electric mist

sludge, part deux

So remember my old friend, the sludge? Well, it's baaaaaaaaaaaaaack. I thought on Monday that I was getting pink eye because Carl had it all last week and when I woke, my eyes were all red and scratchy. But no, didn't have pink eye. That was just the sludge's opening volley for round two, otherwise known as "tortue for fun and profit." By today, I was battling a fever, which hadn't gone too high until this afternoon, when it decided that it had toyed with me enough, and it jumped up. In spite of the Tylenol I had taken, it was over a 100.

So, off to the doctor we go (since Carl has it, too), and we see him and hear how awful this stuff is. He'd taken several rounds of medicine himself trying to kick it about a month ago, and he didn't want to prescribe the Z-pack antibiotics, because they weren't strong enough. So he precribes this new antibiotic (new-ish, I dunno) that he said would really kick butt. Carl went to fill it and called me from the pharmacy. The antibiotics alone cost more than $400. That's with our insurance Rx card, which gives us steep discounts. (It's not a co-pay card, but then again, the rates can never be raised.)

$400? For antibiotics? What the hell is in that pill? A miniature Ahnold? mixed with an Uzi carrying Taz? For $400 for 20 pills, that thing better not only kill the damned bacteria causing this sludge, it should make me taller and younger.

I called the doctor, who was already home, who answered my page somewhat warily (he thinks I'm fiesty. I don't know why he thinks I'm fiesty. Can't imagine where the hell he got that idea.) I asked, "Just how sure are you that the Z-pack wouldn't work?"

"Um, well. It might work. Why?"

I told him about the cost of the meds. He said he'd call in the Z-pack, though I might have to take two rounds of them instead of one. Even with that, I'd still be way ahead of the cost of the other one.

"Damn straight," I said. And I heard him chuckling.

"What?"

"Well," he said, "I only see you when you're sick and exhausted. I'd hate to see how fiesty you can be if you're feeling really well."

Ha.

Posted by toni at April 20, 2006 03:05 AM