Public Service Announcement...
'Cause if it wasn't a warning to others, it would just be a whiny fit.
Thursday after dinner, my ear started feelin' achy & swollen -- like it used to get if I was in the water too much way back in junior-high. Friday Morning, it was even worse, so I called the little ol' Small Town Family Doctor's Office and was lucky enough to get an eleven-thirty appointment.
Now, I've had some "Bad Experiences" with this Dr. before, but I figured that even though I'm completely happy with my Women's Specialties Doctor, I can't just go callin' her for earaches... So, off I went to STFD to get it taken care of, 'cause it hurts. It feels like it's huge, it hurts to touch it, my voice sounds funny, and I can hear every time my teeth touch or every time my collar touches my neck... I usually have a pretty decent tolerance for pain & just waitin' for it to pass, but it hurts. It. Really. Feckin'. Hurts.
Quick visit with STFD, he looks, says "Yup, it's swollen in there," tells me he's had several people with swimming pool-related ear problems since it's been so hot lately, and he whips out the prescription paper. Before he starts writing, I remind him that I don't have prescription coverage; in hopes that he'll get me some samples outta the office to keep it on the cheap. Since he started writing anyway, I asked him if it was going to be very expensive -- and he says no. He says it shouldn't be too bad. Antibiotic Drops & Pain Pills, he says they can get me generic and it won't be bad at all.
The Pharmacist asks if I've ever taken Tramadol (Hello, Google Users, Thanks for stoppin' by!) before and tells me it's "new" and that it probably won't have any ill effects but to take it with food just in case.
I get to the checkout and it's sixty five dollars.
Sixty Five Dollars. "Won't be bad at all" my ass. Oh well, STFD's done it to me before -- like when he wanted to send me for that ultrasound that was supposed to be "Around a hundred and fifty bucks or so, not bad at all," and I had to cancel when they said "$794 up-front." I figured I could save what I didn't take for my ear and that way I'd have some good prescription pain pills for the next time I'm havin' hell with that tooth...
I took the first dose of ear drops and then finished out the day at work with Tylenol, 'cause hey, if Tramadol is over two dollars a pill, it's bound to be some high-powered-good-sh!t that just might knock me on my azs -- so I ain't poppin' one 'til I don't have to drive anywhere.
Clay and I had dinner at The Minuteman just as the Tylenol was wearing off again and I was really starting to hurt. I took a Tramadol halfway in the middle of my dinner and by the time we were halfway back to the house, I was really draggin' my own tracks out. I had just about enough time to get my shoes off and my contacts out when I started feelin' really bad. I had just enough time to let the second dose of ear drops soak in before I started feelin' really anxious and couldn't lay on my side anymore. Chills, shaking, anxious-panic-ish feeling, freezing cold chills... And Hey, My Ear Still Hurts.
Sixty Five Dollars plus tax. I'm sick. I'm still hurting. And I'm P!ssed 'cause I could have spent sixty five dollars on something that would have had a better chance of killing pain without killing me. But oh, "it won't be too bad." Feckin' STFD is a D-!-c-k and that's all I know to say about that. Seriously, it sucks 'cause there's not anything anybody can do with prescription drugs -- Can't take 'em back to the Pharmacy even if it is Wal-Mart, can't Ebay 'em, can't CraigsList 'em, can't (legally) sell 'em off to somebody else; I'm just stuck with 'em.
And when the bill comes, I'm not gonna mail a check -- I'm gonna carry it into the office with the twenty-nine Tramadol's that I paid cash for but cannot use, and I'll count out enough of 'em at two-dollars-and-thirty-five-point-one-cents-per-pill to cover whatever my "80/20" insurance doesn't pay.
Unless I can horse-trade 'em for some Phillips B-32... ;) heh heh heh...
Thursday after dinner, my ear started feelin' achy & swollen -- like it used to get if I was in the water too much way back in junior-high. Friday Morning, it was even worse, so I called the little ol' Small Town Family Doctor's Office and was lucky enough to get an eleven-thirty appointment.
Now, I've had some "Bad Experiences" with this Dr. before, but I figured that even though I'm completely happy with my Women's Specialties Doctor, I can't just go callin' her for earaches... So, off I went to STFD to get it taken care of, 'cause it hurts. It feels like it's huge, it hurts to touch it, my voice sounds funny, and I can hear every time my teeth touch or every time my collar touches my neck... I usually have a pretty decent tolerance for pain & just waitin' for it to pass, but it hurts. It. Really. Feckin'. Hurts.
Quick visit with STFD, he looks, says "Yup, it's swollen in there," tells me he's had several people with swimming pool-related ear problems since it's been so hot lately, and he whips out the prescription paper. Before he starts writing, I remind him that I don't have prescription coverage; in hopes that he'll get me some samples outta the office to keep it on the cheap. Since he started writing anyway, I asked him if it was going to be very expensive -- and he says no. He says it shouldn't be too bad. Antibiotic Drops & Pain Pills, he says they can get me generic and it won't be bad at all.
The Pharmacist asks if I've ever taken Tramadol (Hello, Google Users, Thanks for stoppin' by!) before and tells me it's "new" and that it probably won't have any ill effects but to take it with food just in case.
I get to the checkout and it's sixty five dollars.
Sixty Five Dollars. "Won't be bad at all" my ass. Oh well, STFD's done it to me before -- like when he wanted to send me for that ultrasound that was supposed to be "Around a hundred and fifty bucks or so, not bad at all," and I had to cancel when they said "$794 up-front." I figured I could save what I didn't take for my ear and that way I'd have some good prescription pain pills for the next time I'm havin' hell with that tooth...
I took the first dose of ear drops and then finished out the day at work with Tylenol, 'cause hey, if Tramadol is over two dollars a pill, it's bound to be some high-powered-good-sh!t that just might knock me on my azs -- so I ain't poppin' one 'til I don't have to drive anywhere.
Clay and I had dinner at The Minuteman just as the Tylenol was wearing off again and I was really starting to hurt. I took a Tramadol halfway in the middle of my dinner and by the time we were halfway back to the house, I was really draggin' my own tracks out. I had just about enough time to get my shoes off and my contacts out when I started feelin' really bad. I had just enough time to let the second dose of ear drops soak in before I started feelin' really anxious and couldn't lay on my side anymore. Chills, shaking, anxious-panic-ish feeling, freezing cold chills... And Hey, My Ear Still Hurts.
Sixty Five Dollars plus tax. I'm sick. I'm still hurting. And I'm P!ssed 'cause I could have spent sixty five dollars on something that would have had a better chance of killing pain without killing me. But oh, "it won't be too bad." Feckin' STFD is a D-!-c-k and that's all I know to say about that. Seriously, it sucks 'cause there's not anything anybody can do with prescription drugs -- Can't take 'em back to the Pharmacy even if it is Wal-Mart, can't Ebay 'em, can't CraigsList 'em, can't (legally) sell 'em off to somebody else; I'm just stuck with 'em.
And when the bill comes, I'm not gonna mail a check -- I'm gonna carry it into the office with the twenty-nine Tramadol's that I paid cash for but cannot use, and I'll count out enough of 'em at two-dollars-and-thirty-five-point-one-cents-per-pill to cover whatever my "80/20" insurance doesn't pay.
Unless I can horse-trade 'em for some Phillips B-32... ;) heh heh heh...
posted by Debbie at 12:34 PM
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