Am I $100 sick?

Wednesday evening a week ago we were driving in the car, an hour and a half, to my in-laws when I felt something starting.  That achy, heavy headed feeling that just screams: "Hello! You're getting sick! You can look forward to feeling like garbage tomorrow!"   We were dropping the kids off  for a sleepover (perfect timing!) so I knew I'd be able to sleep in the next day. 


I took Emergen-C as soon as we got home but that only helps sometimes.  I think I got whatever virus my kids had each previously hosted.  Fever, achy, coughing, coughing, and oh did I mention the coughing? Flu, I guessed, although I'm still fighting the coughing a week later so maybe Bronchitis?  I can feel stuff rattling around in my lung/chest area. 


I didn't go to the Doctor so who knows what it really was. This is the life of the high-deductible health insurance person.  My parents live the same exciting life.  See every time we get sick, the game is called "Am I $80-$100 sick?"  Because that's how much I'm going to pay out of pocket to see said Dr. whether I have a virus which they can do nothing about, OR something bacterial in which case they can give me (more money out of my pocket) anti-biotics.

Now, either way I get to pay the Doctor bill because they did spend a whole 10 minutes with me; but I do feel like the winner if indeed it's not just a cold.  I then feel justified when the bill comes in the mail and Jason makes his inevitable "stupid doctor bill!" comment and groans.  Sure, we have the money to pay it, and he'll let it go after an hour or two since it's inevitable; but I feel better when I can say: "Oh, but I had Strep throat so  it's good that I went and got medicine too or it could have turned into Scarlett Fever and I may have died."  See how that works there? I was $100 sick, so I won.


This is why I usually wait at least a week  to see how we are feeling.  I figure if you haven't gotten any better by then, well there's probably something really wrong with you. So far this plan has worked ok, with the exception of Strep which we do call sooner because that's no joke. I hate that "rocks-in-your-throat" feeling. Luckily we've finally got the kids on great health insurance, but the same instinct to wait it out still took me over.  We never did go.  


I can't wait until technology has progressed to us just licking a tester at home and a display reading out "cold", or "flu", or "strep".  That will save me lots of time. For now I'm just excited to almost be done hacking up my lungs; I hate sleeping propped up and the noise is driving us crazy.