Going to the damn doctor
Monday August 9, 2004 – 2:36 amI am the worst insomniac!! So… I have a weird little lump on the back of my neck, I noticed it about a week ago and it just seems odd to me. I was getting visions of Andy Kaufman’s "Touch the Cyst" routine (don’t ask, it’s SO grody) so I googled it up and… I don’t think that’s what it is, I think it’s probably NOTHING. But I e-mailed Daddy and asked him if he had any idea, and he told me yeah, it probably is nothing but GET YOUR ASS TO A FUCKING DOCTOR! (Where did I get my potty-mouth I wonder? ha ha.) I haven’t been in years, because I have no insurance and no money, plus there’s the attitude problem: I just hate submitting myself to doctors unless I absolutely have to. So, yeah. I’m calling the CWHC first thing; I used to go there to get my b.c. pills. They may not deal with that kind of thing but if not, they’ll refer me to a G.P. or whatever. Ugh. If I do go the doctor, it’ll be nothing, if I don’t… at best, I’ll worry, and that’s no good. At worst… ??? Shut up.
August 9th, 2004 at 9:13 am
I recommend tons of Melatonin.
August 9th, 2004 at 9:18 am
Melatonin?? Never heard of that but I’ll read about it later. At any rate I have an appointment this afternoon to see a G.P. that Melissa at Drag City recommended highly. CWHC referred me to someone (they only do gynecology stuff) but that person wouldn’t see me until the end of September EVEN THOUGH blah blah blah. I didn’t like the receptionist’s attitude, but when I called Melissa’s doctor, they were soooo nice about it, said they had some cancellations for today, when could I come in? That’s what I like to hear. :-) I’m fairly certain I’m throwing my money-that-I-don’t-have away, but… relieved nevertheless. And Daddy won’t kill me now. ha ha.
August 9th, 2004 at 9:42 am
Do you mean insomniac (one who has trouble sleeping) or hypochondriac (The persistent conviction that one is or is likely to become ill, often involving symptoms when illness is neither present nor likely)?
For help sleeping, I go to the chain store, Dollar Tree, and buy a thing they have called "Relax & Sleep" which has valerian root, which i’ve found to be a gentle and non-offeding herb which helps make you drowsy without any obnoxious feeling (like when you take nyquil).
Melatonin is ok, but i found i would wake up in the middle of the night after taking it. Also can cause strange dreams.
As for health insurance, i got laid off once and since i was set up as a sole proprietor (from when i did a fanzine), i was eligible for discounted health insurance rates since i was considered running a business.
I was fortunate enough to find an insurance agent who dealt with people who were self-employed (photographers, freelance writers, etc) and hooked me up with decent coverage at a reasonable rate.
My suggestion: Ask around at your local chamber of commerce if they can recommend any insurance agents and investigate whether or not they can get you a deal on insurance. obviously, you’d have to declare yourself as the sole proprietor of a business and do some taxes at the end of the year, but its a solution …
it really saved my ass as i had to get surgery ($20,000+) which was covered by my policy.
August 9th, 2004 at 10:14 am
Anything is possible Dave, but I don’t think I could possibly qualify as a hypochondriac — if anything, I’m in denial about health issues. (other than those which I’m well aware of, like the bad teeth and the migraine auras, which come and go and have been fully diagnosed and I no longer worry about.) A lump is a lump, it is not my imagination… could be nothing to worry about, but it is indeed a good lil’ lump where there was none before. When I get a cold, I’ll complain about that but… well, I do know a *real* hypo and the difference seems like night and day to me. Insomniac though, I would *probably* qualify for that label. Not all the time, but lots of nights I just can’t sleep more than a few hours, I wake up, go back to sleep, wake up again etc. I’ve been that way my whole life, but I’m used to it. I take naps and I do fine.
The greater implication is what’s really scaring me here: I have to quit cigarettes and I have to get insurance, there’s no two ways about it. I’ll be talking to the folks and getting advice on that later; thanks for the words of wisdom. The money will be… ugh, I have none, but we’ll see what can be done. I have a great accountant, maybe she can help guide me thru the labyrinth if I need to get set up as an indie business in order to qualify. Or maybe I qualify already, but I don’t think so.
Before anyone asks, Drag City (like most all indie labels) have looked into the issue but found it prohibitively expensive… "do you want to get any money at ALL from making records?" It just isn’t possible from what I gather, so we’re all kinda on our own for that. People are trying to change this: Sweet Relief. But for now, no musician that I’ve ever heard of is covered through their label unfortunately.
August 9th, 2004 at 10:39 am
Oh, btw the reason I used the word insomniac is because I made that post immediately after waking up for the 2nd time, and then later I woke up a 3rd time after that weird dream. I failed to explain what that was about, sorry for the confusion.
August 9th, 2004 at 10:54 am
Edith, if you end up not liking your GP, can I recommend my doctor? Dr. Ann Declue at Swedish Covenant. She totally rocks. When my wife and I moved to Chicago, we were nervous about having to find a new doctor, but friends of our recommended Dr. Declue, and now pretty much all of my friends go to her. She even has a website. She’s totally nice and she listens to you and really seems to care.
August 9th, 2004 at 11:04 am
AHHAHAHA!! Is that a new avatar? Funny. Thanks Jake, good to know there is an abundance of likeable and very rockin’ medicos in this town.
August 9th, 2004 at 4:51 pm
The diagnosis: I’m fine, y’all. :-D No tumor!! ha ha. It’s a sebaceous cyst, a pretty good ‘un, but definitely benign and definitely nothing to worry about the way I was for the last 24 hours. She thought so, and she had another doctor look at it too, he agreed 100%. She basically told me just to stop fuckin’ with it, keep an eye on it and it’ll either go away, or not. If it gets a whole lot bigger I can call her back but even then there’s not much she can do but schedule a removal which can be very pricey… she says some people live with ‘em for years and since it’s not painful and not bothering me, might as well just leave it the hell alone.
I LOVE the doctor. Super smart, totally cool, was totally giving me the verbal high-fives for all the work I’ve been doing on my health lately. While she was at it she put me on Advair too, for very mild lifelong asthma I’ve had… my sister "Dr." Lucie had started me on this some months ago using extra sample-packs she had laying around (she has asthma and all her kids have it too, and so does my mom). The doctor said Lucie was smart to do that and wanted me to continue, so now I’m all set. I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER!!! I was really gettin’ myself way too worked up over this, but I reckon you would too if you felt what I felt and read the horrible things I read last night. Remind me to stop reading that WebMD shit, ha ha. ::whew:: Such drama!! No more drama this week please.