There Goes a Good $20...

So, I went to the doctor this morning about this sore throat and cough that has been bothering me for a week. They took my weight (which was the same as Dr. Smollen's office recorded on Monday...thankfully!), took my blood pressure...which was almost alarmingly high for me - 131/85. I am religiously 116/78. The nurse said that having a constant cough for a week will raise one's blood pressure - so I should not be worried.

Then, the nurses asks if I mind a med student accompany the doctor. I say, "Not at all." [You got to get real life experience in a profession like that.] Dallas and I wait a couple minutes, and then enters the med student...no doctor! He asks all kinds of questions, "Fever?", "Aches?", "Nausea?", "Diarrhea?", etc. All to which I answer "No". He then gets a very puzzled look on his face. We talk for a while longer, looks at my throat, looks up my nose, and he listens to my lungs. Then, he says that he will have to talk to the doctor about my symptom.

Finally, the doctor and med student come back in. She looks at my throat, listens to my lungs, looks up my nose, and asks a few questions. She then says that they are going to go talk it over some more, and will be back.

A few minutes later, back comes the med student. The conclusion: You have a cough that could be because of allergy drainage or heartburn from the pregnancy. "What can I do?" I ask. His response: "Well, tough it out. Maybe try a humidifier and/or calcium enriched Tums."

I paid my $20 co-pay and left with no more info that when I entered.

Until next time...