The Greatest Health Care System in the World
Jan 26th, 2005 at 1:40 pm by Susan
I woke up this morning and my chest was making some very strange noises - like hunger pangs, only in my chest. Or like air trying to force itself out of an old, cracked accordian. This lasted for about fifteen minutes and went away when I got up and walked around.
Still, I called the doctor. I couldn’t get my fever down and I was still coughing up blood, so I figured I had to. (The last thing in the world I wanted was to make yet another $15 co-pay this week.)
He wasn’t sure. He said I might have pneumonia, but it was early enough that he couldn’t tell. Rather than order an x-ray and wait, he said, he’d treat me as if I had it.
He gave me some bad-ass antibiotics, which of course will wreak all kinds of havoc on my intestinal system. (Oh, joy.)
He said he was more worried about the EKG results, and wanted me to see a cardiologist next week. I told him I wasn’t about to take a stress test when I barely had enough breath to talk, but he insisted I make the appointment now.
None of that seems real to me. What seems real is, my rent’s due next week and I just lost a week’s pay.
