Cataract Surgey in Nicaragua...

[catahoula fan]

Okay, this is my post on Roger's surgery.

[Dr. Demento]

spiffy cool!

[mupitara]

OK!


Aisabe,
Papatara

[catahoula fan]

Sorry for getting sidetracked, Roger's such a mess!

He was super thrilled with his whole experience over the past 2 days with CLINICA DE OJOS BUSTAMANTE (http://www.clinicabustamante.com 2-278-2300)

We had gone to Pellas Hospital and seen a fella there who said it would be $1500 per eye and both needed to be done. Met with Dr Bustamante, got a real good vibe from him, very professional, top-of-the-line equipment, he speaks English. He said $1300 for one eye, the other eye didn't need surgery.

First appt was 650 cords for a thorough eye exam. Roger was impressed with all the high tech machines used in the exam, the doc was very thorough.

The only down side to the experience was his staff. I had to call twice to get an appt. Finally had the neighbor call again on Wed, the doc called back with a 9am appt for the next day.

We didn't know it at the time, but they wouldn't work on Roger until someone was there to sign a form and "claim responsibility" for him. Josh helped out. Surgery took an hour and a half, Roger said it was a real hospital feel even though the procedure was done in the office.

Roger could see immediately after the operation, said it just felt a little sore, no problema. He has to put eye drops in his eye (which the staff at the hotel helped out with) and needs to go back for a total of 4 follow up visits which are included in the original $1300. The only extra charge was 320 cords for a post operative kit that included the eye drops, dark sunglasses and plastic eye covers for sleep, all in a pretty blue bag.

All in all, very impressive work. Roger highly recommends Dr Bustamante! Next on the list is getting my fella a hearing aid, and he's already got a recommendation from Bustamante on who to use.

[mupitara]

Sorry for getting sidetracked, Roger's such a mess!

He was super thrilled with his whole experience over the past 2 days with CLINICA DE OJOS BUSTAMANTE (http://www.clinicabustamante.com 2-278-2300)

We had gone to Pellas Hospital and seen a fella there who said it would be $1500 per eye and both needed to be done. Met with Dr Bustamante, got a real good vibe from him, very professional, top-of-the-line equipment, he speaks English. He said $1300 for one eye, the other eye didn't need surgery.

First appt was 650 cords for a thorough eye exam. Roger was impressed with all the high tech machines used in the exam, the doc was very thorough.

The only down side to the experience was his staff. I had to call twice to get an appt. Finally had the neighbor call again on Wed, the doc called back with a 9am appt for the next day.

We didn't know it at the time, but they wouldn't work on Roger until someone was there to sign a form and "claim responsibility" for him. Josh helped out. Surgery took an hour and a half, Roger said it was a real hospital feel even though the procedure was done in the office.

Roger could see immediately after the operation, said it just felt a little sore, no problema. He has to put eye drops in his eye (which the staff at the hotel helped out with) and needs to go back for a total of 4 follow up visits which are included in the original $1300. The only extra charge was 320 cords for a post operative kit that included the eye drops, dark sunglasses and plastic eye covers for sleep, all in a pretty blue bag.

All in all, very impressive work. Roger highly recommends Dr Bustamante! Next on the list is getting my fella a hearing aid, and he's already got a recommendation from Bustamante on who to use.

Very interesting! Sounds like it worked out really well for Roger.

My dad had that operation about 15 years ago in Austin, TX. Before the operation he was really having difficulty seeing. He had flown radio controlled model airplanes for many years, and, was a competent flyer. Then, he began crashing his models nearly every time he went out with them because he simply couldn´t see well enough anymore.

After the operation, he kept saying how the newly operated eye was so much brighter and clearer than before. He especially mentioned that the unoperated eye saw everything much yellower and hazier than the other.

Dad did have one problem with the procedure. When he returned for the operation on the other eye, the nurses prepped him for surgery and applied anesthesia to his eye. When the doctor saw him on the table, he immediately had my dad removed from the operating room and held in the recovery room until he was sure that the anesthesia had worn off and Dad was OK. The nurses, it seems, had prepped the wrong eye for surgery. The doctor held Dad in the hospital overnight and did the surgery on the correct eye the next morning.

Dad could successfully fly his models again after the procedure.

I also apparently have trouble hearing. However, my wife insists that I´m simply tone deaf because I selectively cannot hear the tones of HER voice! I guess its kinda like wearing those earmuffs the guys wear at the gun range.

Aisabe,
Papatara

[tresfrijoles]

Roger got a fancy orange sticker (the kind you might see at a flee market with a $1 written on it) above the eye that they were going to do the surgery on. Also the drops were the antibiotic, and they called me into the recovery room after the surgery to explain everything, there had to be 3 or 4 people back there, guessing an anestesiologist, the eye doctor, a nurse of some sort... Looks like he has a whole crew of people that come in this one day a week to do a whole bunch of these surgeries.

I met Doctor Bustamante several months ago, I taught his son for a bit. Both him and his wife gave me a good vibe, and his wife is a doctor at Metropolitano. The both of them are highly recomended on the US Embassy list, and apparently the wife is 1 of 3 doctors in Nicaragua that handles the medical exams for US Visas (I think thats what she told me). Good people anyway.

[Jonh]

All husbands are deaf, according to all wives.

I found a really cool and inexpensive electronic muff at wal mart for shooting. It let's you tune in just how much outside conversation you want to hear. I may start wearing it around the house.

[mupitara]

All husbands are deaf, according to all wives.

I found a really cool and inexpensive electronic muff at wal mart for shooting. It let's you tune in just how much outside conversation you want to hear. I may start wearing it around the house.

Sounds great! Is it unobtrusive?

Do you turn it UP to reduce the cr@p being said around you? Or, is it the other way?

¨Can you hear me now?¨

The down side of this device is that if she does miss you with the first round, you won´t know to take cover. You´d be kind of a ¨sitting duck¨!

Please pardon the duck analogy Catahoula.

Aisabe,
Papatara

[mupitara]

All husbands are deaf, according to all wives.

I found a really cool and inexpensive electronic muff at wal mart for shooting. It let's you tune in just how much outside conversation you want to hear. I may start wearing it around the house.

I´d be willing to pay extra for a deluxe home model that had multiple attenuations:

1. Wife
2. Kids
3. Mother-In-Law
4. Soliciters
5. All of the Above

Aisabe,
Papatara

[Jonh]

Sounds like a million dollar idea! Tom should get right on that.

[Little Corn Tom]

I would but I think Dud has already built it.

[renco]

Sorry for getting sidetracked, Roger's such a mess!

He was super thrilled with his whole experience over the past 2 days with CLINICA DE OJOS BUSTAMANTE (http://www.clinicabustamante.com 2-278-2300)

We had gone to Pellas Hospital and seen a fella there who said it would be $1500 per eye and both needed to be done. Met with Dr Bustamante, got a real good vibe from him, very professional, top-of-the-line equipment, he speaks English. He said $1300 for one eye, the other eye didn't need surgery.

First appt was 650 cords for a thorough eye exam. Roger was impressed with all the high tech machines used in the exam, the doc was very thorough.

The only down side to the experience was his staff. I had to call twice to get an appt. Finally had the neighbor call again on Wed, the doc called back with a 9am appt for the next day.

We didn't know it at the time, but they wouldn't work on Roger until someone was there to sign a form and "claim responsibility" for him. Josh helped out. Surgery took an hour and a half, Roger said it was a real hospital feel even though the procedure was done in the office.

Roger could see immediately after the operation, said it just felt a little sore, no problema. He has to put eye drops in his eye (which the staff at the hotel helped out with) and needs to go back for a total of 4 follow up visits which are included in the original $1300. The only extra charge was 320 cords for a post operative kit that included the eye drops, dark sunglasses and plastic eye covers for sleep, all in a pretty blue bag.

All in all, very impressive work. Roger highly recommends Dr Bustamante! Next on the list is getting my fella a hearing aid, and he's already got a recommendation from Bustamante on who to use.

Dr. Bustamante is married to Dra. Matilda Reyes, who is the surgeon who operated on John Wayne at Salud Integral. They are both very talented and cautious physicians with excellent reputations.

[Dr. Demento]

Sorry for getting sidetracked, Roger's such a mess!

He was super thrilled with his whole experience over the past 2 days with CLINICA DE OJOS BUSTAMANTE (http://www.clinicabustamante.com 2-278-2300)

We had gone to Pellas Hospital and seen a fella there who said it would be $1500 per eye and both needed to be done. Met with Dr Bustamante, got a real good vibe from him, very professional, top-of-the-line equipment, he speaks English. He said $1300 for one eye, the other eye didn't need surgery.

First appt was 650 cords for a thorough eye exam. Roger was impressed with all the high tech machines used in the exam, the doc was very thorough.

The only down side to the experience was his staff. I had to call twice to get an appt. Finally had the neighbor call again on Wed, the doc called back with a 9am appt for the next day.

We didn't know it at the time, but they wouldn't work on Roger until someone was there to sign a form and "claim responsibility" for him. Josh helped out. Surgery took an hour and a half, Roger said it was a real hospital feel even though the procedure was done in the office.

Roger could see immediately after the operation, said it just felt a little sore, no problema. He has to put eye drops in his eye (which the staff at the hotel helped out with) and needs to go back for a total of 4 follow up visits which are included in the original $1300. The only extra charge was 320 cords for a post operative kit that included the eye drops, dark sunglasses and plastic eye covers for sleep, all in a pretty blue bag.

All in all, very impressive work. Roger highly recommends Dr Bustamante! Next on the list is getting my fella a hearing aid, and he's already got a recommendation from Bustamante on who to use.

[mupitara]

Dr. Bustamante is married to Dra. Matilda Reyes, who is the surgeon who operated on John Wayne at Salud Integral. They are both very talented and cautious physicians with excellent reputations.

Apparently, this thread got split off JW´s too soon.

Also, it appears that Dra Reyes knows JW ¨inside and out¨ while Dr Bustamante only ¨eyeballed¨ Roger.

Thanks to both of them for their great work!

Aisabe,
Papatara

[catahoula fan]

Papatara , you really gotta get out more often! Last time I saw you was at Conquistador Hotel when we were drinkin' with the illustrious Alan. Maybe another trip to civilization is in order?

[mupitara]

Papatara , you really gotta get out more often! Last time I saw you was at Conquistador Hotel when we were drinkin' with the illustrious Alan. Maybe another trip to civilization is in order?

When I went drinking with Miskito Alan while he was staying at El Conquistador Hotel is when he nearly got carted off to jail because the cops thought he was walking down the street with a stick of dynamite in his hand. He was apparently too incoherent (drunk) and lacked enough spanish skills to convince the authorities that he was only carrying his new reading glasses case!

I´ve been giving some thought to another trip away from Miskitolandia in the foreseable future. Perhaps civilization and I could coexist for a few days afterall. Actually, I would like to try some different cuisine. Even I occasionally get bored of jungle critters on (and under) my table every day.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Aisabe,
Papatara

[Daddy-YO]

Last time I saw you was at Conquistador Hotel when we were drinkin' with the illustrious Alan. Maybe another trip to civilization is in order?

Funny, that's the hotel we stay at regularly, for being walking distance to Plaza Inter and Mejia Godoy's club, &c.
Love their lobby-courtyard & its artwork.

By the by, had y'all tried natural remedies for cataracts ? (I would presume so, but what'd ya try?)

[catahoula fan]

Preventative measures are important, for sure, but there is no known way to reverse cataract damage other than surgery.