Preventive care in Costa Rica

I can contribute a little...

A.  Before coming 'down' here... visit a travel medicine doctor or specialist in Tropical Medicine.  Most university hospitals will have this type of specialist.  It was not only good for my health, but also piece of mind.  We discussed where I would be as well as lifestyle; so we went with Hepatitis 'A' shots (two...around 6 months apart); a tetanus shot, flu shot, Typhoid shot, and I highly recommend a Shingles Vaccine.  I had Shingles here and they didn't know what it was.  Not sure if that vaccine is here yet... but believe me you don't want it.  Probably GOOD to be up-to-date on your Covid protocol. Some countries in Latin America require you to get a Yellow Fever shot... but most of those are situated partially in the Amazon... or other wetland type environments.   ALSO...  know that Dengue Fever is on the increase across the planet... and CR is no exception.  There is no vaccine; but religiously applying some 'OFF' on the target areas (ankles, neck, ears, etc) before you start your day is important.  Especially once the rains have started and water is starting to 'build up' and 'sit'.. just a tiny bit inside a hollow coconut shell is enough for a mosquito to lay eggs.  YOU DO NOT WANT DENGUE.  It comes out of nowhere... and you won't know what hit you ... even if you pass out face first on the bathroom floor and break your nose and collar bone (been there!)... you will be so delirious and feverish and 'ill' that you won't have to capacity to determine what is wrong with you.  I have since grown citronella plants around the perimeter of my house; and I regularly cut some of it and cook it in boiling water; strain it, cool it, and spray it around.  Easy.  Smells better than a Costa Rican hospital.  And recuperation took a few months and I'm guessing, the whole ordeal took a few years off my time clock.

B.  This info came from my Tico friends that have lived in the countryside for their entire lives... Once a year they visit a pharmacy and get an Anti-Parasitic dose (2 pills usually; now chewable)... which I have now done for 5 years; every May 1st which is the unofficial start of rainy season.  Easy to remember.  Your 'gringo' body might not be ready for what the tropics has in store for you.

C.  As far as 'general' health... I knew immediately that my 'diet' was changing... as eggs here are cheap and plentiful; along with the 'fat' on meats which is generally 'trimmed' off.in North America, but not so here...  so, I took up WALKING every day... 4x a day... easy to fit into a retired person's schedule... especially if you have a dog.  Big benefit from that is meeting the locals and getting the exercise as well as exploring your new surroundings.  I tend to stop and ask people living along my route about plants and such, and have become part of a network, or sorts, where we all share seedlings; cuttings, produce overages, new things, etc.  My sister, while visiting, couldn't believe how many times I walked out into my own garden to cut something while I was cooking... herbs, teas, tiny hot peppers, fresh fruits, veggies, etc.  Even 'Agua de pipa' for a refreshing drink of coconut water... which is 'supposed' to be good for the urinary tract.

Hope it helps a little.

Pura Vida

@Cheryl

I suppose if I was fluent in espanol and perhaps a bit more patient the local CAJA clinics might have worked better than my experience.  But every medication I requested required another specialists doctor to prescribe it.  The result was  a maze of  back and forth trying to find this doc or that clinic and then get an appointment. not even close to good   

It was a dismal experience so I don't try to use it anymore even though I pay thru the nose for it each month.  I either pay for a specialist I learn of by referral of acquaintance or fly back to the states once a year.   

I hear you 505.

They told me my Shingles was a bug bite (the quick and easy diagnosis here, I guess??). I self-diagnosed and went back with 'documentation' including photos from that internet 'thing'.  The doctor was a dick about it.

I find it strange that the Embassy can't/doesn't/won't get involved.  The US GIVES $$ to CR to fight the drug trafficing (it continues nonetheless) and for dealing with migrants crossing through... they should, at least, be kind to us.  The EMBASSY people must know what we pay for Caja Fees; and the poor service that some of us get... especially when it comes to RX and those living in rural areas where the Doctors HATE their patients because they consider the country 'folk' to be illiterate dirt... and they resent the crappy assignment of being in such a place.  The guy in my clinic doesn't even get up from his desk to examine anybody...  the 'busy texting and watching TikTok' nurse does the so-called 'exam'.. height, weight, and BP.   

I can do that at home, girl.

What do the embassy people do all day???   Less than 10,000 of us here, and only 5.3 million humans total.   I once wrote to them about a 'real' issue with migration...  their initial response was to have me fill out and return a privacy agreement.. and then told me that they couldn't get involved because it was 'private'.   ??????   And people wonder why some of us drink.

They do the basics, I guess.  Replace or renew Passports and give retirees the 'benefits' phone call so that we can prove who we are.  And other, standard documentation crap.   But they really should be inquiring about the Caja... it is a mess and the pricing is all over the place without reason; and the Migracion money scam of 'paying' a required deposit which they refuse to apply to your migration costs (renewals or applic. for Permanent Res.)... and once you get your new status, tell you that, IF you want your deposit back (??? duh ???) you have to jump through Rings Of Fire (more bank receipts, letter writing, etc)... and then travel to SJ (even though you paid 'said' deposit to a Migration office/bank FAR FAR from SJ) in order to retrieve it ...  but only, AFTER, you receive permission and a document saying that you should receive it...

I did it in June... still waiting...   I'm guessing it won't show up, or, I'll go to SJ (paying for Travel and lodging) and after standing in a chaotic line for hours, be sent to a specific bank somewhere in the "city of traffic" to get the cash.    The scam artists are BANKING on the Idea and Assumption that most expats are not wanting to do it, nor 'up to' the trouble, the trip, or the expense.  If they want to 'take' $200 or whatever, just add it to the fees.  NOBODY is going to return to the states for a squat $200.   Why they have to sneak it is just ridiculous... I think it makes them look very smallish and 3rd worldish.  Congrats to them.  We're the ones laughing CR public servants. 

Here's my real beef...

Why isn't the US treating the Ticos who are living stateside, the same way as CR treats Gringos living down here???   Are Ticos in the US paying 4x what the average American pays for Healthcare??   Does the US require deposits to produce Migration paperwork... and then make you put your head in an alligator's mouth if you want the deposit back??? ...  because they haven't figured out how to apply your deposit to their overall fees???    It is just stupid. 

I fell off the subject.  Sorry dude.