It’s now officially been a week of being sick. It’s been over a week of Pookster being sick, but the good news is that she’s on the mend, while I’m still hacking up phlegm. I contacted my OB-GYN to get a gastroenterologist referral (my primary care doctor has stopped accepting any insurance – how fun!), and the earliest appointment they had available was for next Thursday, so I made the appointment. I hope they will be able to shed some light on what I’ve been experiencing with coughing fits and endless mucus during every cold for the last six years.

It’s annoying to think about how I’ve brought this up to nearly every doctor (okay, not the OB-GYNs, but all the other primary care doctors I’ve spoken with), and not ONE of them has ever suggested I go see a specialist about this problem. Every single one of them has brushed this off, saying that different people have different reactions to different viruses. That’s always helpful and enlightening, isn’t it? It’s not supposed to be normal. But I guess that goes to show that you really need to advocate for yourself when you think something is wrong. Doctors aren’t incentivized to really help you, sadly. They’re just incentivized to get paid for your visit.