02-22-2008, 01:24 PM
Okay, I just went through all this myself. Ugh.....
I've had a little bit of a cough for a little over a week. A couple of days ago it starts to move into my throat. So yesterday I wake up with swollen lymphs, tonsils and coughing up weird orange stuff from my throat. mmmm, orange stuff....
I immediately go into Pahoa for a visit to the clinic. They set an appointment for 2:30. Not 30 minutes later they call me and cancel the appointment because one of the doc's is sick and they tell me that I'm going to need to walk in at 7am the next day to see if there are any walk-in appointments available. OR: I can go to Urgent care and pay $125 to be seen as a walk in if they have room.
So I wait.
This morning, my throat is almost closed shut and there are beautiful little pustules that have formed on my uvula and the side of me tonsils. Yay pustules!!
So I call Pahoa Clinic. Guess WHAT! They are closed because they have no water????? WTF!!?? The incredibly helpful woman on the phone tells me to go to Keeau and walk in even though they have no openings and just wait until someone cancels or no shows. So that's what I do...
After waiting all day, I am finally seen (thankfully, by an extremely friendly doctor Peggy Fujimura) who tells me what I already know. I have Strep Throat. She kindly gives me a prescription for antibiotics and sends me on my way.
$75 later, I have my meds. I am glad it wasn't more complicated than this, but where is the infrastructure???? Why are people who have semi-emergency situations being punished like this? I don't have insurance, nor do I think it would have been any easier even if I did, but what the h#ll? What can we do as taxpayers/voters to address these problems?
"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars."
I've had a little bit of a cough for a little over a week. A couple of days ago it starts to move into my throat. So yesterday I wake up with swollen lymphs, tonsils and coughing up weird orange stuff from my throat. mmmm, orange stuff....
I immediately go into Pahoa for a visit to the clinic. They set an appointment for 2:30. Not 30 minutes later they call me and cancel the appointment because one of the doc's is sick and they tell me that I'm going to need to walk in at 7am the next day to see if there are any walk-in appointments available. OR: I can go to Urgent care and pay $125 to be seen as a walk in if they have room.
So I wait.
This morning, my throat is almost closed shut and there are beautiful little pustules that have formed on my uvula and the side of me tonsils. Yay pustules!!
So I call Pahoa Clinic. Guess WHAT! They are closed because they have no water????? WTF!!?? The incredibly helpful woman on the phone tells me to go to Keeau and walk in even though they have no openings and just wait until someone cancels or no shows. So that's what I do...
After waiting all day, I am finally seen (thankfully, by an extremely friendly doctor Peggy Fujimura) who tells me what I already know. I have Strep Throat. She kindly gives me a prescription for antibiotics and sends me on my way.
$75 later, I have my meds. I am glad it wasn't more complicated than this, but where is the infrastructure???? Why are people who have semi-emergency situations being punished like this? I don't have insurance, nor do I think it would have been any easier even if I did, but what the h#ll? What can we do as taxpayers/voters to address these problems?
"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars."
"How do you know i am mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the cat "or you wouldnt have come here."
"You must be," said the cat "or you wouldnt have come here."