Going to the Doctor, What a Rip Off

Well, I had to go to the doctor today because I was feeling a bit under the weather. Actually truth be told, I wasn’t feeling all that bad, but I’d nearly lost my voice. This is normally a sign that I’m getting sick, plus I could also feel the pressure building up behind my sinuses. You know right between your eyes, feels almost like it’s in your brain.

So first off I go to where I remembered the clinic being, keep in mind I haven’t been sick in several years so I don’t normally keep track of where the clinics are at. But last time I needed it, it was where I was heading. But I get there and there’s hardly no cars, so I’m thinking, “Awesome, I won’t have to wait very long, they will probably get me right in and I’ll be out in a flash.”

Well, I go up and talk to the lady at the window, and she says, “Are you here for urgent care?”  Then I told her, “No, it’s not urgent, just need to see the doctor, think I’m getting a cold.” She looked a bit puzzled and said, “well, this is now an internal medicine facility, the clinic moved up the street, you know, where the bakery used to be.”
 
So I’m thinking, I knew this was too good to be true, so I jumped back in the car and peeled out of there. Of course I was a little miffed seeing how I just went out of my way for nothing. So I head back up the street….you know where the bakery used to be! lol The whole ride there I’m thinking, “Of course that couldn’t of been the clinic, it’s going to be packed out when I get there.” But to my surprise it actually wasn’t that crowded.
 
I go in and tell the lady what’s wrong with me and she said to have a seat, it’s about a 45 minute wait. That’s really not that bad considering there’s usually a 45 hour wait at these places. So in no time I’m in with the doctor and she looks me over sticking that little light into every crevice she can find. Well, let’s back up a bit, not eeeevery crevice mind you.
 
So she tells me that she can’t find any signs of infection and nothing she sees would require antibiotics. She said I had laryngitis and some congestion in my head, a sort of viral thing. She offered to give me a steroid shot and said that would probably give me my voice back. So I’m really hoping that works, but seemed a bit odd that she wouldn’t prescribe antibiotics. I don’t think I’ve ever been to the doctor where they didn’t give you an antibiotic, but doctors know best, right?
 
So the lady with the mean mug comes in and stabs me in the boney part of my back side, just to make sure it hurts nice and good! Then says, “go sit in the waiting room for 10 minutes.” But never said what to do after that 10 minutes were up. So I assumed I was free to go after that…lol Here’s where it gets really good. After what I thought was 10 minutes, I go up to the counter to find out what I need to pay.
 
The woman initially told me the visit could be anywhere between 86$ and 200$, depending on what they do to me. So she starts flailing away on her adding machine and writing all these figures down, a whole list of em. Then she says, “That’ll be $175 please!” Wow, I should of known they’d get as close to the high end of that estimate as possible. So here I am boiling over at the price she’s just given me, and my voice isn’t working worth a darn. So yelling is out of the question lucky for her! I’m asking what in the world are all those charges for?
 
There was a $34 charge just for the mean muggin’ lady’s time that stabbed me in the hip bone! I’m definitely in the wrong field! I want that job, making $34 a second! That’s pretty much how long it took her to throw that dart and run out the door, 1 second! I was beside myself. Then the lady behind the counter is getting all defensive cos I want to know what I’m being charged for. So I tell her, “Don’t take it personal, it’s not like that money is going in your pocket” humm, or is it? Well, that’s something for another post.
 
So long story just a wee bit short, I paid her and ran out of there. But the point to all this is doesn’t that seem a bit outrageous? I mean, $117 just for the doctor to come in and say, “Hi, I’m not going to give you any antibiotics, but go ahead and buy some Airborne immune support supplement from over the counter.” I could of done that on my own. I don’t really know what I was expecting, but I feel like I was a bit short changed.
 
Have you had a similar experience visiting the doctor? Leave a comment and let the world know about it!