Nothing to say

It’s just after 10. I have an appointment with Dr. Dougherty at 11. I’m going to talk to him about the virtues of Antibiotics vs. Surgery.

When I took the 10 doses of Levaquin, I got one sample and a prescription for 9 more. The 9 pills cost me a $40 copay, with a total bill of over $90. I can’t remember where I saw it, but I’m under the impression that the surgery will cost over $6,000, with a $500 copay for me. Baptist hospital may or may not be the best in S FL, but it’s inarguably the most expensive. A month-long round of pills will be a lot of money, but not nearly $6,000, and it will still max out at a $40 copay for me.
Surgery will also cost me at least 2 days off work, and then another half-week or so of Very Tired days at work. I will also have to get my packing changed on Monday (specialist visit, copay: $25)
Finally, there are the risks. Antibiotics wreak havoc on my stomach, and if I don’t follow the prescription (or if the prescription isn’t right), I run the risk of strengthening my bacteria, making them even harder to KILL OFF. Still, that doesn’t compare to the surgery risks, which range from infection to eye injury to spinal fluid leakage. Of course, they’re rare, but so are the more serious risks of antibiotics.

So really, it’s no contest. Given a choice, if these two options were equally effective, I will cancel my surgery IMMEDIATELY, and drive straight to my PCP hoping to get a prescription. No contest.

I’ll be back in a couple hours to let you know how it turns out.