Yesterday was a bit of a bear (to say the least), I spent all morning (literally) on the phone with my insurance company trying to sort out all the medical care I got in Canada. Even though i'm foreign to insurance paperwork, i'm not totally convinced if I was a native I would be able to get my head around all the politics. The long and the short of it was that (despite not being told this by the international line I called up in Canada multiple times) I was supposed to get a doctors order from a doctor here for the treatment I received in Canada. I hadn't yet found a primary care physician (like a GP in the UK) to work with, so this caused all kinds of issues, as it was supposed to be them who did it. Luckily I found one yesterday who could see me today and check out my arm, but I was also hoping for his good graces in agreeing to give me the doctors order after the fact and agree with the treatment I was given. This lead to quite a sleepless night, as without that I would be landed with a $3K hospital bill, and he certainly didn't have to do it.
Luckily he totally agreed with everything they did, and was amazed the insurance company was giving me a hard time about it. So he's agreed to give them anything they need, and I now have a primary care physician! Who knows when it'll come, and i'm sure there will be much more back and forth with my insurance, but at least I know i'll get some of that back eventually.
So what to do tonight other than take multiple showers (if only my eco-conscious would let me)? Maybe a nice G&T and maybe i'll use up that Ben and Jerrys coupon i've had lying around.....:0)
4 comments:
I had a student with a staph infection today.... are these things getting more common, I wonder?
Glad you are feeling better and squeaky clean!
sarah, yes, they are.
and i am still confused about the difference in care you have been advised of versus me. interestingly (and grossly, probably, to most), swimming in a public chlorinated pool was okayed since it is even stronger than bleach baths, also recommended.
I admit to wondering about the chlorine in the pool....:0)
I think the difference in care is the MRSA vs regular Staph. Both are about as infectious as one another, but most people do have an immunity to regular Staph, whereas MRSA can be extremely hard to get rid of, especially in those with lowered immunity, so using good infection prevention measures is so much more important.
The difference in size might also be relevant - they made some pretty big incisions that they then kept open with cotton wicks, getting those wet would be really detrimental to draining. Once they were out, as with any open wound, getting it wet before a good scab or closure happens is another avenue for reinfection, so no shower/swim etc.
This is also my first occurrence of them too (all be it 5 in one spot but they probably all came from the same infection that didn't clear in the small ones). If I started to get them frequently or in more places, i'm sure i'd start a similar clean routine you've been given. They are definitely getting more common, and as a nurse here told me, Hawaii is rife with Staph infections.....ug......
Three cheers for the Shower! I hope you bathed in champagne to celebrate--or perhaps it would have been better to drink it all! i do hope that you never have to deal with these again.
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