Thursday, May 19, 2011

Nowhere to hide

Our office break room is small, but practical. A table, microwave, toaster, fridge, coffee maker. A few chairs. A bathroom off to the side.

Yesterday a new drug rep brought lunch. She was a nice lady.

After lunch the staff were cleaning up the kitchen. Packing up leftovers, wiping the table. As usual they were chatting about the patients, Dancing With The Stars, their kids, etc.

At some point the conversation turned to the drug rep, and they were guessing as to how far along in her pregnancy she was, and whether she was having a boy or a girl.

And then the bathroom door opened. The drug rep was in there the whole time. They thought she'd left.

And she isn't pregnant.

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Someone once told me to never comment on a woman's pregnancy unless you actually see the baby coming out of her - or you're the one that put it there. It's good advice. =)

Anonymous said...

Classics never die they say... even with foot-in-mouth faux-pas.

Anonymous said...

oops...

PA Honeybee said...

What did she say upon opening the door?

Grumpy, M.D. said...

She politely told the staff that she wasn't.

CholeraJoe said...

Wait, I thought all Drug Reps had to be super hot with small butts and big boobs. How else can they expect us to prescribe their products?

Sarah Glenn said...

You had a drug rep that wasn't model material? What is this world coming to?

Grumpy, M.D. said...

Depends on the company. Some only do model material.

Others hire nice people who look (and act) more like me and my staff than a cheerleader.

Packer said...

Unasked questions get answered all the time. We now know part of the answer to the questions surrounding your peculiar office.

Camille said...

One time...Oh yes, only ONE TIME...I asked the nice waitress in the Carnegie Deli in the middle of NYC when she was due. Of course, you know what the rest of the story. I still slap my forehead and cringe in shame when I remember the moment. GAH! Trust me...the question will never pass my lips again.

Carolyn said...

I know scrub tops are not flattering, but I nearly died the day a patient reached out and touched my belly while asking when I was due - I smiled and cheerfully said "Not pregnant! Doc will be in shortly!"

I took some comfort in the fact she was there for a particularly unpleasant dental procedure ...

Anonymous said...

If you haven't made this particular
mistake at least once, you're just not old anough yet! I think most people have mistaken a blubber-belly for a 'bread-in-the-oven'. And have you noticed? Male gyne's often have a 9-month figure, but of course, nobody asks them whether pregnancy is contagious!

WV: betta....betta keep your trap shut next time!

Leslie said...

ouch!

Anonymous said...

This happens to me all the time (and yes, I'm in the pharma industry). It's awkward when I explain I have uterine fibroids making me look 7 months gone. Roll on that hysterectomy :)

Anonymous said...

Do you think she'll be back? Oh...dear.

Anonymous said...

It's OK wondering whether the drug rep is pregnant. Just that when she denies it, it is not OK to ask "Would you like to be?" ;-)

watercolordaisy said...

A friend of mine's patients keep asking her when she's due. She just smiles and says, "not pregnant, just happy."

Anonymous said...

I'm not in the medical field at all but go to my fair share of doctor appointments. I was just commenting to my sister and brother-in-law (who happens to work for the American College of Physicians) that it must be a job requirement to be especially good looking if you're a pharm rep.

As for the mistaken pregnancy.....that stings....I feel so badly for you.

Sandra said...

Just stumbled upon this blog. Very excited about reading through your posts.

Dan said...

I see from your twitter post that today's drug rep brought salads.

Coincidence? I think not.

Anonymous said...

motto in my office- we are in shape. round is a shape.

Catbird said...

Once while talking to a patient, he kept glancing at my scrubs. Finally he asked me if I was pregnant. I told him nah, it's just a food baby. We both cracked up.

Anonymous said...

NO MORE LUNCH FOR YOU!

Anonymous said...

awww poor lady D= I will never ever ask that question, they can just tell me if they want >.>;;

Outre said...

I once had a lady ask me if I was pregnant, on burbon st. in new orleans while I was holding a drink. (Uh, take a wild guess...) It must have been the top I was wearing that confused her? It was linen top cinched right below the breast line and flowed freely there down, so... maybe it looked like maternity top but good god woman, why would I be partying it up on burbon street with a bun in the oven???

She than asked me to hold her drink and flashed me her saggy old boobs that were down to her navel.

While I stood there with my jaw on the ground, the fellow conference attendees (dear conference gods, I liked the conference at new orleans the best, please hold it there again, and no boring places like thousands oaks, ca) asked me what i had done for her to flash me.

Anonymous said...

A stranger once thought my 60-year-old mother was pregnant. I tried to tell her it was a compliment to her youthful looks, but she didn't believe me.

ERP said...

I still prefer the bimbo-ish hot ones.

oceankisses said...

Years ago, I saw an old friend I hadn't seen in a while and she asked me when my baby was due. She was more embarassed than I was about my answer. Guess I had it coming.....

Tee said...

Ooh, ouch! Poor lady!

RageDino said...

I used to get asked all the time…until I had my abdominal tumor removed. So many awkward moments.

 
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