Eight Hour Day

OK, so maybe that’s a slight exaggeration…but I have to say at times, it did feel like that. Two days after getting to Seattle, I started having ear problems. Pain, fullness, itching, you name it. There were countless trips to walk-in and Urgent Care clinics, doctors and ear, nose and throat specialists, one right after the other.

Sadly, the problem didn’t get any better in Portland. We suspected that it was crazy allergies giving me all the problems. Something in the Northwest does not like me.

Strangely enough, I should have known. The same thing happened to me the one and only other time we were in Seattle. We went there when we were first dating and my ears completely closed up. During that trip, we ended up driving up to Whistler—and by the time I got to the top of the mountain, I couldn’t even hear our waitress try to take my order.

This time it was much worse. The fact that I’m older now, we were there for longer, and it was more of the rainy season were probably all factors, I’m sure.

So we ran.

We ended up leaving Portland earlier than expected, hightailing it to some place drier and outside the Northwest. Originally we were thinking about Reno—just because we thought it could be fun, in a strange sort of way—but then a snowstorm hit. Chains were mandatory on cars, we didn’t have any, and we didn’t want to buy them. So, we opted for Sacramento.

Once we got there, my symptoms started to improve within days, and we knew we made the right choice. We also got a great deal on a cute hotel downtown (which I’ll post on later), perfect for a little holiday hideaway. I believe I’m on the up and up, finally. Just crossing my fingers to make sure it sticks.

So here’s some advice: if you do decide to travel like this, make sure you have health insurance. Seriously. Even if you aren’t traveling, you should have health insurance. I am a strong advocate for this, especially after my healthy, 30-miles-a-day bike fanatic husband almost died because of a heart defect. The bill for his care at that time (three years ago) would have been over $70,000 without insurance. It’s expensive, but it’s necessary. And you just never know.

Also, make sure that you know how you’re covered when you travel. I was lucky enough to have a great plan that’s part of an extended national network, so I was able to see doctors who were in-network in a bunch of different cities. It took a little bit more effort to locate them, but it was worth it.

As far as prescriptions go, we filled a lot of ours at Target pharmacies. We were already using Target in Minneapolis, and I have to say, they have been great for filling prescriptions on the road. Once you’re in their system, all their stores have your info—plus, when we were comparing the number of locations to CVS and Walgreens, Target was a winner there as well. Maybe the only problem is that a lot of their stores are located out in the suburbs, which could be a problem if you don’t have a car.

Here’s to being healthy!

Katie | December 6th, 2010 | Comments (6) | Tweet | Misc., One Year, Portland, Seattle