Healthcare in Alaska is different than the healthcare I've experienced in other states. It's a little... loose.
On the flight here, Alice had a tough time with the landing, complaining of the pressure in her ears. No amount of yawning or gum chewing could relieve her pain. By Monday, she let me know that her ears were really hurting again and we spent a sleepless night of administering ibuprofen. Thus... several early morning calls to insurance (only to discover that all doctors in the Juneau area are out of network) and a visit to Urgent Care.
Once we saw the rather goofy doctor, he prescribed antibiotics and we were instructed to go to the kiosk in the lobby where we were to enter a code and the kiosk would spit out the prescription. Feeling rather skeptical, I gave it a try, only to discover that the kiosk also wouldn't accept our insurance. I then asked the front desk staff to provide me a written prescription to bring to a pharmacy. The receptionist went away and I waited and waited and waited. She returned with the bottle of antibiotics in her hand and said, "Here you go." Huh? Yep, the doctor filled the prescription himself and they would send me the bill.
However, the bottle had no instructions on how to administer it. I asked for specifics; the receptionist looked at the bottle and said, "The directions say to give 20mg every 8 hours." I took the bottle from her, looked closely and read: "20mg to 40mg every 8 hours, depending on weight and severity of infection." Huh? So which is it? 20mg, 40mg, or somewhere in between? She said, "Oh, just give her 20." I said, "No.. Will you please clarify with the doctor and let me know the specific dose." Aye, aye, aye. After more back and forth, we came away with 2 tsp, 3 times a day. Okay, I could live with that. Apparently in Alaska, you can give a dose, you can give a swig, or somewhere in between. It's all good.
The humor continued the next morning when I realized the directions said 2 tsp, 3 times a day, period. Knowing that most antibiotics are prescribed for 10 days, it then occurred to me that I had enough of the medicine to last, oh.... about 3.33 days. They only gave me 1 bottle! So, back to Urgent Care to explain the situation and ask for 2 more bottles to fill the remainder of the prescription.
I can't wait to receive the bill.
On the flight here, Alice had a tough time with the landing, complaining of the pressure in her ears. No amount of yawning or gum chewing could relieve her pain. By Monday, she let me know that her ears were really hurting again and we spent a sleepless night of administering ibuprofen. Thus... several early morning calls to insurance (only to discover that all doctors in the Juneau area are out of network) and a visit to Urgent Care.
Once we saw the rather goofy doctor, he prescribed antibiotics and we were instructed to go to the kiosk in the lobby where we were to enter a code and the kiosk would spit out the prescription. Feeling rather skeptical, I gave it a try, only to discover that the kiosk also wouldn't accept our insurance. I then asked the front desk staff to provide me a written prescription to bring to a pharmacy. The receptionist went away and I waited and waited and waited. She returned with the bottle of antibiotics in her hand and said, "Here you go." Huh? Yep, the doctor filled the prescription himself and they would send me the bill.
However, the bottle had no instructions on how to administer it. I asked for specifics; the receptionist looked at the bottle and said, "The directions say to give 20mg every 8 hours." I took the bottle from her, looked closely and read: "20mg to 40mg every 8 hours, depending on weight and severity of infection." Huh? So which is it? 20mg, 40mg, or somewhere in between? She said, "Oh, just give her 20." I said, "No.. Will you please clarify with the doctor and let me know the specific dose." Aye, aye, aye. After more back and forth, we came away with 2 tsp, 3 times a day. Okay, I could live with that. Apparently in Alaska, you can give a dose, you can give a swig, or somewhere in between. It's all good.
The humor continued the next morning when I realized the directions said 2 tsp, 3 times a day, period. Knowing that most antibiotics are prescribed for 10 days, it then occurred to me that I had enough of the medicine to last, oh.... about 3.33 days. They only gave me 1 bottle! So, back to Urgent Care to explain the situation and ask for 2 more bottles to fill the remainder of the prescription.
I can't wait to receive the bill.
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