blankletmusic

Minor being something pretty simple on an outpatient basis (such as a mole removal, etc.) Are they generally pretty affordable when paying cash? Even where a specialist and a lab study is involved?

Yes, thank you. Are many of the minor procedures performed in the clinics (such as laser hydrocelectomy) relatively affordable when paying in cash? I know the term relatively affordable is pretty subjective.....

I'm looking to have a laser hydrocelectomy as VA in the states will apparently not do this. Any clinics in the Lakeside area that do these outpatient procedures (and their contact info-a website or email address if they have one) would be very helpful.

5 hours ago, Natasha said:

Try Dr. Jorge Benavides..... excellent urologist/surgeon. office Centro Medico Puerto de Hierro   off:  33 3848 55573

 Thank you. Where is that located?

VA does not do this in the US in my understanding Just conventional surgery with blades and sutures. What would be the best place to contact about possibly having this done?

It averages about $5/ gal. now in the US. How does it compare locally?

I think most of the replies so far deal with specialists. Good to hear the wait times are short. What about other healthcare providers, ie GPs, physical therapists, etc? 

They vary greatly, I'm sure, but just trying to get an idea of what the usual wait times are for different healthcare services. Is it usually pretty quick ( subjective, I know) to see family practitioners, specialists, physical therapists, etc?

What are some of your experiences, (both good and bad ) with this? I'm talking about private healthcare services only, not IMSS where wait times can be very long for most issues.

How much is it for an office visit at Ajijic Clinic et al?

The one poster mentions IMSS annual premiums as "going through the roof".  Not exactly sure what these are now, but am reasonably certain they are considerably less than the average annual health isurance premium. Won't IMSS (when fully vested the start of the third year) protect you from financially devastating healthcare costs?

Pretty informative stuff, thanks for all the good posts. I'm wondering if the experiences with health insurance in these posts are shared by most (or even all) expats residing in Mexico now.

Not trying to be nosy, just curious as to the cost for health insurance plans vs. the US, what your coverage is, and your level of satisfaction. Has Covid had a marked effect on the annual /quarterly premiums?

9 minutes ago, RickS said:

Music, your scenario is what I understand that one will face. I have no info as to whether an airline in Mexico will even entertain a schedule change due to Covid. I'd check their website.

 

 Rick, it probably would be American or Continental airlines. I'll check if they both still waive the change fee for a positive test. Even if they still do, you may have to pay more for the different flight back to the US.

You go the kiosk at Soriana for an antigen test as required in the last 24 hrs. before boarding your flight to the US. You get a positive test result a few hours later. You now can't board the flight the next day and have to call the airlines to rebook your flight. Do they all still waive the change fee with a positive result? ( Do you have to fax your positive test result to them for them to waive the change fee?). So you have to rebook your flight for a future flight which could well be more expensive than your original flight. And then you might need to start looking for another place to stay until the new departure date.  All of this is contingent upon a negative test result, of course. Am I assessing this scenario correctly? That this could wind up potentially costing you plenty?

Has anyone gone through this scenario recently? Especially since the CDC changed the negative test result being required in the last 24 hrs. before boarding?

56 minutes ago, ibarra said:

I buy Lisinopril at Similares on Monday's.  50 pesos a box  minus 25%.  Walmart is about the price. Buy 3 boxes get one free.

Thanks for your reply. Is that the 20 mg. tabs and how many in a box?

   Angiotrofin is very costly at Farmacia Guadalajara and Soriana. The Similares website says they don't sell it.  Does anyone buy these medications elsewhere locally? Or perhaps online?

8 minutes ago, blankletmusic said:

He likely managed to disengage the shifting linkage. I had a car years ago where the linkage would somehow disengage itself and the gear shift became totally inoperative. I had to crawl underneath and move it manually et voila, problem fixed. 

If the clutch cable had broken it would have to be replaced. A garage with a lift, a skilled mechanic and the correct cable would all be needed. You can't patch a clutch cable.

18 hours ago, AndyPanda said:

How much do you actually know about cars: Cables are intrinsic to gear shifts: one for automatic, two for manual. A gear shift cable is expensive and is not something carried around by wandering mechanics. The guy was lieing. They don't just break: they show signs first. Could be low transmission fluid. Could be a damaged shifter linkage.

However, little here makes sense. How many vehicles are engine-accessible without opening the hood from inside the car? And why would he lie about the actual "repair"? I would take it into a garage right away and have it checked.

He likely managed to disengage the shifting linkage. I had a car years ago where the linkage would somehow disengage itself and the gear shift became totally inoperative. I had to crawl underneath and move it manually et voila, problem fixed. 

Does this mean that US citizens living in Mexico cannot drive into the US (unless it's for a very specific, approved reason)?

On 1/17/2021 at 4:30 PM, kmetzger said:

For several years I've been taking Cardura for an enlarged prostate. This afternoon I went to six different pharmacies in Ajijic and Chapala and none of them had my meds. Luckily I was finally able to find a 2 mg packet, which will get me by until I can see my doctor to see what else is available. Does anyone know of an alternate medication?

 I've been using beta sitosterol since 2011. Had a lot of prostate issues. This made things a whole lot better for me. Beta sitosterol is available on ebay, Amazon, etc. It's also supposed to reduce LDL cholesterol. I take it solely for it's prostate benefits along with saw palmetto daily. If you're interested in a drug free alternative.....

On 6/15/2021 at 2:44 PM, CHILLIN said:

My friend just found one Chapala. 2 bedrooom, own swimming pool, parking. You are welcome to the "rental from hell" she is leaving in Buena Vista. Party houses on three sides, no water, etc.

It is hard work finding rentals. The trick is to act quickly when they pop up, carry lots of cash for a deposit. The other trick is that in every colonia there is some business, usually a woman, who knows everything going on in the hood, including rentals, now or future. You might need Spanish for that.

12 years in Mexico now. Never paid more than 10,000 pesos, for some very nice places.

You've done a good job of it, Chillin (as 10,000 pesos is very roughly $500 USD). Yes, they are hard to find. It's probably a good idea to hang on to a really good rental. At least most come furnished with the utilities in someone else's name which is a big help (for me, anyway).

13 hours ago, Ferret said:

I find that the best site for rentals is Access Lake Chapala Mexico, Ajijic Real Estate, Rentals & Homes

Click on listings and choose rentals which will tell you rentals that are available right now. Or, you can check out Leases Expiring and put your name on the list for something that MAY become available. Once you click on a section and it comes up, you can then arrange the list "low to high" and check the best bang for your buck. Suerte!

 Very handy, thanks a lot. That worked out pretty well. Put the maximum rent amount per month ($800) and got 3 pages of results.

1 hour ago, court0503 said:

Frankly Anywhere  from $400 US to $2,000+US ......you’d really need to define a lot further what you’re looking for

#1 what do you think of as a ‘decent area’ ....and what are ‘amenities’ to you (swimming  pool? On-site workout area?walkable to gringo grocery store? .close to bus stop............) 

then #  of bedrooms/baths; furnished or unfurnished, in a gated community or not; parking desired (off street, garage, carport ...); in-village (and which village) or farther from the center; yard or no yard; purified water system or not required; US-style kitchen and baths or not necessary etc etc 

Decent areas: Most places in the greater Ajijic area: La Floresta, Chula Vista, SAT, Mirasol, Riberas, nicer parts of Chapala and Ajijic. One bedroom OK, furnished, secure parking(off street), US style kitchen is a nice extra, small yard OK. Purified water not really neccessary. Quiet area (for Mexico).

Is this specific enough? 

What should I expect to pay for a small, single house (around 1000 or so sq. ft.) in a decent area closeby to amenities? Prefer Ajijic  east to Chapala and points in between.

On 5/31/2021 at 6:35 PM, sm1mex said:

I think protocol is quarantine 14 days and be retested. I think airlines are not charging change fees now for a positive antigen test. Doesn’t mean you have covid but been exposed. 

Quarantine for 14 days even if you're without symptoms (and feel 100%) assuming that you've been exposed to it (hence the positive test result)? Assuming there is no change fee by the airlines, make a new flight reservation for more than 14 days in the future (as you're staying put for at least 14 days to quarantine) and getting retested right after the 14 day quarantine (but within 72 hrs. of your new departure date) and hoping like hell it's not another positive result?

Does this sound like the likely scenario following the first positive test result? There sure are a lot of variables with all of this. Probably safest to abstain from travel until the antigen test is no longer required to fly back the US. (Unless you absolutely have to travel, of course). Goodness knows how long that's going to be......