5.01.2009

Super Bug!

Faster than a speeding hypodermic needle! Stronger than the smell of ammonia! It's a flu! It's a plague! It's SUPER BUG!

I went to see my nurse practitioner yesterday. I needed a blood draw to check my thyroid levels, but while I was there she did all of the other check-up-y things. She couldn't help but notice that I had this mean mamma-jamma of a cold. She asked a few pointed questions to rule out Swine Flu, then moved on to discuss my ongoing battle with the pharmacy. (My Ob/Gyn and my nurse practitioner have the same last name, though only distantly related. The Ob/Gyn wrote my original thyroid prescriptions. Once I transferred this aspect of my care to my NP, the pharmacy has NEVER, not even once, gotten my prescription right. Arg.)

Anyhoo, she was asking me if I wanted to continue using the Wal-Mart pharmacy (see? Using the real name as payback for bad service! Heh!) to pick up my antibiotic and my new thyroid scrip. What... huh? She just slipped that antibiotic into the conversation without any preamble.

I was all, "Antibiotic? For what?" Because even though I have had no medical training, I know that antibiotics don't do any good for a VIRUS.

She looked up from her clipboard, clearly surprised. "Well, you said you had some sinus pressure several days ago. It will help clear that up..." She trailed off at what must have been my obviously incredulous face. "Um, I could give you some samples?" I guess she thought I didn't want to pay for the prescription! Clearly most of her patients must pressure her for antibiotics. I was an anomaly.

I told her that I would prefer to avoid antibiotics unless there was a clear reason to take them (keeping to myself that she hadn't done any of the appropriate exam/bloodwork to see if an antibiotic was even warranted). She ended up sending me how with Singulair samples "to dry up that drainage." Isn't Singulair an allergy medicine? And I have a cold?

Am I the only one who is okay with walking out of a doctor's office without drugs? It's a cold! It requires chicken soup and orange juice and lots of sitting on the couch watching back-logged Tivo. Not antibiotics! Not allergy medicine!

No wonder we are breeding super bugs.

6 comments:

  1. My dr always sends me out with a Rx. Reason being...she knows if Im ASKING to see her AND it's not a yearly physical, then I've gone the chicken soup, juice and rest route already and Im beyond miserable at that point. Usually. Im right in getting there as Im prone to sinus infections.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's funny how different doctors have different philosophies. My regular doc wouldn't give me script for the kids even if I was on my knees begging. His partner, sends me home with a script for antibiotics every time. It's like she's saying, "Here you go, now please go away."

    Sit on the couch and watch tivo. As a mom, this might be your only opportunity. Hope you feel better!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hope you feel better. Those bugs really get around!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Feel better!!! I left you an award if your interested!
    http://smeiers.blogspot.com/2009/05/awww-shucks-thanks.html

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi, thanks for stopping by and following my blog. I'm following back. You're welcome to enter my current giveaways,including $75 to spend on handbags and belts. Thanks!
    icefairy's Treasure Chest

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi and thank you for commenting on our blog. Following you now.

    ReplyDelete

I am a comment junkie.
Thank you for feeding my habit.