Well hereās a fun life update.
Two days ago I started coughing pretty badly and developed a fever. It hurt to breathe. So I assumed it was just a regular chest cold. After reading about the corona virus symptoms, though, I decided I should probably get tested.
I called doctors in Arkansas all morning and was told the same thing: none of them do testing. I called the Arkansas health department and was told that they have a back log of 20,000+ calls and theyād get back to me within 5-7 business days.
Then this afternoon I got a phone call from someone at the Arkansas Department of Health. I guess enough doctor offices where I had called reported me that it flagged me or something. Not sure exactly how that works. The woman said I needed to go get tested. The ONLY place in Arkansas that does testing is the ER. I said I couldnāt afford the ER. She said it wasnāt a normal ER visit, Iād be going to the infectious disease center to have it done and not to worry.
So I get to the ER and I call ahead like Iām supposed to. Next thing I know I have a nurse in this blue hazmat suit come out and meet me. I have to put on a mask and they have me take off my clothes before the rest of the team in blue hazmat suits comes in.
I ask if I can leave, informing them that I really cannot afford this (my insurance only covers ER visits if Iām admitted), and Iām told that due to the state of emergency I canāt leave until I test negative. Idk whether or not thatās true but I didnāt want to fight it.
They take 8 vials of blood, do a nose swab, and take a chest x-ray. Another team comes in and asks pretty intense questioning about everywhere Iāve been and every person Iāve interacted with in the past 2 weeks. They also hooked me up to some IV bags, and idk what was in those bags, but they made me feel a lot better!
A few hours later I test positive for Influenza A. Since I tested positive for that, Iām ineligible for Corona virus testing. My doctor (who was the best ER doc Iāve ever seen) admits that that makes him uncomfortable. He says that according to the data, less than 5% of ppl who have corona also have something like the flu. He says that that data is not reliable, since theyāre not testing people who have both. He said thereās only 30 Corona testing kits in the ENTIRE STATE and theyāre using them only for their āworst cases.ā He said he really didnāt have a choice but to discharge me. So he gave me some meds (which have codeine and are making me super sick) and sent me on my way. Ironically, the medical team all had to wear their hazmat suits to do my discharge paperwork and bring me out the back entrance. Definitely didnāt make me feel great about my diagnosis.
I feel really, really crumby. Iām mad that I just wasted a whole day in the ER and Iām super scared for this medical bill that includes not only the ER visit but all the medical testing š