As luck would have it, one of us came down with something that needed medical attention. You'd think it was one of the kids, but, no, it was me. I called the doctor's office and spoke to the nurse and tried to see if there was any way around coming in, but there was not. I knew they were right, so in I went, planning to self-pay. The office staff told me they would discount my price for the visit if I paid in full that day. I was fine with that, although stressed to have to spend that kind of money at all right now...and in disbelief that this would happen in the teeny, tiny 2-week window that I was without medical coverage.
My nurse told me I would have to see a different doctor -- one I had never seen before in all of my years at that practice. I was a bit nervous about it, but she assured me I would love him. She said he was sweet.
He was! I liked him right away. During my time with him, I explained the temporary lack of medical insurance and that I couldn't believe this would happen in this itsy, bitsy 2-week window, and, by the way, can we find a way to keep the prescription cost low? I was actually pretty stressed out about it, and I think the doctor sensed that.
My visit went well. The doctor was fantastic and assured me he would help out. That made me feel a little more relieved. Then he told me the prescription would probably only cost $10, or so. Sweet!
After the visit, I went to the check-out counter to pay, and the clerk said, "Oh, there's no charge today." "Huh?" I said. Then, she said, "Look, he circled 'no charge;' you're all set."
That's when the tears came. I was shocked. I didn't expect that at all. I didn't know what to say or do at that moment. I wanted to go back and say "thank-you," but I figured he was already in with another patient, and the tears might cause a scene. So I walked out to my car bawling and decided I would send a heart-felt thank you note, instead.
Why was I so moved by this? What that doctor did was about more than money. It was about taking care of patients – the whole patient, not just the symptoms. He took one component of my stress right out of the picture. He made it disappear. And by doing that, he helped my outlook on the other stressful parts of my life.
That experience has left a very big impression on me. It filled my heart with joy, hope, gratitude and motivation to pay it forward. Amazing.
This is a great post Tina. I hope your health is on the upswing now and that the doctor has a wonderful week.
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