Dear Diary -
I was finally able to make it into the doctor's office today. He's been running a 1/2 off sale on physicals, so getting my sore knee a check-up has been a bit of a wait.
But, he finally squeezed me in today. Bad news, it seems...the sore knee is actually ligament damage. Surgery is recommended, but the price is astronomical! The $75 check-up wasn't too bad, but surgery will cost me $5,000! :-(
So, I walked around (gingerly, I might add) to find a good deal. A friend of mine suggested Dr. Janitous, who offered the surgery for just $4,250. I tried to haggle her down to 4K even, but she said she wasn't making much on the deal on account that it's the "dead" season.
As I was walking out of the office, by some twist of fate, I saw a Pennysaver advertising knee surgeries for $3,000 to $3,500 down in Englewood. I grabbed the address and headed south.
The clinic was a bit of a mess. The receptionist didn't greet me because she didn't speak English. (The doctor later told me it was to keep costs down.) I filled out an application, and the doctor came and gave me a quick consultation. I told him what had happened to my knee (football injury), and he said he could do the surgery for 3K, but under a few conditions:
- I wasn't able to afford any anasthesia
- If the surgery reached the hour mark, he'd have to cut it short
- I had to sign a liability waiver where I assumed all risks
What can I do? I only have $2,000 in my savings account, and I'll have to throw this on my credit card. (I work in construction, and I'm running out of vacation time.) I'll have to go with this guy.
I did check his accreditation...it's some small school in Iowa. I think it's real. Jimmy Jones' College of Medicine has to be respectable, right? All in all, I think it's a good deal.
Man, I shoulda taken Computer Science.