The walk in clinic. Not my favorite place to be but when the school nurse tells you to see a doctor as soon as possible, that’s where you go.
I signed in and put on a mask since I had flu-like symptoms. Whatever. I didn’t care. I just felt like garbage that had been run over a million times. Itchy eyes. Sneezing. Headache. I just wanted to feel better.
Amazingly, I only sat for five minutes before the nurse called for me. Vitals taken and explained my symptoms again. I could tell she didn’t believe me when I said I’d had a fever for four days and I knew because of sweating through my clothes at night even though I don’t own a thermometer. She just smiled that knowing smile that told me she thought I was making it all up. Before she left, I coughed at her for that one!
Another miracle: the nurse practitioner arrived after another five minutes! She asked about my symptoms, again! Really! Can she not read my chart? She also asks about my fever to which I explained AGAIN that I don’t own a thermometer but I know I had a fever because of the wet clothing and sheets nightly for the last four days. Then she listened to my chest and proceeded to tell me that I may have the flu but she doubted it. She did order the flu test anyway but was positive it was just a virus. After all, she knows more about medicine than I do about my own body and conditions. I mean, she only was in the room for less than five minutes.
The smiley nurse came in and shoved a cotton swab through my nose to my brain. WOW! I sneezed. I cried. Awful! Nurse Happy told me I could wait an hour or just go home to wait for my results. I went home.
Less than an hour later, I heard the smiling voice through my phone, “No flu; just a virus. Take ibuprofen or acetaminophen as needed for pain, drink lots of fluids, and rest for a few days.” Sure as a teacher, rest comes so easily! Plus, I wasn’t in pain so what would those pills do?
Lesson learned: Over $300 bill came just for a visit that was completely unnecessary. No more trips to the walk in for me: I was back at my doctor’s office six days later and I did have a sinus infection that was not diagnosed at the walk in clinic. Never again!
I signed in and put on a mask since I had flu-like symptoms. Whatever. I didn’t care. I just felt like garbage that had been run over a million times. Itchy eyes. Sneezing. Headache. I just wanted to feel better.
Amazingly, I only sat for five minutes before the nurse called for me. Vitals taken and explained my symptoms again. I could tell she didn’t believe me when I said I’d had a fever for four days and I knew because of sweating through my clothes at night even though I don’t own a thermometer. She just smiled that knowing smile that told me she thought I was making it all up. Before she left, I coughed at her for that one!
Another miracle: the nurse practitioner arrived after another five minutes! She asked about my symptoms, again! Really! Can she not read my chart? She also asks about my fever to which I explained AGAIN that I don’t own a thermometer but I know I had a fever because of the wet clothing and sheets nightly for the last four days. Then she listened to my chest and proceeded to tell me that I may have the flu but she doubted it. She did order the flu test anyway but was positive it was just a virus. After all, she knows more about medicine than I do about my own body and conditions. I mean, she only was in the room for less than five minutes.
The smiley nurse came in and shoved a cotton swab through my nose to my brain. WOW! I sneezed. I cried. Awful! Nurse Happy told me I could wait an hour or just go home to wait for my results. I went home.
Less than an hour later, I heard the smiling voice through my phone, “No flu; just a virus. Take ibuprofen or acetaminophen as needed for pain, drink lots of fluids, and rest for a few days.” Sure as a teacher, rest comes so easily! Plus, I wasn’t in pain so what would those pills do?
Lesson learned: Over $300 bill came just for a visit that was completely unnecessary. No more trips to the walk in for me: I was back at my doctor’s office six days later and I did have a sinus infection that was not diagnosed at the walk in clinic. Never again!
Oh how awful! I am so grateful that our school corporation has a free walk-in clinic for employees! Hopefully I won't have any stories like yours, but I so get about telling the symptoms 10 million times! Like you said, can't they read the chart! Good grief. Hope you are feeling better.
ReplyDeleteSorry that your experience with the nurses was unpleasant. Being sick is awful. Take good care of yourself. The viruses and infections like to revisit when not properly treated. We have had several people sick this year who haven't been sick for years.
ReplyDeleteI believe they call that adding insult to injury... Hope you feel better. We don't give ourselves much of a chance to rest when we're in the fray.
ReplyDeleteOh, Wendy! You poor thing!
ReplyDeleteI don't like any kind of sick visits. Last year I took Isabelle to one of the emergency walk-in clinics. Cost me a lot more than the doctor's office, but it was a quick in and out. Trade offs. (However, we didn't have a $300 bill in the end. That is OUTRAGEOUS!)