Monday, November 22, 2021

Modern life

Guy comes into office, Mary slides open her window.

Mary: "Hi, you have a 1:00 appointment? Okay. Can I make a copy of your insurance card? Thank you... Do you have a mask?"

Mr. Beijerinck: "No. I don't need one."

Mary: "Dr. Grumpy asks that all patients wear them. Let me give you one."

Mr. Beijerinck: "Little lady, the pandemic is over, if there ever was one. I ain't wearing a mask."

Mary: "Sir, because of the nature of his field, Dr. Grumpy sees a lot of patients on medications that suppress their immune systems, so for their protection we ask that everyone wear a mask when they go back to see him. Here's one you can wear during your visit."

Mr Beijerinck: "You want me to wear this?"

Mary: "Yes, just while you're here, please."

Mr. Beijerinck: "Okay, here."

He tears the mask into little pieces, tosses them through the window onto Mary's desk.

Mr. Beijerinck: "That's what I think of your bullshit rules. Now, honey, just go tell the doctor that I'm here for my appointment."

Mary: "Thank you for letting me know. Here's your insurance card back, I haven't copied it. I'll let the doctor know that I cancelled your appointment. Have a nice day."

Mary closes her window, pretends to answer her phone, and ignores him until he leaves.

32 comments:

jimbo26 said...

Well done Mary, thank you . Jim, in the UK .

JFBII said...

That's the way it's done!

BB/VA said...

YAY, MARY!!!!

Packer said...

Covid has turned many people into assholes, it is true. Go ahead try and prove me wrong.

Packer said...

Little lady, haven’t heard that one in awhile, last guy is still nursing his bruised testicles

BobF said...

The tear - Strike 1
"Bullshit" - Strike 2
"Honey" - Strike 3

He's out.
Mary is a good umpire.

Anonymous said...

We are way too familiar with this in our veterinary clinic...had a guy refuse to wear a mask because he had Jesus at his side protecting him...I suggested (read: ordered) that he and Jesus could wait outside.

fiberman said...

Well done, Mary.

Anonymous said...

Mary deserves a raise!

Mr. Beijerinck said...

Goddamn fascists. Now where am I going to get my prescription for ivermectin?

bobbie said...

YAAAYY Mary!!!

JohnGalt said...

Very childish behavior on the part of Mister Beijerinck, unquestionably. Your practice, your rules. However, I would like to offer a different perspective on the mask question in general - and please hear me out before dismissing me out of hand as a "one of those people".

Wearing any mask without an exhaust valve (like the N95, an air purifying respirator or higher) which includes almost all of the typical masks in common use today concentrates exhaled carbon dioxide enough to decrease the available oxygen percentage to what under any other circumstances would be considered by OSHA (and anyone who does work in confined spaces) an oxygen deficient and therefore unsafe atmosphere. https://youtu.be/QRmVLYrqQG0

Personally, (and I'm not judging the choices of others or trying to push my decisions onto anyone else) I've spent too much time in confined spaces with questionable atmospheres to put myself in such a situation, especially for non-emergency reasons. And my own (again, me personally) risk assessment regarding CV-19 isn't high enough for me to spend the money for such a respiratory protection device for everyday use. You do you, I'll do me. But for your own sake, please be educated as to all sides of the choices you make.

Anonymous said...

John Galt: I am educated to all sides of the choices available to me. I believe you need to do more "research". If what you are saying is true, then when I work my 12 hour shifts (while wearing my surgical masks) why don't I pass out due to lack of oxygen. Why don't surgeons pass out when performing procedures requireing sterile fields. Please go purchase a pulse oximeter and try it for your self. Place the oximeter on your finger and write down the reading. Now, place a mask on your face and wait about 2 minutes. (that should give the mask plenty of time to accumulate the carbon dioxide) Now check your carbon dioxide levels again. I would be surprised if you dropped more than 1 or 2 points, If that much. See, it's all in your head :-)

practicing MD said...

to John Galt: nonsense. tell that to the surgeons and nurses during 8 hour surgeries. they must be quite hypoxic and hypercapnic. there is no evidence to back up your assertions. please either wear the mask around others, or stay away.

danielle said...

I love Mary!

JohnGalt said...

Thanks for the feedback. I apologize if it sounded like I was implying that you aren't educated on the topic. I just want everyone to consider all sides. And I certainly never claimed that one would become hypoxic if one wears a mask, and certainly not to the point of passing out. I simply pointed out that it decreases the amount of available oxygen to a level that industrial guidelines consider unsafe. I'm retired, so I no longer have access to air monitoring equipment and the gentleman in the video stopped measuring when the reading hit 17%. I don't know how much lower it would've gone. However, 17% oxygen is roughly the equivalent of normal pressure at 5,000 feet of elevation above sea level when it comes to effective available oxygen. If you're on the coast and put a mask on, it's similar to being unmasked in Denver. And before someone points this out, no the oxygen percentage isn't 17 in Denver. It's just over 20, like everywhere else on the planet. But the lower air pressure makes it equivalent to 17% compared to sea level. That was the easiest way I could think of to explain the effect, as most people are aware that it feels harder to breathe in higher elevations. https://hypoxico.com/pages/altitude-to-oxygen-chart Sure, most healthy people in Denver manage near 100% oxygen saturation and function normally. But their bodies work harder to do it. I've also known people who have had to move from places like Denver and Cheyenne because of the altitude. The human body acclimates well to lots of things. It doesn't mean that they are all a good idea, especially when avoidable.

JohnGalt said...

practicing MD: i never said a mask would make one hypoxic. I just referenced long-standing industrial standards. Oh, and I do stay away. So I won't cause panic in people who have such an enormous fear of a disease so virulent that it kills 0.3% of those who contract it. And because I'm an ill-tempered old fart who has no business or desire to be around people anyway.

Loren Pechtel said...

@JohnGalt: What you fail to understand is that while the air trapped under the mask certainly doesn't meet OSHA standards, it's a small percentage of what you actually inhale. Overall, the air you inhale will meet OSHA standards. By your logic dewars of liquid nitrogen are illegal because the gas in the top of the dewer isn't suitable for breathing.

The practical result of masks: I've worn N95s above 10,000' and ascending.

Anyway, there's one problem here. He willfully didn't keep his appointment, he should get billed a broken appointment charge.

Anonymous said...

Go Mary!!!

Marie Q said...

@Packer - I don't think COVID turned people into assholes... I think it has just made us all so much more aware of them.
Well done to Mary!

gloriap said...

Mary is a tiger in a kitten suit. What an amazing woman. Give her a raise.

BB/VA said...

John Galt - You can get a pulse oximeter at WalMart dirt cheap. It might be a good idea to have one around the house in case of catching Covid because you didn't wear a mask. https://www.walmart.com/search?query=Pulse%20Oximeter&adid=22222222220202400877&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=e&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=479993551377&wl4=aud-1308651922056%3Akwd-39612570&wl5=9008247&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&veh=sem&gclid=CjwKCAiAnO2MBhApEiwA8q0HYSAskGMxe0rEj9xroq7mhZl7ZgykoxfRc34t2WT_mXYngqZ8gm8DrhoCaSUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Mr. Beijerinck said...

Man, with all this negging, she'll be eating out of my hand in no time! I am truly the alpha male of alpha males! I can't wait to write this up for my mens' rights discussion board!

Anonymous said...

Interesting ethical issue. I go with Mary. I’ll put it to my first year medical student class when I lecture them on medical law and ethics on Friday. FWIW here in England it is currently against the law not to wear a mask in a clinical area. Dr Grumpy’s waiting room unequivocally counts as a clinical area. PS. Pulse oximeters measure oxygen saturation in blood not carbon dioxide.

Anonymous said...

We locked our waiting room door and have patients let in by the medical assistants. Once they get in without a mask we find it hard to get them to leave if they won't comply. They want to stay around and argue while breathing on everyone.

Reds Kevin said...

Speaking about COVID, has your son Craig recovered yet?

Anonymous said...

"The joke's on you, because that was a fake insurance card anyway."

Lena said...

Surgeon here. John Galt: I routinely perform 6+ hour procedures and spend much of my day in a mask. No issues. Also, surgical N95 masks do NOT have exhaust valves.

Anonymous said...

Officially a member of the Mary Fan Club!

Shash said...

Mary deserves a medal.

Ms. Donna said...

Hail Mary, full of grace. And wisdom. And smarts. And great attitude.

Tehachap said...

Mary is a jewel! And that guy was an idiot!

 
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