So do you want to know what the 99% have to do for medical care? Since Saturday night I have had this sore on my back, just around the left shoulder blade. I figured it was a general bump and didn't make much of it, but I found myself getting sicker as time went on. By the time I got home Sunday morning I went to bed and slept for hours. This isn't something I have been doing for quite some time. I felt like I had a fever and it wasn't until Monday, when the bump had gotten larger and I felt feverish, did I check my blood sugar.

Yep, through the roof.

The bump turned out to be more than a bump, and as days went on I would try to drain it but it would come back stronger than ever. I thought I had taken care of it at work on Thursday morning, using some admittedly primitive techniques. I went into the shakes but I was sure I had squeezed out the problem. Before this some at work had talked about me going to a Urgent Care facility, just to get it checked out. To be honest, I didn't want to spend the money for something, I figured, was nothing more than popping a zit on my back. On the website of the place closest to me, just walking in the door cost $125 and the price could go up to $225 or more, depending on the procedures needed. It was money I didn't have, and I wouldn't have until Friday when I got paid. The problem with that was I had money set aside from that check for the holidays and the Urgent Care would take care of that savings.

While I thought I had everything fixed, it was apparent at 11am my time things weren't going good. I balanced waiting a day for Urgent Care and what delays had cost me in the past with medical work. I tend to get close to the skin lucky with doctors. They always give me the doom and gloom story if I had waited a day or two more I would be six feet under or some other dire threat. While I may want to be flip about it, considering my record it was best to err on caution.

I made the half mile walk to the care center and was greeted with Fox News on the TV. Well, this was going to be penance so be it. I filled out the paperwork and got the depressed look when I said I didn't have insurance. I waited in the lobby for 45 minutes and had the credit card run for $125 that wasn't in the account but cleared. I was taken to one room, given a quick checkup then when asked what was the issue, I talked about the bump on the back issue. You know you are probably not in the best shape when the nurse does her best Keanu Reeves Whoa after seeing the bump, which was now pretty large and, yes we must be gross about this, was oozing puss when I moved my shoulder.

I was taken to another room and I met the doctor, who looked like she should have been on Gray's Anatomy. We talked about the back, I mentioned the diabetes, and that's when things took a nosedive. Essentially the problem I have is the diabetes interferes with the treatment that can be done to fix the bump, which isn't quite a staph infection, but is a very aggressive cyst, from what I could tell, which the diabetes high sugar count feeds it. I'm translating this to the way I could understand it so it might not be as medically correct. In any case, since I always have to have the dire stuff when visiting a doctor, the doctor worked through protocols to find a sugar lowering diabetes treatment that might work for me.

The doctor asked me questions that I don't understand, in today's environment, should be surprising. She was surprised I didn't have insurance considering the diabetes. I don't have a car, walk close to everywhere, of course insurance would be something not on the agenda. The good news is I hope to have insurance in the next month.

In any case, the doctor remained calm when she explained all the options I have, but she was very clear that what I have is dangerous. How so? She said if it doesn't get better in two days I may have to go to the County Hospital and have surgery to remove the bump! OK, wake up call there.

So I got this super sized shot to work on the diabetes and I have to get more meds for the bump and more sugar lowering drugs. So here is the kick in the teeth of the experience. I was going through in my head if I was going to have to pay more that the initial $125. I thought maybe, because of the shot, I might have to pay another $25, which would have been the next level of care on their chart. Turns out I had to pay an extra $82! That fee was for administering of medication. Yes those are the exact words the pay person told me. In real people translation, I was charged $82 for medicine in a syringe and a nurse giving me a shot. I wasn't happy but what was I supposed to do?

So I lose a day's pay at work today because this medication drains a lot, according to the doctor. Typing this up has taken longer than I imagined but I just find it frustrating that $207 was paid for a consultation and a shot. I know insurance would have probably helped the cost but only because it is close to payday did I have the funds to kind of cover the costs.