Raw, but c*nsored blabbing and blogging of a young journalista
and local news producer in Southern New England.
email topstorylive % at # gmail + dot = com

Friday, December 03, 2004

Sick latest, in-depth

My illness has taken a turn for the far more disgusting. The flu-like symptoms have dissipated (except maybe fever here and there, but with my taking ibuprofen every time I turn around who can tell?). Now I have, not a sore throat, but some sort of inflammation at the back of my mouth/throat. It has become painful to swallow -- if I don't take ibuprofen. I'm also still taking pseudophedrine constantly too.

I finally went to my doctor to get checked out. It took me a while to figure out an acceptable way to get to the office. Next time I'll just take the next exit and be a hell of a lot closer.

As I parked in the parking garage on Hoppin Street and disembarked gingerly, a smartly dressed young lady did the same. She was blonde with long hair in a traditional cut, and a pretty little black suit with a skirt that fell at the knee and poofed a bit at the hem. She carried a large case that could have made her an airline pilot constantly studying Flight Guides and flight plans.

She opened the door for me as we both went in. I went past her to the doctor's office almost immediately inside as she checked the building directory. It turned out we were both going to the same place.

I got in line and checked in, forgetting until later to get my parking validated, and took a seat. Once she got to the window she introduced herself to the receptionist as -- wait for it -- a pharmaceutical company representative!

So the copious case contained presentation packets -- or worse, samples. The receptionist told the young lady to take a seat and a nurse practitioner who takes care of that sort of thing would be with her shortly.

The drug representative ended up sitting next to me; maybe just looking for a friendly face. I surreptitiously opened my organizer and made a note, "drug company representative," in order to remember to write about her. In moments a woman dressed more casually than her guest (sweater and comfy Weekenders-style pants) poked her head around the corner to see the drug representative. The two of them went across the hall, as I waited a little while longer for my appointment time to arrive.

Oddly enough, several minutes later, before I had been swept back to the examination areas, the drug representative came back in, minus her case, to get her parking validated. Was she done that fast? In 20-20 hindsight now I realize the nurse practitioner could have simply brought it up before the presentation hit its stride. I don't remember the name of the pharmaceutical company. It made me wonder if she had a rental car and was simply bopping from one medical office to another today in the greater Providence area, having flown in. Or she could simply be the New England representative, racking up miles on her company car.

When I got to see my doctor I described the sore throat that was centralized to one side of my mouth, that primarily hurt when I swallowed, that FELT like an inflammation of some sort, that didn't seem to be strep throat from what little I knew about strep, and was downright unpleasant. What I didn't get into detail about was how taking so many pills a day (vitamin, anxiety, two fake Sudafed, two fake Advil) was sometimes playing with my gag reflex, bringing on disgusting episodes. I did say it felt like this inflamed/problem area felt like a storage space for mucus. My doctor seemed to think that was a priceless way of putting it.

A quick test for strep proved negative. My doctor offered an antibiotic for a few days. Sounded good to me, and he said he would file the prescription (scrip or script to those in the know) by computer, which I could pick up at a pharmacy near me in about an hour.

While I went home and waited, sleep overtook me. When I woke up the stored mucus had gotten worse. I'm sorry to be so specific and disgusting but that's life. Somebody rang the doorbell inquisitively (as opposed to businesslike). I hoped it was a delivery of some sort and they'd leave whatever it was or a slip about it, or it was a solicitation and they'd just leave. They rang again, and knocked carefully, apparently giving up after that. I could be knocked out, dead to the world, instead of lying in bed almost naked, so I think I got away with it. As it turned out when I finally pulled clothes back on and trudged out to the car to go to the drugstore, I'd left my car lights on earlier (when it was darkly overcast outside... and dark in the parking garage so I couldn't see my readouts), so I wonder if it was my neighbor from next door trying to be helpful.

At CVS it was my first prescription I'd ever taken from this store so my information had to be entered into the system by a pretty young pharmacist's assistant (?) who looks a lot like CBS "Early Show" correspondent Melinda Murphy. Why she would be doing this as a steady job while she waits for the next "Early Show" gig is anybody's guess. But Melinda Murphy lives in New Jersey, so never mind.

I proceeded to pay more for the prescription than I did for the big bottle of acetaminophen I got (as I tried to stop using ibuprofen to combat the pain). I don't mind paying $22 for 30 days' worth of my anxiety medication, and especially not $44 for 90 days' worth (getting a discount through a mail-order pharmacy is nice), but thanks to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island, I paid $22 for 6 pills.

This supply is to last me 5 days (two pills the first day, one each day after that).

I decided this was one of the most ridiculous things I'd ever heard, antibiotic or not. Why in blazes would this medication cost more than $22? And if it cost less, why wouldn't Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island dial back the "Preferred Medication" co-payment automatically (like, in CVS's computer)? Maybe they'll be nice and reimburse me $10 or so through the mail at some future date once CVS passes the paperwork through to the health insurer.

Now of course (CHEEP) for some reason my evil smoke detector (which goes off whenever I use the oven now -- a pain in the neck, that is) is chirping every so often as though it was running out of batteries (CHEEP). But it runs off house power, so I don't know what its problem is. Maybe we lost power somehow in the last few hours and it thinks it was reset after going off (CHEEP). Uggggghhhhh.

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 12/03/2004 09:30:00 AM ... Email this entry ...
...
..........