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| Nance Tree bloom from this orange to yellow It will later become little yellow berries eaten here. My Home Garden, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
Americans: Please don’t let your government de-fund public broadcasting & Nature!
Atenas, Costa Rica – A Photo Book!
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| New Photo Book About Atenas Click image or this caption to go to a PREVIEW of the book online. You can thumb through the book page by page for free. Just keep clicking the pages. |
Now that I have finished it, I just realized I left out the Farmers’ Market & Central Mercado. Oh well, I guess every book has to be imperfect! 🙂 Enjoy anyway! And I will do more!
And check out the “official” video on Atenas, just 2 1/2 min.
Yellow Warbler
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| Yellow Warbler juvenile I think Gray on head/neck is similar to Prairie Warbler, but not my choice In my Nance Tree, Home Garden, Atenas Costa Rica |
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| Yellow Warbler In my Nance Tree, Home Garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
I continue to be happy with the large variety of birds right here in my own gardens! I will keep traveling to more exotic places for even more birds, but it is fun to have these at breakfast!
See also my BIRDS photo gallery.
First Visit to Hospital Mexico
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| Hospital Mexico Entrance It is the largest public hospital in Costa Rica and where most serious surgeries, tests, and treatments take place; “The Mother Ship” if you please. There’s a tall building behind this with all the rooms, etc. |
My primary hospital is Hospital Alajuela where I have been seeing a cardiologist (cardiólogo) who now wants a picture of my arteries, an angiogram. Well the only public hospital with equipment for that is the main hospital, Hospital Mexico (named that because it is located in the Barrio México or neighborhood called “Mexico”). It is a huge hospital with lots of doctors, specialists and the ability to do just about anything any hospital can do! And it is paid for by the government healthcare program! I will never have a co-pay or any bill from either on of my two government hospitals. I’m very pleased with my healthcare here and my private options should I ever need them. Just be happier when I can speak better Spanish! 🙂
TODAY – 3 April
I had an appointment to get an appointment. I had to wait and go to three different people which only took an hour which is not bad in a bureaucratic government hospital. One of those was a lady who just created a file on me at that hospital, just like I had to do at Alajuela Hospital to get started there. I’m now one of their patients.
17 April
I have an appointment there with one of their cardiologists who will review the files I have from Alajuela and see if he agrees that I need an angiogram. If so, I assume he tells one of the girls to schedule it. That is two weeks from today which is really not bad.
Later – Maybe this year or next
I go in for an angiogram (if approved) – Actually I think it will be earlier because I’m gathering that cardiology is considered more urgent, but it could still be 2 months away. We will see. 🙂
Technically, this is my second visit to Hospital Mexico, I did go there briefly in January 2016 on the Healthcare Tour of Costa Rica – which I recommend!
A Cup of Coffee and a Good Book
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| Even if the book is on my Kindle Fire! My favorite place to read: on terrace at table or in rocking chair. |
And for my friends on “Goodreads” note that they usually only show 2 books being read at a time and I almost always have more in process as my interests change, plus one is a daily devotional book which will take a year. My biggest escape right now is another re-read of another Harry Potter book, then I’ll go back to another mystery unless I find an adventure book that appeals to me. I have television only because it comes with the best price for internet which I must have. I seldom watch television. I’m mostly a “doing person” who is now “doing” things with my photography or simply making more photos! And of course the doing the essentials of life that can take a good bit of one’s time! But in my reading I think I am expanding some the types of books I read, though at my stage of life the most important is reading for fun! Which I do! 🙂 And I no longer feel guilty starting a book and not finishing it. That’s okay!
Roble de Sabana
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| Roble de Sabana Tree across cow pasture from my house, seen from street. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Roble de Sabana Zooming in through my trees Atenas, Costa Rica |
It is still dry season and trees that lose their leaves immediately burst out in flowers. This week it is the Roble de Sabana, which is a type of oak tree they say, but nothing like a north american oak!
Rainy season officially starts in May, so just a month away and I will be glad! I prefer the “green season.”
New Bug in My House
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| Unknown Insect Inside my house, Atenas, Costa Rica |
There are thousands of species of insects in Costa Rica and I came back from Bijagua with bites from half of them! 🙂 But this one waiting on me at home was a new one for me. I swept him out. Don’t know if this is one the geckos like. But the geckos go outside some during the day, so they still may get him!
Like bugs? Check out my Costa Rica Other Insects photo gallery for all I’ve photographed here other than butterflies that get their own gallery! There are some really interesting bugs!
MEDICAL UPDATE
At Alajuela Hospital today I received a big manila envelope of reports from my cardiologist on the various tests he has done. I am to take the envelope to the Cardiology Department at Hospital Mexico in San Jose Monday morning where he wants me to get an angiogram. I am assuming that they will give me an appointment for a time to do it if they like all the documents in my big envelope. 🙂 I’ll report back on that Monday night. ~Charlie
Doctor Visits
CARDIOLOGIST
Monday I had my first follow-up visit with my CAJA (government healthcare program) at Alajuela Hospital where my cardiologist did another EKG and a ultrasound of my heart. Then he personally monitored a treadmill test of my heart followed by another ultrasound he monitored. It was amazing to me that I was in and out of there in 45 minutes. He told me that the only other test he would like to have on me is an angiogram which he could not order until he consulted at least one other cardiologist there in the Alajuela Hospital because there is not much indication that I would have any blockage. He said he would call if it was approved and then I would have to go to Hospital Mexico in San Jose, which is the only one with the equipment to do an angiogram. It is the primary or main hospital for Costa Rica CAJA or government healthcare.
Monday I had my first follow-up visit with my CAJA (government healthcare program) at Alajuela Hospital where my cardiologist did another EKG and a ultrasound of my heart. Then he personally monitored a treadmill test of my heart followed by another ultrasound he monitored. It was amazing to me that I was in and out of there in 45 minutes. He told me that the only other test he would like to have on me is an angiogram which he could not order until he consulted at least one other cardiologist there in the Alajuela Hospital because there is not much indication that I would have any blockage. He said he would call if it was approved and then I would have to go to Hospital Mexico in San Jose, which is the only one with the equipment to do an angiogram. It is the primary or main hospital for Costa Rica CAJA or government healthcare.
Well, his technician called me today y hablando sólo en Español. We both struggled through but basically I have to go back anytime tomorrow and get some “documentation” or paperwork from them in Alajuela to take to Hospital Mexico for an appointment for the angiogram. If I understood her correctly, my Mexico appointment is April 10 at 10 AM, but not clear yet if that is when I get the angiogram or, if like most things here, I may just be making an appointment for one much later. I should find out tomorrow.
This is how “single payer” or government or what Americans like to call “socialized medicine” works with priorities given to more serious things, emergencies, etc. It took two months for my first appointment with my cardiologist. No problem for me to wait for this as I don’t believe I have a serious problem. Best of all: No more cost for me now that I have a CAJA card, even if it led to the unlikely case of heart surgery. I will keep you posted. Dr. Hernandez is basically building a file on me and my heart for any future needs and trying to be responsible for my heart. I appreciate that!
DENTIST
Today I visited my dentist who also speaks only Español and we managed fine for my annual teeth cleaning and checkup by the dentist herself and not a technician. She says once a year is fine and not the every 6 months U.S. dentists request to increase their income. She found the need for one tiny filling which I’m scheduled to get next Tuesday. And that is it for a year! And cheap! Many Americans come here for dental work to save thousands of dollars in what is sometimes called “medical tourism” or even “dental tourism.” A friend in Tennessee has come here twice for his dental work and saved a lot more than his plane ticket and hotel bill. That is for big work like bridges and caps.
Someday I will think about taking a photo at one of these places! It just hasn’t been on my mind with everything else to do like getting there and communicating! 🙂
New Book on Bijagua Trip
Celeste Mountain Lodge, Flowers, Insects
A “Catch All” post except for Rainforest Trail I’ll share tomorrow.
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| Each night many came early for dinner to visit & use the wifi. In addition to this dining room there was a lounge area below, all open-air, simple, rustic, and ecologically sound structurally. |
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| After breakfast with friends from France, Italy, & New York City. |
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| Hercules Beetle Celeste Mountain Lodge, Bijagua, Costa Rica |
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| Hercules Beetle Celeste Mountain Lodge, Bijagua, Costa Rica |
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| Chestnut-sided Warbler with Caught Insect in Rain Celeste Mountain Lodge, Bijagua, Costa Rica I did not include this photo with the other birds at the lodge. |
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| Heliconia Celeste Mountain Lodge, Bijagua, Costa Rica |
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| Heliconia Celeste Mountain Lodge, Bijagua, Costa Rica |
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| Heliconia Celeste Mountain Lodge, Bijagua, Costa Rica |
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| Hibiscus Celeste Mountain Lodge, Bijagua, Costa Rica |
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| Heliconia Celeste Mountain Lodge, Bijagua, Costa Rica |
The real highlight was the Birds at Celeste Mountain Lodge, link to earlier post
Or you might want to see the lodge’s website for more about their services, great food, etc.
Tomorrow I share the last of my trip to Bijagua, “The Celeste Mountain Lodge Rainforest Trail.”
For more photos of Costa Rica, see my gallery called Charlie Doggett’s COSTA RICA