Okay, I did my due diligence and went to the doctor after work yesterday. While I appreciate all of the genuine concern and well wishes by friends and family, I'm somewhat embarrassed (even if relieved) to say that it was really nothing too serious.
During the course of my examination, Doc Johnson invited me to lie on the probulator, and much to my relief, the only poking he needed to do was on my abdomen. When he asked me about what happened, I resisted the temptation to tell him to just read my blog, and recounted the events of Sunday night. His prognosis: I most likely popped a small vein or something with the dry heaves.
The good doctor wrote me a prescription for Prevacid, and gave me a referral to one of those gastro-endo-intesti-specialist types who probably costs an exhorbitent amount. I went on my merry way to Safeway to have the script filled, and that is when the really fun part started.
After offering up my prescription, and waiting a half hour, I found out that my insurance company had a computer outage or something such that they couldn't authorize the claim. Having waited for 30 minutes in a grocery store during grocery rush hour, I just wanted to go home, so I told them I'd pick up the prescription the next day. Then I realized that since I have a $45 co-pay (because there is no generic for Prevacid), it might not cost that much more to just pay for the entire thing myself. How expensive can 30 pills be? I was appalled at the answer: $155. That's right, folks, more than $5 a pill.
This brings up a plethora of issues that I won't get into here, except to point out the obvious. The pharmaceutical companies are obscenely profitable, and they are able to basically rape the consumer through monopolistic practices that would not be tolerated in other industries. Unfortunately, the pharmaceutical lobby is a force to be reckoned with, so this is not likely to change in the near future.
For now, I'll have to content myself with bitching about it in my blog, and hope I never get sick or find myself without insurance. Oh, and for the record, I've decided not to refill the script. For $5 a day, I'll deal with an upset stomach. It's probably less than that the upset I'll have each time I see one of those pills and think of the cost anyway.
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3 comments:
Glad to hear that Doc Johnson gave you the good news that I didn't poison you!
As for the Pharmco machine, we have to thank our wonderful government agencies! Oh yeah and insurance companies! Oh yeah and trial lawyers that aim for the large settlements!
Keep in mind that all these groups are waiting to protect us from the Avian Bird Flu! (isn't that name redundant) If that doesn't add to your popped blood vessel, then you're an unfeeling machine, and you should finish your mission of finding Sarah Connor.
So, Ed, I hear that Doc Johnson also gave you a recommendation about your numb hands in the morning, but I can't remember what it was... care to refresh my memory??? ;-) hehehe..
Oh no! Bad Terminator references! Gack!
Well, I spoke with Doc Johnson and was able to piece together an acurate re-enactment of exactly what Ed looked like that night. Your hands are probably numbe because the Cat is sleeping on your face.
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