Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Tuesday Evening, During Desert

Dr. Grumpy: "Dr. Grumpy, returning a call."

Mr. Duh: "Yeah, I was there this afternoon, and you told me to stop taking my Lipitor?"

Dr. Grumpy: "Yes, I did."

Mr. Duh: "And you wrote me a note, I have it here, it says 'Stop taking Lipitor'."

Dr. Grumpy: "Correct."

Mr. Duh: "So, does that mean I should stop taking it? Or just cut the dose in half?"

Dr. Grumpy: "It means you should stop it."

Mr. Duh: "Should I stop just the Lipitor, or should I stop stuff you didn't write down?"

Dr. Grumpy: "Just the Lipitor."

Mr. Duh: "Completely stop the Lipitor, you mean?"

Dr. Grumpy: "Yes."

Mr. Duh: "Okay, thanks for clearing that up, your note was kind of vague."
at

31 comments:

  1. AnonymousNovember 24, 2009 at 9:06 PM

    wow next time try dont stop the lipitor

    ReplyDelete
  2. Scritches.comNovember 24, 2009 at 9:14 PM

    Are you sure you don't make this stuff up????

    ReplyDelete
  3. Grumpy, M.D.November 24, 2009 at 9:16 PM

    I wish. I'd rather have my ice cream in peace.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ChrisNovember 24, 2009 at 9:17 PM

    Proving once again my time-proven theory that there's nothing that can be said so clearly that some idiot won't misunderstand it.

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  5. EdRPhNovember 24, 2009 at 9:28 PM

    So did you want him to stop the Lipitor or not? Be specific!!

    :-)

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  6. MorrisNovember 24, 2009 at 9:33 PM

    Dr Grumpy, you must have the patience of a saint! That would have me banging my head against the wall..

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  7. Grumpy, M.D.November 24, 2009 at 9:35 PM

    Morris- I thought about it, but didn't want to make a mess of my ice cream.

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  8. Frantic PharmacistNovember 24, 2009 at 9:38 PM

    We get used to this stuff, but it still makes me afraid. Very afraid.

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  9. AnonymousNovember 24, 2009 at 9:51 PM

    Are you sure you didn't mean "dessert?"

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  10. Grumpy, M.D.November 24, 2009 at 9:54 PM

    I just KNEW someone was going to say that, too.

    ReplyDelete
  11. JulieNovember 24, 2009 at 10:17 PM

    **shakes head** ... i'm hoping against hope that this individual doesn't drive ...

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  12. AnonymousNovember 24, 2009 at 11:27 PM

    I was going to ask if it was Saharan ice cream or maybe Gobi berry ice cream?
    CardioNP

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  13. FlaviusNovember 24, 2009 at 11:48 PM

    How much do you want to bet he already had that argument with the pharmacist and wanted to call you to prove he was right?

    -Flavius

    ReplyDelete
  14. Frank, CPhTNovember 25, 2009 at 12:00 AM

    So, from what I can understand, you wanted him to double his dose of Lipitor, and to stop taking his other medications, right?

    Or was it to stop taking the Lipitor, and take the Atorvastatin instead?

    It is people like that that make me realize that Mike Judge's "Idiocracy" isn't fiction, but is instead a work of prophecy!

    ReplyDelete
  15. ausduckNovember 25, 2009 at 1:29 AM

    Now come on Dr G, fess up - you were messin' with his head, weren't ya? I mean, writing such a deliberately vague, ambiguous note like that :)

    *still LMAO*

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  16. AnonymousNovember 25, 2009 at 2:59 AM

    Stop taking the Lipitor, and stop calling me to ask me about stop taking the Lipitor. Just stop! Just stop, Just stop!

    ugh

    ReplyDelete
  17. TiredRPhNovember 25, 2009 at 3:39 AM

    OMG - Just like my customer who asked what his rx label meant that said "Take 1 tablet 2 times a day." After a 10 minute explanation of morning and night (so...take 1 tablet and then take another one in an hour? beating head against table). Three phone calls later, he asks me...so does 2 times a day mean in the SAME day!!! aaaaaahhhhh. Gouging brains out with an ice pick.

    And this is a man in his 40s taking care of his mom who is in her 70s.

    ReplyDelete
  18. The DuchessNovember 25, 2009 at 4:11 AM

    Could he hear your head smacking the desk while you were talking to him?

    ReplyDelete
  19. OMDGNovember 25, 2009 at 7:59 AM

    Well as long as you understand that it was really your fault that he didn't understand.....

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  20. student dr. blazeNovember 25, 2009 at 8:02 AM

    Took a break from reading the journal articles in front of me to read this and now have realized that I have a major problem: how can I trust that the results of any clinical trials in humans are accurate if patients can't follow directions (let alone be trusted w/compliance)?! I mean, at least we know exactly what dose of medication the rats got...but the humans?! *headdesk* It's truly a miracle that humans haven't Darwined ourselves right out of existence....

    ReplyDelete
  21. AnonymousNovember 25, 2009 at 9:16 AM

    You know, if you wrote "Eat more butter" he would have understood that without any help.

    I think you may need to go to pictoral print-outs. Buy a digital camera and get Powerpoint. The handouts might consist of:

    A picture of the man (or woman, depending on the patient). A picture of a bottle of Lipitor. A picture of the number of pills of Lipitor the patient is currently taking. A picture of the patient holding the clearly labeled Lipitor pills and a glass of water, with a big NO circle over it. A picture of all their other pills (or a circle with the words "All your other medication") with a big YES checkmark on it.

    I'm sure with practice your staff could get the handout creation time down to 4-5 minutes.

    That might cut your idiot-calls by 10 or 20%.

    ReplyDelete
  22. AmandaNovember 25, 2009 at 9:32 AM

    How do these people get through life? Really. HOW?

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  23. Grumpy, M.D.November 25, 2009 at 9:35 AM

    Amanda- And yet, they have no trouble getting through my phone menu to find me.

    ReplyDelete
  24. AnonymousNovember 25, 2009 at 10:22 AM

    'Breathe in, breathe out; breathe in, breathe out...continue until supply exhausted.'

    Freakin' moron

    ReplyDelete
  25. AnonymousNovember 25, 2009 at 11:01 AM

    I read through this and thought "I'm sure I had that bloke on the phone asking for computer support at some stage".

    Me: Can you please turn your computer off, and then turn it back on again.
    They: You want me to turn the computer off?
    Me: Yes.
    They: And then turn it back on again?
    Me: Yes.
    They: Do I need to unplug my mouse?
    Me: No, just turn the computer off and back on again.

    You, Dr Grumpy, are providing biological technical support, and I sympathise completely.

    ReplyDelete
  26. AmandaNovember 25, 2009 at 1:00 PM

    I'm still shaking my head at this person and I read it hours ago.

    ReplyDelete
  27. AnonymousNovember 25, 2009 at 3:39 PM

    Dr. Now what about this other bottle with 10 pills in it called atrovastatin (Lipitor), stop taking that one also? Right?

    ReplyDelete
  28. UnknownNovember 26, 2009 at 1:09 PM

    do people like this really exist? REALLY?! >.<

    ReplyDelete
  29. Grumpy, M.D.November 26, 2009 at 1:44 PM

    Francine- Yes, and there are more of them than you can ever imagine.

    ReplyDelete
  30. KimothyNovember 28, 2009 at 2:00 AM

    I had an incident today that reminded me of your story.

    Guy comes to pharmacy: "I have strep throat, what can you recommend?"

    Me: (thinking, how do you know you have strep throat? whatever...): I can recommend you something to help with pain from a sore throat, but if you really have strep throat, you need to see a doctor to get a prescription for antibiotics.

    Guy: There are no antibiotics over the counter?

    Me: No sir, there are no antibiotics over the counter for strep throat. You need a prescription.

    Guy: Oh ok. So, what antibiotics can I get over the counter for strep throat?

    Me: Sigh.

    ReplyDelete
  31. JerryGMarch 27, 2010 at 3:56 PM

    Dr. Grumpy - I think you meant during dessert (the food) not desert (the type of land)

    Enjoy your site!

    ReplyDelete

So wadda you think?