Our first visit to the Veterinarian

Well, we've been in Mexico for 6 months and able to avoid a trip to the veterinarian's office; that was until this week. Chance, our little one, thought it would be a wise choice to stand in an ant pile while going pee. Let me tell you, he was one lucky pup. We must have pulled at least 2 dozen ants out of his fur and he didn't get a single bite. Just to make sure we didn't miss any of the little buggers, we decided to give Chance a late night bath. 

It was also a good time to trim the hair around his face and eyes. Upon doing so, we found a small sore on his muzzle. It was pretty red and irritated and showed signs of bleeding.

We immediately reached out to a local veterinarian that some of our friends have used. I think I should take a moment to mention that getting in touch with medical and veterinarian professionals in our area is super simple and kinda funny in my opinion...Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. We received a prompt response and had an appointment setup in no time.

As you can see from the photo, Chance was not a big fan of the car ride to the vet. 

I was amazed at how friendly and thorough the staff was. Everyone I interacted with spoke very good English, which is a huge plus for us as our Spanish is elementary at best. The Vet made Chance and I very comfortable. She cleaned up his sore and conducted the lab work in the office while we waited. We were happy to find out that it was just a small bacterial infection. She gave Chance a shot of antibiotics and prescribed a pain medication and topical cream. The entire visit lasted about 30-45 minutes, including the less than 5 minute wait in the lobby. Best of all, it only cost $1000 pesos ($50.50 usd) total!

In the end, we have our happy little puppy on the mend and a great local veterinarian we can trust with both our fur-babies.

My Must Have Beauty Products

This may not interest everyone but finding beauty products in Mexico hasn't been the easiest task for me. I had the things I liked to use back in the States, and sadly, those brands aren't as easy to find here. Sometimes even impossible. Thankfully with trips back to the US being somewhat often means I can stock up but then friends and family have also been kind and brought back items for us too. So, I am branching out and finding lines that work for me here.

I have been searching for a shampoo and condition that I like here in Mexico with no luck. However, after a shopping trip at Sam's yesterday, I feel I may have found a winner. Everything I have found has left my hair feeling really dry and since I color my hair, I needed something with extra moisture. Pierre's Apothecary has been a line I have seen a few places so when I saw the giant bottles at Sam's I figured I would give it a try. So far my hair smells and feels really great.

Back home I used to use Moroccan Oil, so I was happy to find several salons here that carry the line. It really helps my hair stay shiny and less frizzy - the heat here is a killer on the hair... It smells amazing too.  

Ponds is a new line for me. I never really paid much attention to it back home but it is everywhere here. It seems to be the predominant skincare line here. I went to a spa for a facial and they used Ponds and Neutrogena products, which I thought was a bit odd. I guess I was expecting more of a spa line but I guess they went with what is readily available here. I will say I do have a new found respect for Ponds. I brought some ponds wipes back from the States and have noticed they really do moisturize my skin and if you use it on your neck and chest I always noticed less wrinkles after using them. I bought what I thought was a facial wash but it seems it's more of a makeup remover/face wash. I am going to try it and see if it helps with dry skin. The sun and weather are drying out my skin...

A great line for lotion and to get rid of scars, is Palmer's Cocoa Butter. I have been using it on my surgery scars and they seem to be healing nicely. This line can be found in the US and Mexico very easily. It's a nice thick lotion, smells great and really moistures nicely. 

Lastly, my favorite sunscreen is Coola and I actually emailed the company to find out how to get it here in Mexico. There are only 3 hotel spas that sell it here so it's not as easy for me to get a hold of... Thankfully, my friend Jodi mailed me a nice supply that should last a few more months. It's a great line as it doesn't feel like normal sunscreen and it smells great. (I clearly care about how things smell as I have mentioned it over and over again in the article). I typically use their face lotion daily and it has a nice tint to it. 

I would love to know if you have any favorite brands that you love as I am always looking. Now that I am 41 and living in a very sunny environment I really have been trying to pay more attention to my skin. The sun is a great way to really age your skin so I am trying to do all I can to make sure I do as little damage as possible.

If you have found anything you love and can't live without, please share!

Filming for ANOTHER Reality TV Show

Keith doing an interview

Keith and I were fortunate enough to be picked for a popular TV show and spent the last 5 days filming. During that time, we had the opportunity to go on a sunset sailing adventure, visit a local monkey sanctuary, film in one of our favorite restaurants, explore Playa/Tulum and just have a great time pretending to be actors.

Sadly, we aren't at liberty to say what show it is just yet until we have an actual air date... once we do we will be posting more about it. 

Elenor, the Monkey on my shoulder,
who pooped on me... yeah.

The crew was really fun to get to know and we learned so much about how these types of shows are created. We repeated things many times and shot them from several angles. We may not be seasoned TV stars but it gave me a greater respect for those that are - it's a lot of work and you stand for so long... It's exhausting work!

How did this happen you may be wondering... Well, we are in many expat groups on Facebook and had read that someone was looking for a couple who was moving to Mexico for casting. I sent a message to the women who had put up the posting and she messaged me the next day. The whole process started August of 2017. We had to put a lot of it off for awhile since we were in the process of getting ready to move and then our month long drive across the US. We stayed in touch with them the whole time though as I didn't want to be forgotten.  ;) 

Once we finally landed in Mexico, we started wrapping up the process to see if we would be selected. We had to send in a video of us talking about ourselves and what we like to do plus we had a few Skype calls and sent in loads of pictures... Once we got everything done and submitted we were informed on April 18th we had been selected. Originally we were going to start filming May 4-8th but we asked to move it out due to my surgery as it would have only been a week later and I wasn't sure what types of activities I would be cleared for. They were ok with that and May 12-16th ended up being the dates we were given. My Dr. wouldn't clear me for ziplining so we missed out on that but I think the monkeys made up for that.

To be continued...

My Experience with Surgery in Mexico

(Sorry guys, this may be TMI for some... So, if you can't handle "female health talk" then maybe skip this one)

When we moved here from the States my US Dr. told me that my last pap smear was abnormal but not to worry about it, she'd see me in a year... Personally, that didn't sit well with me. So, when we got to Mexico, I went to establish a Dr. here and have another exam. The exams here are much more thorough as they also give you an ultrasound of your uterus, which I had never had in my entire life. On top of this, I told my Dr. in the US that my mother had had a growth in her uterus that caused her discomfort and weight gain and had to have it removed - it was the size of a grapefruit. Since I seem to follow my mom in many health related issues, I asked they check. They did not... yet I had that abnormal pap... You'd think maybe she would have investigated further.

I told my Dr. in Mexico the exact same thing when she gave me the pap exam. Guess what, I did in fact have a growth on my left ovary, a teratoma tumor. (I'll let you google that one, they look kinda gross.) It was around the size of a walnut (4cm), so me, with my weird sense of humor, named him Wally. The Dr. explained that these types of tumors will grow and are typically benign but can cause a lot of pain as they could make your ovary twist. It was recommended I have it removed. Surgery was suggested and I was given a few options. (1. Laparoscopic surgery to just remove the tumor and leave everything in tact. (less recovery time and just involved one day in hospital for pain management) (2. Cutting me open to remove it (lengthy recovery and more days in hospital). 

I opted for laparoscopic in hopes to only remove the tumor and keep the ovary. I didn't want to remove something just to remove it. Before we scheduled anything, my Dr. had me see another Dr. to review it and suggested he do the surgery as she prefers to delivery babies. I met with this new Dr. and we discussed surgery dates. We do have Mexico health insurance and since this was a new condition they approved it to be covered 100%. (Our US insurance would have only covered 75%).

I went through several tests: Chest X-Rays, EKG, more ultra sounds, blood tests, etc. The surgery was scheduled for April 17th but we had to move it due to the scope having to be repaired. It was suggested the surgery move to Cancun but since Keith & I had a wedding to attend on the 25th I asked we just wait till after the wedding so we could enjoy it. He agreed.

On April 27th at 7am I checked in at the hospital and they prepped me for surgery. They gave me a nice little room with a view of Hwy 307. I was fitted with compression stockings and a gown. After two attempts, they finally got my IV in. I was moved to another bed so they could roll me to surgery, I kissed Keith and that is the last thing I remember. 

I woke up 5 hours later and was rolled back into my room. The Dr. said everything went great but he did have to take the ovary. (From what I have been told, life with one ovary won't be any different from life with two. I don't plan to have children but from what I have read, you still can with just one but it could bring some potential risks.) Keith was waiting for me in my room. I was sore and very tired. 

I was given 3 small meals while there. I threw up one of them (an apple, if you were wondering - that's a whole other story). The nursing staff didn't seem to be consistent at all and I had to call them 4 times as my IV ran out many times and started sucking blood up into the tube - that freaked me out and made me paranoid to sleep. I was so scared of that stupid IV... I can't say the overnight stay made me feel comfortable as I never knew what was happening. Every time I got a new IV bag I asked what it was and when they would be back. The Dr. did visit me twice and he told me they were going to take the IV out but they didn't do that till the next day, so not sure what happened there.

My only experience with surgery was when I was 12. I remember nurses coming every 30 minutes to check on me and it was always the same one for many hours and she/he had introduced themselves to me. Plus their name was on a little board with info about me and what they were doing for their checks. This wasn't the case so it left me feeling a bit confused.  

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a horrible experience but I was nervous. Not speaking Spanish didn't help as the staff wasn't as fluent in English as my Dr's were (and that damn IV had me freaked). I am in Mexico though and can't expect English to be spoken, it's just a plus. All in all, having my surgery in Mexico was much more cost effective. I think all in we spent around $6,500 and should be refunded 100% minus our $500 deductible. Oh and to top it all off, I got a local discount from the hospital. US hospitals don't do that!!

If you have questions about any of this or want more details, just ask.