Most Expensive Sinusitis Ever

I am 30 weeks pregnant, and high-risk pregnant at that. I don't want to be, just am. It seems like I deal with the same major recurring issue 24/7 and every week some other 'complication' crops up just so my irritable uterus doesn't get all the attention. This week's medical drama luckily ended as a comedy. 

Tuesday, March 8, I called the nurse because I have a terrible headache and generally feel crappy so I took my blood pressure at work and it was 139/88. I had pre-eclampsia with my daughter. I also normally have low blood pressure and this reading (even if off by a few points because parents don't know how to keep their unruly kids off the blood pressure machine at the pharmacy) is well over the 30 points above my normal systolic and over 15 points above my normal diastolic pressure. Not only that, that was about what my bp readings when I presented with proteinurea and low platelet counts with Jaden. "I'm not worried because your bp is not over 140/90. Take Tylenol, drink water and lie down, and if you experience any symptoms of pre-eclampsia, call." Is that not what I was doing? I follow the directions and nothing changes, but I don't exactly feel encouraged to call either.

Monday, March 14, I call again because the headache is still raging on. I am beginning to think that it's a migraine, and I happen to have leftover butalbital/apap/caf from a migraine I had in August. Instead of giving me permission to take it and call if nothing changes, the nurse takes this more seriously, "Do not take anything else. You need to be evaluated. I can get you in if you come right now." Well, okay, then, if you say so. My bp by now has dropped to 120/80 after a week of being in bed when not at work, still slightly elevated for me but much better than last week. Dr. GentleNCalm agrees that it looks like, sounds like a migraine so it must be a migraine and e-scribes rx for butalbital/apap/caf. He says he is not worried about pre-eclampsia, the nurse did not upload the urine dipstick results to my e-chart yet (I don't think she actually tested the sample I am required to leave at every visit), and believes this will kick the headache I take the max dosage for the next couple of days and no relief. 

Wednesday, I call again because migraines respond to migraine medicine and otther types of headaches do not respond to migraine medicine. Dr. GentleNCalm via the nurse tells me to go to L&D to get stronger medicine and for them to run tests to determine the source of the headache because he no longer is convinced that is a migraine. I arrive, they give me 2 doses of Stadol, never draw blood, or anything other than drug me up. I appreciate the pain relief, but I would rather treat the source to ensure it does not return. Dr. GentleNCalm says it was after all just a migraine and discharges me. As I get dressed in the little bathroom in my room, I notice the urine sample they told me to give is still sitting on the shelf. They never did anything with it.

Thursday, I wake up and the headache is back with a vengeance. I call the nurse to tell her I am going to continue the butalbital/apap/caf because I still have that damn headache, and she says she will call me later. Nurse does eventually call back saying they are working on a referral to a neurologist and Dr. GentleNCalm wants me to go to the ER for an MRI/CATScan. In short, the CATScan revealed that the pregnant lady without any upper respiratory symptoms or fever (my body never has, weird), only a headache, has sinusitis. I do get out of another expensive referral, right?!?

20% of sick visit + 20% of L&D visit + 20% of ER visit + 20% of radiology services = MOST EXPENSIVE SINUSITIS EVER