Cough, cough, cough

As some of you know, March I was really sick. I had the old fashioned flu. Ugly, awful, and the gift that keeps on giving. I have been coughing for weeks. It doesn't get worse, it just doesn't get better. After much nagging from friends and Marty, I went to the doctor yesterday.

I love Kaiser. Those of you who can't get this HMO, I feel for you. I called Wednesday to talk to the advice nurse. She had me set up with an appointment in less than 24 hours, with my doctor. Not in the clinic. I saw Dr. J. and he is pretty positive the cough is just a post flu thing. He gave me options for treatments. He emailed the pharmacy several prescriptions. Then to be sure he is correct, he set up lab work and x rays.

There was one little hiccup. I asked him to renew my Valium for flying. We have a trip planned this month, and I hate flying. I have Valium enough for the trip, but it is so old it has expired. You can tell I am really into drugs. And he started trying to say something, hemmed and hawed. Then he said, "We don't recommend Valium for the elderly." ELDERLY!!!!!!!!!!! Call me a senior citizen, but elderly. Then Dr. J. said, " You are just into that age group at 65. It might make you dizzy and you could fall." Now I am so old I have to worry about falling? He wrote me a prescription for something else to keep me calm on a plane. I think my original plan of drinking cross country is best.

Back to the tests. No getting clearance for them, no waiting for days. It was then. I had the blood drawn for 10 tests and 3 x rays done. All of this in about 30 minutes. And for no extra cost. Tests are free in our health plan. I figure I had a gazillion $$$ worth of work done. Then on to the pharmacy.

Four prescriptions that in the real world would have been $194. Kaiser world $60. In two hours I saw my doctor, had several hundreds of dollars of tests and drugs for $85. This morning when I got up, all my blood work tests results had been emailed.

Love you Kaiser.