On the mend.
Health care is ridiculously expensive. I took Todd to the doctor yesterday, as he was still getting sick and quite honestly, I was wondering if he was contagious. The nurse came in and asked all the questions...Achy? Yes. Fever? Yes, 102 degrees. Nausea and vomiting? Yes, 6 times in the last 24 hours. Headache? Yes. Fatigue? Yes. So I mentioned to her on her way out that he hadn't had a flu shot this year. She said, "Oh, that doesn't matter, he doesn't show any signs of flu." WTF? Even I know that everything listed above is a list of classic flu symptoms.
So the doctor comes in, asks the same 20 questions. She's convinced he has the flu. She tells us there's a test to see if it's flu, and that it will cost around $40, would we like to take it? Sure. She swabbed his nostrils and came back 15 minutes to tell us the test came back negative, but that she still wasn't convinced it wasn't the flu, maybe it was just too early to tell.
So she starts asking all kinds of other questions to determine if he has meningitis and a whole list of other things that might present themselves with flu-like symptoms. All negative. As she's going through this, his nausea is getting worse and worse, so she, of course, suggests a shot of Phenergan to stop the nausea. I asked if we could have a prescription for some pills to have on hand at home and she suggested we do the shot and the pills. "How much is the shot?" "Well, $16 to administer it and another $30 or so for the shot." Sure. Go ahead.
Turns out the shot was the best thing he got out of that visit - it knocked him out and allowed him to sleep for about 15 hours straight, no more nausea. After paying $241 for the visit and all that, she sent us on our way with a prescription for Tamiflu since she was convinced it was the flu. "If you are not better by tomorrow, you must get this filled and take it immediately. If you keep vomicking (she said vomiting, of course) you must go to the ER for fluids. If your neck stiffens and begins to hurt, go to the ER immediately. And, yes, this is contagious." Great.
I took Todd home and headed to the pharmacy to get the prescriptions filled. The Phenergan was only $3.06. The Tamiflu was NINETY DOLLARS. I left that Tamiflu with the Walgreens people, came home and told Todd that we'd fill that one today if he really was not feeling any better.
We are young and healthy, and don't require a lot of health care or prescription drugs. Maybe twice a year we have to do something like this. I just can't imagine what our older population has to endure when it comes to the cost of health care. The Tamiflu was an optional drug for Todd, unlike many seniors who must take blood pressure medication, blood thinners, cholesterol meds, etc. I could have stuck that syringe in his (very nice) butt muscle and saved us $16. Perhaps we should take the care of our bodies and minds into our own hands...Of course, I can't get my hands on a shot of Phenergan that quickly or easily, but man, did it make him feel better.
So the doctor comes in, asks the same 20 questions. She's convinced he has the flu. She tells us there's a test to see if it's flu, and that it will cost around $40, would we like to take it? Sure. She swabbed his nostrils and came back 15 minutes to tell us the test came back negative, but that she still wasn't convinced it wasn't the flu, maybe it was just too early to tell.
So she starts asking all kinds of other questions to determine if he has meningitis and a whole list of other things that might present themselves with flu-like symptoms. All negative. As she's going through this, his nausea is getting worse and worse, so she, of course, suggests a shot of Phenergan to stop the nausea. I asked if we could have a prescription for some pills to have on hand at home and she suggested we do the shot and the pills. "How much is the shot?" "Well, $16 to administer it and another $30 or so for the shot." Sure. Go ahead.
Turns out the shot was the best thing he got out of that visit - it knocked him out and allowed him to sleep for about 15 hours straight, no more nausea. After paying $241 for the visit and all that, she sent us on our way with a prescription for Tamiflu since she was convinced it was the flu. "If you are not better by tomorrow, you must get this filled and take it immediately. If you keep vomicking (she said vomiting, of course) you must go to the ER for fluids. If your neck stiffens and begins to hurt, go to the ER immediately. And, yes, this is contagious." Great.
I took Todd home and headed to the pharmacy to get the prescriptions filled. The Phenergan was only $3.06. The Tamiflu was NINETY DOLLARS. I left that Tamiflu with the Walgreens people, came home and told Todd that we'd fill that one today if he really was not feeling any better.
We are young and healthy, and don't require a lot of health care or prescription drugs. Maybe twice a year we have to do something like this. I just can't imagine what our older population has to endure when it comes to the cost of health care. The Tamiflu was an optional drug for Todd, unlike many seniors who must take blood pressure medication, blood thinners, cholesterol meds, etc. I could have stuck that syringe in his (very nice) butt muscle and saved us $16. Perhaps we should take the care of our bodies and minds into our own hands...Of course, I can't get my hands on a shot of Phenergan that quickly or easily, but man, did it make him feel better.
posted by Lauri at 7:01 AM
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