Dr. Who?

Dr. Who?

No, this is not the beginning of a James Bond thriller, but merely a brief introduction to our family physician, Dr. Jose Francisco Jimenez Q., who is young enough, I think, for me to call him Jose, but he still commands my respect of his skills as a doctor, so I intersperse calling him Jose and Doctor. I feel like he is a friend, and yet I certainly respect his abilities and I want to convey both to him.

He has been our GP, family doctor for over a year, and I trust him with my own health and that of my family’s. I even involved him recently in a prescription for Truman, who has a difficult time with the lightening and thunder here during the rainy season, and I want to say he went to extra lengths to call a close-by vet to validate the appropriate medicine and proper amount by weight.

While I joke with him way more than I have a right to, I can get away with it since my mother cannot see my disrespect of the good doctor from where she is, and for reasons unknown he tolerates me. He oftentimes speaks Spanish to me to help me learn more, but when it comes to health issues that might be over my Spanish head, he breaks out into very good English to ensure his practice of medicine is clearly communicated.

I have his home phone number and yes, I have called him there, and he answers and he talks to you just like an ordinary person does. I recently asked him if he would make house calls and he responded, “Of course, it is very customary in Costa Rica because many of my clients do not have transportation.” Being the shy and introverted person that I am, I then asked if this would hurt his ego or his reputation to be seen outside his office on a house call. He replied, “…there is no ego thing involved as it is customary for doctors to make house calls.” Please compare this to how many doctors you know in the States who will visit you at your home and you have their home phone number. It is really refreshing. It is one of those things that make me say we are living in the “United States of the 1950s.”

I respect him highly (please don’t tell him I said that), and if I trust him with my family and dogs (no, he is not a vet), then it is very easy for me to recommend him to you and your family for the general practice of medicine. His office is in downtown Grecia, and he coincidentally lives among us in El Cajon de Grecia. Please contact me at CostaRicaLandToday if you want his number, office or home.

His father, also Dr. Jimenez, conveniently runs the laboratory downstairs, and he performs all my blood tests (and there are many) and I have threatened his father, Dr. Jimenez, jokingly that if I ever have pain in his clinic, I will demand kisses from his staff, all of whom are pretty young girls, and nary even one kiss have I gotten! I think I am going to have to start learning how to fake the pain! Until next post……….