When the going gets tough...

I had a less than spectacular 2008 thus far and things may just start looking up.  Aside from my second placement not being everything I'd hoped it would be, I've been sick nearly all semester.  I finally broke down and went to student health a couple weeks ago and got some meds.  It turns out that I've developed an allergic reaction that drug and have a nice rash on my face, neck, and chest.  Luckily the medication didn't agree with my stomach so I only ingested half the dose as I threw up the other half with my breakfast each morning upon my arrival to school.  Had I taken all of it, it's hard to say what might be happening to me now...  Anyway, the rash had only been on my neck and chest and I was dealing with that, but when it moved to my face I got kinda worried and seeing that I'm feeling pretty crappy again, I decided it was time to see a real doctor.  I broke down and went (without insurance) to urgent care.  This is where the story starts looking up.  The doctor that ends up seeing me happens to be the father of one of my students and he must've felt sorry for me and the horrible rash on my face and decided to give me the long-needed break I've been looking for.  He figures out that I've been fighting the same bacterial infection for the past 18 months and gives me free samples of the $220 dose of antibiotic to fix it, plus additional samples of decongestants for my symptoms.  I ended up only having to go to the pharmacy with a $4 prescription for steroids for the allergic reaction.  That's not counting the office visit charge, but when I get to walk out with over $200 worth of drugs for nothing and the hopes that I might finally be un-sick for a month, a $100 charge for the visit is acceptable.  I guess for once I happened to be in the right place at the right time, poor and uninsured.