Why I Will Never Visit a Walk-in Clinic Again

Until I turned 21, I went to the doctor at least three times a year: the annual check-up and solutions to discomfort were always an appointment away. After all, when you're covered under your father's health insurance plan, it's alright to be frivolous about the common cold. I remember that last visit-one that I was hesitant to make-when my mother told me that I should not take the doctor for granted "because you don't know the next time you'll be able to see one." Five years later, the only things I know about my health are from the mini-check-ups I get when I donate blood, and since everything seemed in order with my iron count, blood pressure and cholesterol, I was content.

At the start of December 2008, a really painful sore throat stopped me in my tracks. From my experience, sore throats last only a day or two, followed by the stuffiness and sinus pressure that accompany the common cold. However, this sore throat lingered for days, and after I lost my voice, I knew it wasn't just an ordinary sore throat. A teacher at one of the schools I substitute at had recommended a clinic called First Med Immediate Medical Services of Queens, and since I didn't have a doctor or the patience to wait in a long line in a medical office, I took the trip to the small clinic.

When I arrived, a medical assistant asked me to fill out some paperwork regarding insurance and the nature of my visit. After a short wait of five minutes, a nurse ushered me into a small room with a curtain and asked me a series of questions relating to my medical history and the symptoms I was experiencing. While taking my blood pressure, she looked at me and asked "Are you SURE you're not on any over-the-counter medications?" When I asked if my blood pressure was high she said "a little high," and left it at that.

The doctor spent even less time with me; he listened to my chest and swiped the back of my throat with a swab to take a culture. After a quick observation of my throat and tonsils, he ruled out strep, but instructed me to call the next afternoon to get the results of the throat culture. He wrote out a prescription for the antibiotic Amoxicilin, but insisted I only fill it if I learn that the results of my throat culture indicate a bacterial infection. He said what I had was most likely "a really bad sore throat" and nothing more.The visit cost me $80.

The following afternoon I called for my results: negative for strep. I already knew this from the doctor, but wanted to know if what I had was viral or bacterial in nature. The nurse told me that they could not tell, but wondered if I had filled the prescription. When I told her I was waiting on the results of the culture, she said that regardless of whether it was bacterial or viral-she was leaning on viral-I should start taking the antibiotics. According to American College of Physicians "Antibiotics should only be prescribed when a test (such as a throat culture) shows that there is a bacterial infection present. ....taking antibiotics when you have a viral infection not only wastes your time and money, but also contributes to increasing antibiotic resistance."

I understand that a lot of patients think that by taking antibiotics they feel like they're getting better, but I've never been led to believe this. After a day or two on Amoxicilin my throat felt a lot better, but I attributed it to the sore throat running it's course and not the pills. I started taking the antibiotics on a Tuesday, and by Thursday I noticed a new symptom appear: uncontrollable coughing from feeling like I had air bubbles in my lungs. Did the antibiotics-most likely wrongfully prescribed- weaken my immune system? After five days with this persistent coughing and bubble feeling in my lungs, I called the clinic to see if my sore throat could have manifested into bronchitis or another related condition. I asked to speak with the doctor, but the medical assistant who answered the phone gave my chart to the same nurse who could not figure out the nature of my infection. She said that they would "love to see me back at the clinic," and that I should come in as soon as possible so the doctor could listen to my chest. When I told her that I had a hard time with the cost of the first visit she said that it was "only $50 for follow-up visits." I made the mistake of asking about the throat culture more than once, to which the nurse replied with a slight attitude "You keep asking the same question." I kept asking the same question because although I received a separate bill for the throat culture, the results were never released to me.

The next time my worries persuade me to-pardon the expression-cough up more money from my uninsured wallet-I'll wait on the long line at the doctor's office. I may have to pay a little more, but I will get the answers I need and the treatment I deserve.