hmmm?

    S-
  • punomatic's avatar
    punomatic
    Explorer
    May 25, 2015
    We haven't RVed outside the USA, and this might not have helped in your case, Moisheh, but DW and I made the decision a couple of years ago to purchase an AED. We took the training course, keep the AED handy at home and take it along when we RV. We are hoping it was a big waste of money!!
  • Cloud_Dancer's avatar
    Cloud_Dancer
    Explorer II
    May 25, 2015
    navegator wrote:
    Gentlemen!


    Hay que vivir la vida loca!


    navegator



    Pues si,....been there, done dat! Consider me a survivor.
  • tony_lee's avatar
    tony_lee
    Explorer
    May 25, 2015
    Almost on a daily basis we can be in places where there is no cellphone reception and where help could be several hours away so not a lot of point dwelling on what can't be changed.
    Massive heart attack is just one of many ways you get to die that any amount of assistance or modern technology isn't going to be of the slightest use so anyone who is a bit concerned has only one choice - to camp outside ER at Mayo with a couple of helpers to make sure someone comes when needed.
  • almcc's avatar
    almcc
    Explorer
    May 25, 2015
    Glad that things worked out! It seems these day that stents are almost an outpatient procedure. I've heard of others getting the procedure under non-emergency conditions. I've undergone stress tests with a cardiologist, if they are honest they will tell you that there are no guarantees, you can test OK one day and die the next.

    I've thought about the issue of being remote from facilities, it doesn't matter whether it's Mexico or not. We now winter in California about an hour from hospitals that can handle an emergency like that. I've thought about buying an AED but it probably wouldn't help with the blocked arteries. I guess you take your chances and hope for the best.
  • cross_country's avatar
    cross_country
    Explorer
    May 25, 2015
    Your point is well taken. Not only in Mexico,but when travelling through the USA. I say that as I'm never quite sure just how well the insurance coverage will work with serious health issues and lengthy stays in the hospitals.

    In the back of my mind I often wonder when to run, would I be ready to run and would the outcome be better than dealing with what is available. When I say run, I mean turn around and drive home fast with stops when required or get on a plane.

    Of course there are some issues which will leave no choice.

    Yes, you are quite correct. Natural health issues with poor care and or excessive costs are far more feared by me while travelling out of country than criminal activities...by a long shot, not even a comparison. Worrying about the latter is a luxury I can endure in good health.

    All the best to you and do not even come close to over doing it.

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