...of whatever was ailing me a week and a half ago and turning me into a marathon runner, hit me hard again this weekend; therefore the lack of blogging Sunday. I was feeling somewhat crappy (no pun intended) on Saturday, and really got bad Sunday night with a fever added into the mix.
Even as early as Thursday night I realized I was getting worse (having never really gotten over whatever it was that made me ill the week before). So, I called my doc who told me to go ahead an fill a prescription he had given me for Vancomycin. I dropped it off on Friday and went to pick it up on Saturday. I had about $50 or $60 bucks with me and figured that would be enough, but when the pharmacist told me I owed her $195.00 I almost fell over. I asked he to check and make sure that was after my insurance, and she told me that the price of this drug without insurance in my dosage was over $1,000.00. This is an antibiotic, this was for something ailing me that caused the squirts, and for something that my doctors had not even diagnosed except for a guess since the tests came back negative. I declined but asked them to hold it. I figured I would make it until Monday and check with my doc as to whether or not I take something else. Well Saturday night things got real bad, so on Sunday I went to the pharmacy and picked up the script; I guess I can thank VISA for that for now.
On Sunday afternoon I took the first pill. Four hours later I was super sick, and was running more than I had in a week, truly a sprinter over and over again. Then a fever hit me. I was baffled - was this caused by the antibiotic. Nah couldn't be. I sort of reluctantly took another at its appointed hour. Come Monday morning I was so sick I slept right through my doctor's appointment at 0900. I called an made another appointment for today. My doctor called me later on to check on me, and he told me if still feeling as bad this morning, that I should head to the emergency room for admission to the hospital. Yikes, that scared me some. Must have scared the sh.. out of me too because when I got up this morning, I felt somewhat better. I did not have to sprint all night once I had fallen asleep. Now granted I am still feeling ill, and far from 100 percent, but I feel an awful lot better than I have since Saturday night. I guess the miracle/expensive drug is kicking in.
The irony of this all is that this stuff, the antibiotic was discovered somewhere in a jungle in the soil. I seem to remember my parents telling me how sick I could get playing in the dirt when I was younger, but this stuff offers hope of a cure for what ails you (or at least what ails me). So maybe I should get out into the garden more often. It sure isn't dirt cheap either now is it, but it seems to be doing its job of cleaning out my system of the little nasties that have afflicted me, and that is a good thing. Cheap as dirt, nah, no way - but certainly worth every penny if it gets me well again.
While it maybe expensive, and while I could afford it because of my job and medical plan; my bet is that this drug is not kept from those who need it and cannot afford it thanks to our system of medical care. They who can afford it are required to have health insurance or pay out of their pockets for care, and those who cannot are helped out when in need. I wonder though, if we were under a system of socialized medicine, how long would I have had to wait before they would have even seen me at the doctor let alone doled this stuff out to me. I'd probably be dead before they would have thought - oh well we should have tried that one.
One really good thing about our system of medical care, it makes you strive to better yourself, to get a better job, to make more money, to pay for your own health insurance. I just cannot see socialized medicine doing anything like that for you - but I can see a socialist government forcing you to work at whatever they choose for you and then treating you like shit by giving you substandard medical care, among other substandard things, even though you slaved for the cause.
All the best,
Glenn B
