I don't know why I bother to check my mail. It is incessantly depressing. Today I got a double whammy. No one knows but I became pretty sick back there for a couple of weeks. I actually knew what was wrong, an abcessed tooth (one which has an infection growing at the root, thus requiring a root canal). I didn't do anything about it however. Just took some Motrin IB for the pain at nights so I could sleep. I knew I would have to see a dentist eventually but I was too busy at work to get some time off. Then on my second week, the pain got to be too much. I knew going into the weekend I would need to see the dentist first thing on Monday. So I thought to myself, 'One more weekend, then I'll be on antibiotics and the pressure will go away.' Can you tell I've done this before? :) Anyway, Sunday rolls around and I can't take it anymore. I'm in so much pain I basically started shaking and was starting to feel feverish. Before I lost all my motor skills, I drove to the ER and saw a doctor. I was running a fever of 105 and my blood pressure was elevated, due to the fever I was told. In any case, the doctor saw me and said the infection had grown so out of control (by me putting it off), that it was now endangering blood vessels which supply blood flow to the brain. The doctor and nurses told me they were pretty concerned about it since it was so close to the brain, and immediately put me on Pen VK (Penicillin) and a great Pain-Killer. I couldn't take than until I got home cause they said within a half an hour I'd be out. I was. Totally dead to the world.

Why did I tell you all this? Well, here come the good part....I got billed from the Hospital ER. I knew I would. I didn't have insurance so when I got that bill I wasn't surprised and paid it. Then today, I got another bill from some Medical Associates Group. This one almost equaled that of the ER bill. I was like, 'wait a minute, I already paid $150, what gives?!?'. So I called the up and found out this is the actual Physician's Bill. The other was for the ER. The doctor saw me for like 5 minutes. That was it! The rest were admitting nurses or discharging staff at the ER. How come he gets $120 bucks, and the other five people who I saw get to share $150? I realize he is a doctor and all but Sheesh! Health Care is such a rip off.