That changed this week. Barry had been tending to a fingertip that was a bit red, swollen, and infected. He thought it probably started when he poked his fingertip with the sharp blade while cleaning our blender a month ago, but it could have stemmed from a small cuticle tear around his nail that became infected. Whatever the cause, it wasn't getting any better; in fact, it was getting worse. He'd been soaking it and squeezing it, applying antibiotic ointment and Band-Aids, but none of this self-care was helping. The area around his nail was red, swollen, and there were a few pustules visible.
Barry called her office at around 3 pm yesterday, thinking he might get an appointment for today, but she was actually able to see him at 5 pm the same day. Not bad! Most private doctors in the US don't even work past 5 pm other than perhaps one night a week or on an emergency basis.
He rode his bike down to his appointment and was in and out of the office in 30 minutes. Dr. Rodriguez operates a pharmacy right off her office, so she was able to give him the antibiotics she prescribed, along with some epsom salts to soak his finger, without him having to make a trip to another "pharmacia" in town. Very efficient.