Unfortunately, the infection flared up again later in January. I tried another GP here in the Lake Chapala area, and also liked him. He had me take another round of a different kind of antibiotics.

But that didn’t solve things either. So my tender pulsating ear forced me to face my dislike of traffic in Guadalajara and get myself to an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist. There seem to be none in the Lake Chapala area.

I had enthusiastic recommendations for two different ENTs, and I chose simply on geography. There is a monthly bus excursion from Ajijic to Plaza Mexico, one of quite a few shopping malls in Guadalajara. My understanding is that the Walmart in the mall pays for the bus. The trips are arranged by the Chapala branch of the Red Cross, you buy your tickets in advance at the Lake Chapala Society, and your 50 pesos round trip benefits the Red Cross. Buses leave the lake area around 9 AM and get back around 4 PM, I think.

I chose the ENT whose office is a couple of blocks from Plaza Mexico, just beyond one of Guadalajara’s excellent hospitals, the Del Carmen. Since I don’t imagine I will ever drive in Guadalajara, that monthly bus would give me a convenient option to forcing my honey to drive me around. I’d heard that quite a few lakeside residents use the bus for medical appointments.

I called yesterday and was able to get an appointment with Dr. Andres Badial for today. Kelly drove me in, and he went with me to the appointment. Dr. Badial was very personable, took plenty of time, really listened, asked lots of questions, checked out my ears and fixed me up… suctioning out a lot of gunk from the ear removed the loud tinnitus that has impaired my hearing for these weeks! I am to go back next week for a follow-up. The cost of the office visit: 500 pesos, or about $45 US. His English was completely fluent; in fact, he works in the US also. (His office phone in Guadalajara: 3813 4334.)

As Kelly and I walked back to the shopping mall, he commented that this level of care was an example of the high quality of medical work that we are beginning to get used to here in Mexico.