America, I don't get it: Sickness

I was starting to get used to living in America, until I got sick. If you get sick here, then automatically you have the flu. It is the flu season, so no one will put in the extra effort to see if it is something else. Even if you try to convince the doctor that in the past when you got the flu, you always had a runny nose, and this time your chest hurts. Nope, still get the flu medications because we are not going to give you that antibiotic unless you are in pain for a week first. Also, we can run a flu test for you that of course the cost will be paid out of your pocket and your health insurance is just useless. The test won't benefit you with anything other than confirming that we are wrong, and we still won't give you the antibiotic.

Everyone's first reaction is that you should go home quickly, so that you don't contaminate anyone, oh and also to get better but that is not as important. Just go home so you don't spread the flu that you don't have.

Apparently, telling your doctor that you have fever is not strong enough of a proof. You needed to have screenshots of your thermometer readings or something. 'I can't know for sure that you have a fever just because you say so, I need a proof'.

I am not mad. I am not mad that my doctor didn't believe or even hear anything from what I said about how I was feeling. I am not mad for getting treated wrong for a week, or for having to go back to the medical center three times for them to finally be convinced that I actually needed an antibiotic. I am just mad at the $50 that gets deducted from my paycheque every month for the health insurance.