cookie pot (ages 3+) ([info]duchess_of_pie) wrote in [info]los_angeles,
@ 2007-12-31 06:02:00
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clinics?
i'm sorry, i've been back a ways in the entries, and i'll continue to search, but i'm a bit desperate. i'm new to L.A....and i'm new to strep throat.

could any of you fine angelenos point me to a clinic? i don't have any insurance at the moment, so i'm obviously looking for something charitable. i live near k-town, but i am willing to travel within the city.

thank you, so much. (oh god, it hurts.)

edit: i called the la free clinic line and it told me to press 2 to make an appointment...but that just kicked me to the dental office which is 1)of no help to me and 2) closed.

does anyone know if the free clinic is closed for the holiday? they don't mention that on their answering service.

does anyone have an alternative number for them so i can talk to someone directly???? thanks.

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[info]chuckvideo
2007-12-31 03:21 pm UTC (link)
There is a clinic in Glendale, on Glendale Ave., but I've forgotten the name. I'll try to look it up and post it here when I find it. It's inexpensive and the staff is good.

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Verdugo Hills Medical Services
[info]wendye
2008-01-01 12:11 am UTC (link)
I've been there for a sinus infection without insurance and it wasn't cheap - I paid about $300 for diagnosis and antibiotics (no generic samples available).
The staff, however, is friendly and efficient.
http://www.vhma.com/

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Re: Verdugo Hills Medical Services
[info]chuckvideo
2008-01-01 12:54 am UTC (link)
Yes, that was the place I was thinking of.

(Reply to this) (Parent)
Re: Verdugo Hills Medical Services
[info]duchess_of_pie
2008-01-02 09:23 pm UTC (link)
still, that's something. thank you so much!!!

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[info]otana
2007-12-31 07:46 pm UTC (link)
There's the Venice Family Clinic, but unfortunately you have to wait a bit after registering before you can get an appointment. It might be worth registering though so that it's there in the future.

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[info]chainsawprom
2007-12-31 09:00 pm UTC (link)
I would go to a low cost urgent care center or the E.R. if I were you. Strep is nasty business so you should start a round of antibiotics right away. They are required to treat you at the E.R. regardless of your ability to pay. You'll leave with a hospital bill and can make payments over time to cover the expense.

Whatever you do, avoid Good Samaritan Hospital. The E.R. is a nightmare. Try Cedars Sinai.

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[info]duchess_of_pie
2008-01-02 09:31 pm UTC (link)
i agree with good samaritan. before i moved here i had to go to an ER and they were closest in my then-insurance network. man. that place is slightly better than death. the doctors were nice, but the facilities were awful.

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[info]pluiecoureur
2007-12-31 10:26 pm UTC (link)
there are no 'low-cost urgent care centers' in the big hospital EDs ... there's no low-cost about them unless you have insurance. or unless it's a county hospital, like USC big county or harbor-ucla. i'd stay away from the private hospitals (cedars, kaiser, little company, e.g.) if you don't want to get slapped with a big bill ... try one of the county hospital urgent care centers. they're pay-as-able and (harbor-ucla comes to mind) if you pay within like a week, the total ER/urgent care cost is only (ha!) $100. and they can also hook you up with a list of community health clinics that take non insured patients on a pay-as-able sliding scale kind of arrangement.

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[info]duchess_of_pie
2008-01-02 09:29 pm UTC (link)
that's really great. thanks for the cost estimate, that makes me a lot less skittish about just going in.

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[info]riotcitypunx999
2007-12-31 11:51 pm UTC (link)
i agree with pluiecoureur. i've been to LAC-USC and was treated very well. good luck and take care.

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[info]duchess_of_pie
2008-01-02 09:28 pm UTC (link)
that's really good to know.

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[info]sweetjezebel
2008-01-01 10:48 am UTC (link)
I don't know anything about free clinics (I apologize) but I did once have strep for 6 months! I nearly died from it and couldn't eat or anything. But want to know what finally cured me I believe? It sounds wacky but try it. It's called GRAPE SEED EXTRACT PILLS. You can surely find them at any health food store. They rock. You can also get grape seed extract from 100% juice at the supermarket but it's not as concentrated. Anyway, give it a try. Also take Advil or Motrin to bring the swelling down, that helps. And Halls Fruit Breezers for some reason ease the pain a bit.

Get well soon!

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[info]duchess_of_pie
2008-01-02 09:28 pm UTC (link)
wow!!!! i LOVE herbal remedies!!! you are really really wonderful. angel, superhero, rock'n'roll star...you choose the title, it's YOURS!!!!

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[info]sweetjezebel
2008-01-02 09:59 pm UTC (link)
Awe, what a sweet reply! Well, I hope it works for you though! I really did for me. I think I even said before I keep the Langers 100% juice with grape seed extract in my fridge and I feel it does more for me daily than most any other supplement I take. Go to a health food store and get professional info on it. Hope you're feeling better! :)

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(Anonymous)
2008-01-03 02:44 pm UTC (link)
I'm sorry you're sick.

I am a nurse who regularly works with low-income/no-income/homeless/uninsured people.

Go to the H. Claude Hudson Comprehensive Health Center. And bring a book, since the wait can be very long; I'm talking anywhere from 1-8 hours depending on how busy it is. Do NOT bring your laptop (duh) unless you want it stolen.

Here is the address and phone #:

2829 S Grand Ave
(213) 744-3945

Also, beware of self-diagnosing. If you're "new to strep," how can you say it's strep, then? Only a throat culture conducted by professionals can tell you that. "Strep" isn't some sore throat; it's a bacteria that can infect your whole body and cause a high fever and sometimes lead to more serious symptoms.

DO NOT attempt to treat something you don't even know you have; you can only make it worse. Treat the symptoms to make yourself more comfortable (Ibuprofen for the soreness or any other OTC med that will help you sleep or swallow) but do NOT go around making your own diagnosis. Please. I'm sorry, but as a hardworking RN, it really pisses me off when I hear people pretending to know how to practice medicine on themselves and tossing around terms like "strep" like they actually took their own throat culture and looked at the results under a scope.

Go to Claude Hudson, get cultured, and take it from there. Only a doctor or nurse practitioner can determine if you have "strep" and how to treat it effectively.

Over and out.

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[info]duchess_of_pie
2008-01-03 04:05 pm UTC (link)
i appreciate the help. i meant no offense, and i meant no self-diagnosing. "i'm new to strep" only means that i know nothing about it and i'm afraid of getting it. i don't "self-diagnose," because i know health practitioners get all huffy when you do that.

case in point.

sorry to say, but that's the reason i'm not so keen on clinics...it seems like health care workers care more and more these days about their lecture tactics than remembering that sick people are hurting and scared and would like a little compassion. not all. but some.

and then there are those who are willing to spend their free time typing out a bit of information that equals big help to those that reach out on the internet. thank you.

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(Anonymous)
2008-01-03 07:29 pm UTC (link)
I hear ya, babe.

But if you worked in the biz and had to deal with patient after patient after patient who comes in thinking they know exactly what their diagnosis is, and has only made their condition worse by trying to treat it themselves, (when they could have prevented it anyway) you'd do a lot of lecturing too.

The internet, awesome as it is, has done more to DISEMPOWER health care consumers under the clever (marketing) guise of empowering them, and it's nurses and clinic staff who have to spend long days dealing with the fallout.

I'm not saying that's you, but trust me, when we lecture and bitch people out, that IS compassion. "Providing education" is 90% of nursing practice.

That being said, I sincerely hope you get some quality help and start feeling better. Stay away from citrus juices and dairy products, since they are both mucus-producing, rest a LOT, drink at least 3 liters of clear liquids a day, and wash those hands. *kiss*

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[info]duchess_of_pie
2008-01-03 08:11 pm UTC (link)
i totally understand that. i've been around the internet enough to know that there are so many contradictory sites and shams and misinformation that one cannot replace several years of medical training and lab results with 20 minutes of web surfing.

and i know there are so many who try to. so i understand the guff.

thanks for the advice, again. you are an angel. *^_^*

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