Ryan just showed up in the chilly bedroom with a skull mug full of Good Earth tea with honey--exactly what I needed after one of the most frustrating days in recent history.
Some of you know already that every time I go to the doctor I seem to have some completely asinine conversation with someone who is apparently a "medical professional."
(And as an aside, the end of my day is now being made more joyous by someone's car alarm going off right outside my apartment for the last 15 or so minutes.)
Anyway, I've had a cold for nearly 3 weeks now and it's all stayed in my sinuses. Now, my sinuses and I are well acquainted so I know this is likely a sinus infection. I finally go in to the doctor today, arriving at 1:55 p.m. for my 2:10 p.m. appointment. My temperature is taken at 2:20, followed by my blood pressure and then....it's 3:05 p.m. and I am still in the front waiting room. So, me being me, I finally go hover in the nurses' station and ask when I'll be taken to a room. They ignore me for a minute and then finally:
Nurse #1: "Are you here to see Dr. S----?"
Me: Yes.
Nurse #2 (shakes head): Dr. S----.... oh... (sighs) she's so backed up; we don't have rooms.
Nurse #1: We don't have a room yet.
Me: You told me that 45 minutes ago.
Nurse #1: Let me check on Room #4.
Nurse #2 (to me): There are no rooms.
Me (in my head): What is this? A hotel?
Nurse #1: Follow me.
So, yay!... a room. And there I sit for another 30 minutes. I nearly walked out, but still feel poorly enough that I feel like a prisoner. Finally, the doctor shows up,
and barely utters an apology and asks me what's wrong with me. I suck down the vitriol I have in my throat and explain. I tell her I also have bad allergies so I wanted to be sure this was something else and not just my "normal" congestion. She looks up my nose and at my throat, "hmmmmm"s to herself and says "Well, you might have a bit of sinusitis. Or maybe not."
Um....
Me: "So, is it something other than just normal congestion?"
Her: Well, you say you have tenderness in your sinuses.... (trails off)
Me: Um, yeah. I've had what seems like a cold for 3 weeks.
Her: Oh, well, then, yes, it could be. But you know, it may clear up.
Me: So......?
Her: (types on computer)
Me: SO.... do I need antibiotics?
Her: Well, I will fill out a prescription, but maybe you should wait and see if it gets better.
Me: It's been 3 weeks. I feel out of it and lethargic and congested.
Her: Well, you know, we don't just like to prescribe antibiotics...
Me: I understand...
Her: You know, with that superbug (laughs).
Me: Excuse me? That's a staph infection, right, not sinusitis?
Her: Yes, but if you take too much penicilin...
Me: So are you telling me NOT to take this?
Her: Well, I will write the prescription and you can fill it if you need to.
Yes, it's all a wonder I did not throw myself out the window by this point. Let's tack on 40 extra minutes for going to the pharmacy, and then waiting for them to post my name on the LED board, which they never did, so 30 minutes after it should have been ready I finally braved the huge line and they say "Yes, of course, it's been ready for 20 minutes!"
I left the parking garage at 4:30 p.m., ready to punch anyone who possibly got in my way.
And now I have penicilin. And a fear of the superbug. And hatred for this doctor. And a headache.
Hence the tea that Ryan so sweetly set in front of me. Sometimes it only takes a skull mug to make it all better.
2 comments:
BEE.
Healthcare in the US is just fine and totally not fucked up. Clearly.
I used to get sinus infections and really bad sore throats (strep! fun!) a lot and the doctors and I would go through this same thing with a slight twist. They would always prescribe me the entibiotics and I'd be the one saying "are you sure I should be taking antibiotics every three-to-six months?"
UGH.
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