A Clean Bill of Health (Wednesday, 11/25/09)

I have seen Doctora Magaña... a beautiful woman in her 50's who speaks very good English. She is very professional and courteous. The pap exam is quick and thorough in a clean facility with sealed and disposable instruments. She asks me if I have had a mammogram recently and I explain that I have just made an appointment. She verifies that Dr. Araiza, with whom I have made the appointment, is highly recommended. She also tells me to bring me the results of the mammogram to her so that she can study them... at no extra cost.

The medical staff at Dr. Araiza's office is also very professional. No English is spoken, but I get films taken (four in all) and then meet the doctor, who performs an ultrasound of each breast. A small cyst is located in the right one, but is not a problem. Dr. Araiza is very shy about speaking English, but his English is far better than my Spanish.

The results are available for me to pick up in less than 24 hours... LESS THAN 24 HOURS! I take my films and the typed report from Dr. Araiza and bring them to Dra. Magaña. She reviews them and tells me I am in good shape and gives me the results of pap exam, also an A+. She gives me her cell phone number in case I need recommendations of other doctors in the future for my family.

In short, my experience was remarkable. Mexican physicians typically are available to patients in the evenings so that folks don't have to lose time at work. The waiting period for an appointment is close to none. The timeliness of the turn-around for the results is less than 24 hours in my case. The cost of both a pap and mammogram (including ultrasound) was $81 USD. WOW!

Cruising friends of mine are so impressed with my experience that they make appointments themselves. I can't say enough about the importance of well woman annual exams and the relief that getting them done here in Mexico is not only affordable but very professional, as well.