eye yi yi

So, as a 35 year veteran of type 1 diabetes, I see a retina specialist every year or so to make sure my eyes are ok - i have had LOTS and lots of trouble with them (on the inside - nothing you can see by looking), so i had my annual checkup scheduled for next week. Monday morning I wake up and my lower eyelid is tender to the touch - not like a sty or pink eye, but like something BIT me. it is a little red, but no biggie, but tuesday night it is a lot redder and by wed morning it looks like I have been punched it is so swollen.

I go to the walgreens minute clinic thinking, yeah i have a sty or pink eye from the rug rats on sunday, easy enough- give me some drops and ba da boom...but the nurse practionner hears about the past truama and she doesn't want to touch me - she refers me to an opthamologist and fortunately she doesn't charge me for that...So off I go to the opthamologist. I wait for 30 minutes in the waiting room, then they test my glasses and my vision and do a refraction and then they put dilating drops in...what a minute, i say, this sore red thing is on the OUTSIDE of my eye. I see a SPECIALIST for my retinas and I don't want some mere opthamologist poking around in there. Oh, this is standard new patient work up. I am NOT a new patient. I have a STY and I need some DROPS! no response.

i wait 45 more minutes to dilate and finally Dr. Lane sees me. She is about 25 years old but very nice...Yes I have all kinds of laser in there, yes I know there is no neovascularization, yes I see a retina SPECIALIST......can you please do something about the painful ugly swelling on the OUtSIDE of my eye.

She tells me I have blepharitis, and gives me a sample of some ointment....and a bill for $220. If I had just waited til my appointment next week with my retina guy - it would have been $35. I took most of today off of work as reading and typing are what I do all day, and the cream makes my vision hazy in that eye...and since that is my GOOD eye, let's just say, I can't see too good right now. Doing this much has given me a major headache...but is it from eye strain or is it cuz I have been scewed by the American Medical "professionals" again???