So for two weeks, I had pneumonia ... and (my ex-husband) had bronchitis. As you can imagine, our house was a cacophony of bone-rattling coughs ... the modern-day equivalent of a TB colony. Our coffee table was a scattered mess of Kleenex boxes, various inhalers, antibiotics, steroids, and syrups. I had mixtures with codeine ... some with vicodin ... one pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small, dear Alice.
I was blessed. I had a couple weeks of leave saved up and basically spent the timekeeper's equivalent of a nice summer vacation alternating between laying on the couch in a phlegm-filled stupor and sitting in a doctor's office paying yet another co-pay to be told, "Hmmm ... well, that one didn't seem to help, did it?"
What's shocking for me though ... now that I'm on the other side ... is that we spent over $300 in the last two weeks in co-pays and medicine. People ... I have great insurance. Really. Even with (what I consider to be) a low $15 co-pay ... I went in four times so there's $60 right there. One of the inhalers I had to take (which, I assure you was one of the few things keeping me alive) ... was over $40. And that's AFTER insurance paid in.
I simply can't begin to imagine how we would've coped if I'd had no insurance. The obvious answer is that you don't go to the doctor four times in two weeks ... but this wasn't a matter of me wanting professional hand-holding.
The first time, I simply was sick and was coughing. I was told it was a virus and to go home. The second time, my fever was 102 and my lungs were rattling like maracas. They gave me medicine. The third time, I was coughing up chihuahua-sized chunks of lung. They gave me more medicine. The last time, I was a little better ... but since the antibiotics were finished, they claimed they needed to see me again and do a chest x-ray to confirm I would survive. And yes, they prescribed more medicine.
We are both on the other side now ... I'm finishing up the Prednisone and last few days of Levaquin.
Weak when we touch
I can't speak when I look in your eyes
I get weak when you're next to me
Weak from this love
I can't speak when I look in your eyes
I get weak
Belinda Carlisle - I Get Weak
