fee 4 times what I am sending I am attempting my first Bitcoin transfer from Abra to Bittrex. I am only sending the equivalent of $10 US dollars to test it. The money did not go through as I do not have enough in my account to pay the fee which is $44!! Is this right - it costs $44 USD  in fees to send $10 USD?
Yes, they are that high at the moment. You should not send such small amounts of bitcoins nowadays. You could wait until the Lightning Network works. The fees will probably fall then.