unknownfate | Cut for complaining.

Barrow doesn't have any private practices. If there's something wrong, you go to the hospital. So I went. Sat in the waiting room, between a kid throwing up in the trash can and his grandmother.

I had two ailments I wanted treated: my icky toenail and my miserable headcold. I don't have a lot of faith in the hospital here. They go out of their way not to give me helpful medications. I had joked to someone that the hospital would probably say it was an allergy and put me in a bodycast. Well, I wasn't entirely wrong.

They did give me allergy medication (Benadryl) and recommended I use tea tree oil on my toe. They didn't have any tea tree oil, of course. This is Barrow, Alaska after all. Some things we just don't have. But, I could order some online and use it while we waited to see it would just 'grow out'. I am to wait and see, basically. Let the nail grow out and hope it doesn't rot my whole foot off. Take Benadryl and hope I'll be able to breathe someday.

What do I have to do to get some prescription medication?? Is there a shortage? Do they not believe me? Can't they hear me wheezing? Can't they see the mottled discoloration on my toenail? Maybe I wouldn't be sick for weeks at a time if I could convince them that the over-the-counter stuff isn't cutting it. I take so much Sudafed that I'm probably on a watch list somewhere and I think I'm building an immunity to it. All it does now is make me drowsy and sick, instead of just sick. No more Sudafed.

Aren't hospitals supposed to deal out the meds for all occasions? Why does this one go to such lengths not to? Don't they know I'll pay for them? I had bronchitis a few years ago, and they basically said, "Oh, you've got the bug. Get some Nyquil and think good thoughts." I had it for nearly a months before I went to FL and a horrified doctor have me a week's worth of antibiotics that cleaned it out by Day 4. Even when they had to bust my wisdom teeth into pieces to wrench them from my jaws in fragments, all they would give me is grocery store ibuprofen. I feel like just yelling into the pharmacy, "I will exchange money for medication that will fix me! Name your price!"

My sister works there, so I shouldn't get in too much trouble for that.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Tea tree oil?

I'm not saying it's not useful, because I've used it, but it sounds odd the hospital would push it on you, especially when you can't actually get any.

I have no idea why they don't want to give you medication. Hospitals in my experience are more than happy to do that, the problem is being able to afford it if your insurance doesn't cover it. (Which mine does, actually, so that's not my complaint.)

I'm one of those people that won't stagger to the doctor until every non-prescription option available* is exhausted. Which is why it irks me so to be sent home with nothing!

*I suppose I could always go swing a cat over my head at a crossroad at midnight. I haven't tried that yet. If I wait long enough, maybe the hospital will suggest it.

You need to walk backwards to a stump filed with stumpwater put your hands in it for 5 mins and then leave without looking back atthe stump. Of course since it's -40 and here are no trees this may be hard to do. Tea tree oil comes from Australia by the way.

Yeah, no stumpwater. So I'll have to try to transfer my cold to the cat the old-fashioned way. Sigh.

Once, my entire ear had swollen shut with an infection. I get them all the time, but couldn't manage to book in to see my usual doctor. I got somebody else who didn't look in my ear, and told me that the cause of the stabbing pains I was experiencing was most likely "trapped air", and I was advised to hold my nose and blow my cheeks out until they popped to remedy it.
My mother went apeshit when I told her, and marched me back down to the surgery for another appointment with a different doctor.

Ours are just useless. They'd rather gnaw off their own limbs than prescribe something effective.

"Sinus infection? Try steam. Boil some water and hang over the pot."

"Dizzy spells? Some Dayquil should clear it up."

"You stepped in a bear trap? What you need is some nice chicken soup."

Cut for complaining.

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Doctors are silly here too!

Re: Doctors are silly here too!