Never Scrimp on Health Care

Just recently, I had a very bad cough.  It was dry and the phlegm was very stubborn.  Practical person that I am, I decided to self medicate with an OTC mucolytic.  Mistake #1, instead of the usual medicine our pedia/family doctor would prescribe, I bought the one on sale.  So after 2 days with no improvement in my condition, hubby insisted that I visit the doctor.  We mutually decided to visit a different ENT, since the last one collected a somewhat hefty fee for a 5 minute consultation.  So we shopped from the hospital’s information desk and found a doctor that charged a more reasonable rate.  This was mistake #2.  Doctor X diagnosed my cough as allergic rhinitis and prescribed a whole gamut of medicines.  I bought all the meds on her Rx.  However, after 2 nights with no improvement, hubby brought me to the more expensive ENT for a second opinion.  He gave the same diagnosis, but now reduced my meds from 5 kinds to 3.  Good thing, hubby thought of exchanging the old meds for the new ones just prescribed.  That saved a lot.  So from here, you can compute that by trying to “save” on health care, we’ve even ended up spending almost double on the wrong meds, and wrong doctor. 

But the battle with my cough was not yet over. I was still coughing a lot, especially at night.  There was little improvement.  Nonetheless, I still say Doctor #2 was better than the first one.  No matter how small, at least the medicines on his list brought some form of relief.  This time our pedia/family doctor suggested that I see a pulmo.  We didn’t want to take chances on our medical practitioner this time so  hubby checked with friends/family for recommendations.  We finally decided on one, and yes his services weren’t cheap, but I’d say he’s very thorough indeed.  Haha, this time my Rx list was for 8 different drugs.  Hello hello pharmacy, I’d like to exchange some more meds.  By now we’ve almost spent 5 digits on this stubborn rhinitis, sinusitis and bronchitis illness.  Argh.

I remember what happened to hubby the last time he also had a terrible allergy.  He first consulted a friend who’d usually give his services free.  Unfortunately, his prescription didn’t work.  Thank goodness for health cards, he was able to visit other practitioners free of charge.  The second doctor’s diagnosis didn’t work either, but at least we didn’t have to pay for that consultation.  He was quite impressed with the systematic approach of the third one.  This time the meds prescribed were effective and eventually corrected his condition. 

So bottom line, my take home from all these would be, don’t scrimp and gamble on your health.   Health is wealth, don’t experiment on doctors and medicines.  You’ll definitely end up spending more through trial and error.  By seeing the right doctor, you save not just money but also an even more valuable asset, time.  Make your med expenses lighter on the pocket through other means, like maybe by using a health card, claiming SSS/ Philhealth benefits, insurance, or maybe even just simply availing of 0% installment terms on a  credit card.  Also do make sure that you keep your receipts, most pharmacies would allow you to exchange your medicine within 48 – 72 hours.

That’s it for now everyone.  Take care and stay healthy J