Unsung Heroes

The flu season has hit us hard in this corner of the world. Everyone knows someone who has been laid low by the coughing, sneezing, stuffy head and fever that announces "Hey, You have the flu!". I have so far (knock on wood) remained unscathed by this soon to be epidemic. My germophobic tendencies have kicked into high gear and I dread even a quick trip to WalMart.
Reports on the radio during my drive to work this morning spoke of hospitals restricting visitation and clinics overrun with people looking for relief from their symptoms. I stopped at a nearby convenience store on my way to the office to pick up some coffee and the lady at the counter was preaching a sermon to an unsuspecting customer about how this is a conspiracy with the health insurance companies. They want you to get a flu shot, which really is useless and then you have to pay more money for a doctor's visit and prescriptions. She also said that an employee had taken her young child to a walk-in clinic and everyone there was masked.
Now, I know that there has been lots of hype in the media about H1N1. They love to create panic and watch us run around like chickens with our heads cut off. However, I do know that for some people, the flu is serious business, not merely an inconvenience to be endured.
I have several friends who work in the health care field and this flu season has been tough on them. They deal with people who feel terrible who just want to get in and out of the clinic and pharmacy as quickly as possible. People can turn ugly pretty quickly when they are told that yes, there will be at least an hours' wait to see the doctor. After waiting two hours to see a physician, they really, really don't want to hear that their prescription will take 20 minutes to fill. If you ask them for their insurance card, you're likely to see a meltdown. Compound this if the patient is a child. The poor parents who haven't slept in two days have less patience than a two year old waiting for Christmas. You can't blame them. You can even sympathize with them. The situation is what you might call a perfect storm. The conditions are just right for bad things to happen.
It's tough to get an appointment with any doc, much less your primary caregiver. Don't argue with the scheduler. They can't schedule appointments when they are all full.
Walk-in clinics are flooded with flu cases along with their usual combo of aches, pains, headaches, etc. The staff at these clinics are open to abuses of many kinds as they ask people to mask if they are coughing, pay their copay and wait until they can be seen. And they are trying to keep from catching the very bugs that present themselves at their counter in droves! Most clinics have policy that they will see everyone who is registered by closing time. Talk about some serious overtime.
Pharmacy employees are trying to get their customers in and out as quickly as possible. However, filling a prescription takes time. Check allergies, check insurance, make sure that the script is filled accurately. A stop at the cash register. A complaint as to the cost of the medicine, which they have no control over. Next please.
There are so many people in our community that are working hard to see us through this flu season. Please be kind to them. A smile will go a long way to making their day a little easier. I know how grumpy you can get when you have to leave your bed to make a trip to the clinic with a fever of 100 degrees. So do the people in the trenches. They want you to be at home in bed as much as you do!