Friday Night Wine-Buzz. Ask me anything.

I love you all...

Happy Friday, everyone!

I've had three patients so far this week who came in to the clinic complaining of pneumonia.

Really? In this weather? Days: hot and dry; nights: warm and dry.

I look them over. Sure enough: common garden-variety cold symptoms. Not even a hint of pneumonia. I treated them symptomatically.

Do they say they have pneumonia because they think that sounds more dramatic? What gives?

How is everyone's Monday going?

Me, I could have used a longer weekend...

Anyone heard from In-The-Wind?

Haven't seen her around lately.

Friday Night Red Wine Buzz. Ask me anything.

Man, what a hella week. As usual when we get a new clinic manager, our new guy wants to make a name for himself by increasing the productivity of his clinics.

No manager has ever figured out how to to that in an effective way short of magically making everyone in the community sick.

I heard he's actually going out on the streets and buttonholing people to tell them aobut the clinic. "They get you whatever you need!"

Which makes us sound like a pill-mill.

Asshole.

I should probably give him a list of the names of the clinic managers I've outlasted in nine years of practice. I wouldn't give him long odds for a lengthy tenure as manager.

Anyway, I need a fucking drink...

I love you all...

Just had to kick a guy out of the clinic for coughing like crazy and refusing to wear a scrub mask.

Sorry, Dude. I'd like to help you with that cough. But if you resolutely insist on exposing my other patients in the waiting room to whatever you've got, out you go...

I'm angry and conflicted about a patient right now. Maybe talking about it will help.

I've been treating, for a couple of years now, a patient with a history of deep-vein thrombosis. He comes in twice a month for his lab test and any necessary adjustment to his warfarin.

He's an okay guy, and our visits have been pleasant, even though I know he's been in and out of prison several times.

Yesterday during his visit, he confessed to me that he's going up on charges of felony possession of child pornography. Then he broke down and started crying. He's really afraid of doing hard time. Any affinity I might have had for him before instantly turned into disgust for this snivelling coward who is helping perpetuate a market for a horrible, horrible product.

I don't know how much longer he has before he has to begin his sentence. But I'm sure he'll be back for his regular visits. I'll make sure he gets good, proper medical care. I took an oath to that effect. But I just don't want to have anything more to do with him.

Thank you for listening.