Adventures in medicine
May. 23rd, 2014 10:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tricia868Tonight was the first somewhat negative experience I've had with the Colombian healthcare system.
I've had a headache for 2 & 1/2 weeks. Today I took all the allowed rounds of a prescription migraine medication and spent the whole afternoon with my eyes closed. When I didn't feel better, I decided it was time to go to the hospital.
I went to the hospital, they got my medical history, they ordered lab tests (bloodwork, plus an endoscopy because I've lost a lot of weight) and gave me a painkiller injection. I was dismayed to find that the drug is banned in the US upon getting home and looking it up. I would not have agreed to it at all if I'd had the opportunity to look up the drug online first.
...I'm fine. I wouldn't have agreed to it, but I'm okay, I promise.
Also, all the hospitals here use latex gloves. I am going to bring my own nitrile ones with me next time and shove them at the doctors.
On a positive note, it costs me about 20 USD to go to the emergency room. That's not a post-insurance copay. That's the total price.
I've had a headache for 2 & 1/2 weeks. Today I took all the allowed rounds of a prescription migraine medication and spent the whole afternoon with my eyes closed. When I didn't feel better, I decided it was time to go to the hospital.
I went to the hospital, they got my medical history, they ordered lab tests (bloodwork, plus an endoscopy because I've lost a lot of weight) and gave me a painkiller injection. I was dismayed to find that the drug is banned in the US upon getting home and looking it up. I would not have agreed to it at all if I'd had the opportunity to look up the drug online first.
...I'm fine. I wouldn't have agreed to it, but I'm okay, I promise.
Also, all the hospitals here use latex gloves. I am going to bring my own nitrile ones with me next time and shove them at the doctors.
On a positive note, it costs me about 20 USD to go to the emergency room. That's not a post-insurance copay. That's the total price.