Finally bit the bullet and went to urgent care

I had quite the list of chores to take care of today on my first day off of the week.  Generally not very exciting, but I try to devote one day each week to chores so I have a full two days to visit things in the area.  I got a jump on chore day by doing my laundry last night after an uneventful nine and a half hours running the Pea Island VC.  So tonight’s post is about the not so exciting times in the life of a fulltimer. 

First up was getting that box of books sent off to my grandgirls.  While at the Manns Harbor post office, I also sent off a postcard to fellow blogger, Sherry, in Florida.  Next was stopping at the Lost Colony box office to buy some tickets for Thursday night’s performance.  You can bet I’ll be posting about that later this week.

Then I hopped across the street to the Gateway VC to check on my mail.  Of course, no one had gone to the post office to get the mail so I volunteered and made a trip into downtown Manteo and back to get the refuge mail.  Grr.  Driving back through Manteo again, I stopped at the Ford dealer to get an appointment for next week for a oil change and check-up on the toad.  A couple of blocks later was a stop at a fresh produce market to get some tomatoes, peaches, and lemons.

Across the sound into Nags Head, I stopped to make an appointment for an eye exam for next week at a recommended eye doctor.  It’s been three years since my last exam, and I think I’m needing a new prescription.  A short way up US 64, I pulled into the Urgent Care facility to make an appointment. 

This hip issue has been going on for several months now, and I decided it was time to have it looked into.  There are days when I can barely walk at all.  It’s been quite some time since I’ve been able to take Emma on a decent walk.  Of course, my mind was conjuring up all kinds of horrible possibilities, and couple that with my reluctance to seek medical help, I really had to talk myself into making this appointment.  It turned out the earliest appointment would be August 24th, so I bit the bullet and waited in line as a walk in patient.  Sitting and waiting for a doctor to finally talk to you is one of my least favorite things to do.

He ordered an x-ray, which thankfully could be done a few minutes later at the facility, and promptly came back to tell me the results.  It’s severe arthritis of the hip.  I asked if this would result in a hip replacement, and he recommended a medication to take before seeing an Orthopedist.  He cautioned me to give it a little time to work.  If it does work, I’ve bought myself some additional time, but eventually a new hip may be in my future.  I sure hope the meds work.  This pain has really been messing up the quality of my day to day living.

I drove another five miles down the road to get the prescription filled, and nearly passed out at the cost of this generic drug.  This was my first medical experience since qualifying for Medicare, and I do have a prescription drug policy, but there is a yearly out of pocket expense (even with the discount) that I must meet before prescriptions will only be $4 each.  I can tell you that I’m well on my way to meeting that deductible.

To add to the day’s frustration, my debit card was denied at Walgreen’s and at the grocery store that I stopped at on the way back to the rig.  When I got home, I got a call from the Wells Fargo fraud department.  Yep, they blocked both payments.  I guess I’m glad they’re on their toes since I recently had to replace my card because of those escort services in England that were charged to it, but I could have lived without their diligence today.

As the sun sets, I’m glad my long day of chores is over with.  Here’s to modern medicine, and to hopefully being able to kick up my heels in the very near future. 

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy