I’d talked to a doctor when I first felt the “cold” coming on. I had a sore throat, couldn’t stop coughing and my ear hurt. He prescribed antibiotics over the phone and called them in to the pharmacy. Then when I was getting worse and worse I didn’t have the strength to go to my primary care doctor whose office is at the corner of my block. It’s very difficult to get an appointment when you need one. When I go as a ‘walk-in’ sometimes there is a 2 hour wait. I was so sick I couldn’t move. My fiancé, friends and Mom kept telling me to go to the doctor but I couldn’t. Finally, on Friday, Mom insisted on coming over and taking me to the doctor. Because it’s nearly futile to fight off a Jewish mother when you’re sick, I agreed to go. I waited 2 hours in the fahkacta waiting room, then waited 1 hour in a freezing cold examining room for what turned out to be a 5 minute consultation with a doctor. He prescribed me a different type of antibiotic and told me I had an ear infection. I said, “It hasn’t been a flu?” He said, “it looks like an ear infection.”
I felt very sorry for myself and mourned the days in my childhood when it seemed simple to go to a doctor who at least pretended to care. I pay close to $11,000 per year for Oxford insurance through a group plan for graphic designers. And now I heard yesterday on NY1 that the government is making cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. Makes me want to run away to Switzerland or somewhere where the medical care is free but I’m too tired from feeling sick. Ok, that’s my morning rant. Thanks for listening.
You’re right — it’s outrageous that health care should be so expensive in this rich country — and that the Republicans are fighting so hard to let the very wealthy keep all their money, while taking away the services needed by most of the population, like health care, education, libraries.
Oh, and I decided to take a subway to get to a work thing faster this morning. But there were train dealys due to budget cuts so it took me 2x as long as it should have. Hmph.
Once again, Dorri…it’s always a joy to read anything you write. Even though, as today, a lot of the news wasn’t so joyful. I, too, have had long squirm sessions in that very Walk-In place (although I have to admit, they’ve always come through with a good diagnosis & treatment)…I’m glad your loved ones prevailed on you to get to the doc & get it treated. Yay! Glad you’re better, but so sorry for what went before.