It's always deceptively warm when I decide to buy a coat. I swear the last three times I have purchased a jacket it's been during one of the 10% of days here when the chill off the ocean doesn't go straight into your spine. This means I spend most of my walks to and from lunch at work shivering like a madman.
A madman like the one at the counter trying to get a Z-Pak. I smelled him before I saw him. My intern saw him from the moment he came in the front door, and started snickering immediately. "I gotta get this one" he said. My intern is young and still full of that testosterone fueled kick down to establish your place in the pack desire that comes with adolescence. He came back with the new patient registration form and the prescription and a few more laughs.
"Ha ha....he tried to make up an address for himself.....he can't even write! Ha ha.....Jesus he smells....."
"Hillary, look at this prescription" I said. "It's for a Z-Pak and Vicodin. He told you he didn't want the Vicodin. What does that say to you?"
Hillary gave me a blank look. I went on. "The guy made a couple bad decisions in his life and now he's fucked. In 15 minutes he's gotta go back out there into the drizzle and gloom and deal with the consequences. No matter what he decides to do with his future he's not gonna have it easy, but I tell you what. For the next 15 minutes we're gonna give him a little bit of normalcy."
Hillary got quiet. It's a rare moment when I don't happily join in the mocking of customers, and he was probably a bit confused. We got his Z-Pak ready and I went out to ring him up.
He was sitting in the waiting room looking as bad as he smelled. Shivering in the warmth of the corpo-pharmacy under a coat that looked like a worn-out version of mine. I called out his name and he stumbled to the counter.
I told him how he was going to take two tablets at once for his first dose, then that he would take one tablet a day until they were gone. I told him not to worry if he didn't feel all the way better when he took his last dose, because the antibiotic would keep working for 5 more days. An affluent man who's the type of customer I spend most of my day with walked by and looked absolutely horrified that such a person would be allowed in a store where affluent people shopped. I smiled. And it wasn't a fake customer service smile.
I told the homeless dude there was a water fountain at the front of the store if he wanted to take his first dose right away, and that he'd be feeling better soon enough. Then I took too much of the homeless dude's money.
"Thanks man"
Most days I don't feel like I have much to give, but today I gave 15 minutes of normalcy to a guy who could use it. Not to mention a bit of a teachable moment to Hillary.
Better than scraping out chicken fat.
*Disclaimer: My intern's real name isn't Hillary. The last time I used Hillary as a fake name to help create a negative impression in voter's minds on the eve of a crucial primary, it worked so well I decided to do it again. You know what to do Indiana.
14 comments:
You are a good man. You are also a good writer. I am sincere.
Re: your Twitterd "suicidal" remedy.
Be sure you Twitter your suicidal plan ard relay your chosen jump-off spot...I'll show up w/ my Cassette tape to save you from your despair (eh...hopefully I'll be able to find a damned tape player...)
**Though, I must admit I'm ashamed I still have my copy of it...
I can hate customers with the best of them-but I think you did a great service to your intern by teaching the he-she some empathy and understanding. I didn't join the profession to just bash customers behind their backs. I do try and save that treat for the ones that really deserve it.
I can count on 1 hand the number of times that customers have turned down the painkillers in favor of the antibiotics. That in itself earns my respect and understanding.
That makes me truly sad. Glad to see you show your intern some real world respect. There's too many rich a-hole customers who deserve a good tongue lashing!
More people need to be able to put themselves in the shoes of another and try to see where they are coming from. This is the way to peace and harmony
Nicely done. Perhapsibly a price alter on the z-pak mightve done him well though...no insurance, thats about 45 bucks.
I don't like it when you are all creamy-soft-in-the-center. I like my Drugmonkey good and bastardly.
Okay okay, you know that's not true. As you know my favorite post ever is about Spooky. :)
Bring on the ooey-gooey.
I *heart * you. How do i find you on twitter?
http://twitter.com/femmmefatal
I dont really use it though but if i could find a stalkee I would:)
You are a sweet little drugmonkey.
MJ
so i just found your blog.. love it... i want to come be your tech! your post on "why your rx takes so damn long to fill" is making its way around my company.. thanks for giving us a laugh!
Definitely a great post, Simian O'Pharm. I'm glad you were able to teach your intern something too. I tell ya, I was just forced into opioid withdrawal because of my idiot insurance not covering my meds, and it's only because of the compassionate pharmacists and techs at my pharmacy that I was able to make it through the experience without eating one of them while trying to get a fill. (It's a two-way street.)
And chilly weather by the ocean with snobby rich customers? Sounds like La Jolla, Rancho Santa Fe, or Carlsbad area. It has definitely been chilly down here the last couple days!
Good for you Drugmonkey. You gotta give the respect where it is deserved. Too bad more people don't prioritize the antibiotic over the pain med when they are short on cash.
Sorry 'bout Indiana; did my part and it'll count in the long run. (We're only allowed one vote here). Appreciate the story about insightfulness with the patient and the tech, but let's not get into the rendering of schmaltz!
Ya know what- I don't mind laughing at jackasses that are just being stupid. Like the rich, anorexic slutty girl that wore stilettos to whatever class she was off to. Did I laugh when her ridiculous shoe got stuck in the crack of the sidewalk and she totally wiped out? You bet I did.
But when it comes to people like your homeless man, sometimes even the most sarcastic of us know that it's a time to show someone respect. It might be the only bit of respect they have gotten in a long time.
Good for you.
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