Orthopaedic Alerts - Implant Recall

I’ve heard the commercial on the radio about a hundred times: “At Centra Care, it’s all about you.” Until recently, I had not had the chance to verify that claim — although I had my doubts about any medical facility making it “all about the patient.”

Centra Care is a network of urgent care clinics spread across metro Orlando. The clinics are run by Florida Hospital.

After spending all day Saturday horizontal on the couch, I decided I needed to see a doctor. I know you’re not supposed to run to the doctor every time you sneeze or blow your nose, but Saturday was Day 5 of not feeling well.

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, all I had was a sore throat. Friday, I actually felt better, as my sinuses began to drain. But Saturday, I felt much worse. I did some online research that night and “confirmed” I definitely had a sinus infection.

The bad news, however, was that the sites I looked at all showed a high percentage of sinus infections are viral — which meant no antibiotics for me. I also read that viral sinus infections can turn into bacterial.

Since I am planning to jump on a plane this week, I figured my sinuses — and the passengers on the plane — would appreciate my visiting a doctor.

Off to the Doctor

I walked into Centra Care at 11:03 a.m. Sunday. I noticed about five people waiting. I was greeted by a nice employee, who asked for my ID and insurance card. Then I was directed to a nearby computer to register. (Genius idea, by the way.)

Not only did they have hot tea available for free in the waiting room, but they also had a selection of beverages and chips for sale. I’m sure I shouldn’t get excited about hot tea and $1.50 chips, but I was! Snacks in the waiting room? Now that’s a type of health care reform I can really support.

I noticed a kids’ area nearby, as well as a TV to occupy what I expected to be a long wait. I was busy texting my sister and mom when a nurse named Linda called my name less than 15 minutes later. I almost dropped my phone in surprise.

She took my weight, which was down a couple of pounds after living on orange juice for a while, as well as my blood pressure, temperature and heart rate. My blood pressure was high, and I tried to explain that I had not been feeling well. She said as long as my primary care doctor was monitoring it (she is), it was OK.

The nurse asked me a few questions about what symptoms I had (congestion, headache, drainage) and how long I had had them.

When Linda took me to a room, I expected a long wait. I figured they must just have a lot of rooms, and I would just need to wait my turn. Nope. Linda was back in a couple of minutes with a nice, long Q tip-type thing to test me for the flu. “This goes up your nose,” she warned me. Thankfully, it was quick – and negative. (I got my flu shot last month, but I know you can still get the flu.)

A Real Diagnosis

Again, I expected to wait a while for the doctor — and pulled out my cellphone for more texting. I updated my sister before noticing the sign that clearly stated cellphone use was not permitted. Before I could slip my phone back into my purse, the doctor came in!

I went over my symptoms again, and he listened to my lungs and looked down my throat. Before I could say anything, he said, “Yep, it’s a sinus infection.” He said he could see the drainage down the back of my throat. (Gross!)

I explained that I was getting on a plane soon, and didn’t want to take the risk of flying with an active sinus infection. I told him I knew that sinus infections are typically viral — at which point he interrupted me. “Actually, a large percentage of them are bacteria,” he said. Who knew? I guess it does help to have a real doctor make a diagnosis.

I started to ask for antibiotics, and again, he interrupted me to say, “I recommend 12-hour Sudafed, and I’m also going to give you antibiotics on top of that.” (Jen = happy!)

I was grateful he did not give me Zithromax, which we have written about here at Drugwatch. (The FDA warns the drug carries heart-related risks.)

Over and Out

Linda came back into the room a few minutes later and asked, “Would you like to get the antibiotic here for $10 or at the pharmacy?” (I was shocked that urgent care clinics stock antibiotics. What a revolutionary idea!) I told her $10 sounded great. (I later learned I could have filled the script for free at the local grocery store, but oh well.)

Not two minutes later, Linda came back with an iPad in hand. She asked me to complete a quick survey on the service I had received. Needless to say, I gave them 5’s on all of the questions.

I paid my copay, $10 for the antibiotic, plus $1.50 for chips so I could take my antibiotic right away.

On my way out, I told the staff that this was my best medical visit ever.

Time of departure: 11:59 a.m.

My only issue with my Centra Care visit was that I couldn’t make a reservation on their mobile site from my Android smartphone, and I didn’t want to bother with downloading the app.