Treating an Infected Toe: US vs Nicaragua 

When I travel in the USA I have to check several times to make sure I have my medication with me and it doesn't get lost. When I travel in Nicaragua I have 0 stress. If I forget something, no worries, I just go to the pharmacy and get what I need. In the USA they say you should take control of your own healthcare but then you are treated like a child and if you dare question anything, god forbit. In Nicaragua you are treated like an adult and responsible for yourself. Of course the medications that are subject to abuse are controlled, but everything else is up to you to determine what is right for you.

I got a skin irritation while in Granada this summer. Went to the pharmacy, saw a doc, and got a prescription for cream. Cost a whole $12.

I was in Nicaragua last April with my family. I’ve been having this consistent cough for a long time. The doctors here only prescribed me Flonase. My cousin who’s a nurse went to a local pharmacy in Managua bought this two drugs that cost about $20 total. That fixed the issue. Unfortunately you need a prescription to get them in the states. They probably cost a whole lot more than $20.

I was just in Nicaragua. Saw orthopedic paid $15 for consultation and around $25 for meds. If I were to go in Miami the price will be criminal.

In Managua I went to get my toe fixed at a doctor schols it cost me 17 dollars they fixed my toe and gave me a pedicure. I gave him 20.

That is why I moved to Costa Rica. You are 110% correct.

Basically this is what happens on most of the world

I would have went to tractor supply or any rural feed store and bought fishmox

Hi Scott, First, I want to thank you for creating these very informative videos and sharing them. I was recently laid off after 24 years. That started me thinking about retirement. My wife and I were already scheduled to be in Nicaragua in January for a cigar factory tour, and after speaking with some friends who had already done the tour, I started to research Nicaragua and fortunately found your channel. Could you please help me either understand the answers to the following questions or direct me to where I might fund them? Health care: 1- How can we confirm if our current medications are available in Nicaragua? 2- My wife has to get a echo cardiogram each year as a checkup. We would happily drive to Leon for this regardless of where we ended up moving to. How can we find a great cardiologist there? 3- we would like to bring my father with us and pull him out of the Medicaid paid nursing home. This would mean we would need 24x7 care for him. On one of your videos, you mentioned this was doable. My question is, how do you find someone or probably 2 people who could take turns living in a spare bedroom and providing that assistance? 4- A continuation of #3 above, are adult diapers available? I ask as I have heard tampons aren't available, but pads are. Now, fortunately, that does impact us, but I wonder if there are other items we won't find. 5- The point of bringing my father is so he can be with the family and enjoy his remaining time. Since he either needs a wheelchair or can use a walker for a short distance, how easy would it be to take him out? It appears it would be almost impossible due to the condition or available space on the sidewalks and roads. 6- My youngest daughter is in college and has a certified service dog. When she would visit, would her dog be allowed in the restaurants and stores? Thanks very much for your time and help. Kind regards, Lee Kunter

Recently I overheard a conversation (here in the US) where someone was carrying on about the healthcare being the best in the world. I coughed to keep from laughing. Hope your daughter is fine now! A health related question: I have yet to get down to visit Nicaragua (will be doing so very shortly) but did live for a few years in SE Asia (Taiwan, southern mainland China, Singapore, Malaysia) and I have not very fond memories of the air and water pollution. How do the various areas of Nicaragua rate in that regard? To be honest the level of air pollution I lived with in Taipei, and worse in mainland China, wouldn't be easy to go back to. Thanks as always!

I am tempted to just go to the doctor just to experience the Nicaragua way!.. I use high blood pressure meds so I can get that from pharmacy directly? I see lots of clinics but not sure how to tell the free gov ones from the paid clinics? Any hints to that?

I lived in the US with my family, but after several years we moved back to Canada. The corporate greed in America is outrageous. Healthcare is a Human Right, not a privilege!

The bad joke in FL: if you want to see a doctor: you better plan on July before schools start back up and before the snowbirds show up. Private practices with FL BLUE insurance as a State employee: 3 months to see a medical “expert”; the VA where I have no out of pocket expense: urgent care same day; Telehealth with primary care within 72 hours; specialist are booked out months out but seen. I was required to maintain my private coverage but never able to utilize it unless your urgent issue can wait 120 days.

Wait a minute...how are you getting free Obama care? I can't even afford really crappy Obama care! I know someone who had an Obama care plan and found out the hard way that it could only be used in her home state. She broke her ankle while on vacation and was not covered at all, but the hospital she went to did provide basic treatment. The urgent care near my house posts the prices for uninsured patients right on their website. It's currently $150 for an exam, in house labs, oral antibiotics, up to two injectable medications and a nebulizer treatment. There's also multiple telehealth apps that you can pay for your visit with a credit card then pay for antibiotics at your local pharmacy. How long ago did that happen? 🤔. If you have a serious illness or need to be hospitalized here in the USA and you don't have good medical insurance, you can easily lose everything you've ever owned. Our medical system is terrible, but a trip to urgent care for a minor infection shouldn't be the hassle you experienced. There was only about a ten minutes wait the last time I had to go 🤷‍♀️.

My oldest daughter has a bad knee. Do they make knee braces down there?