The other day, while working at the clinic I was asked by an older gentleman to help him out at the pharmacy.
"Those women down there at the window, they always give me trouble!" he says. I had been interpreting for him earlier in the day. A very pleasant older gentleman. He is of Romani descent.
He was in pain. See, just the day before, he was released from a hospital, where he was hospitalized over night. The night prior to that he was hospitalized for three days in another hospital. He, like many elderly people is suffering from diabetes. He had a wound on his foot and it got infected and swollen to the point where they wanted to amputate (people with diabetes have to be careful with any wounds on feet as they get easily infected). He didn't like that idea so he left that hospital for another one, where (even worse) they wanted to amputate all the way up to his knee, so he left that hospital too.
"Two years ago I had same problem and Dr.Johns (fake Dr name for privacy issues) sent me to a specialist, podiatrist that fix it" he said in broken English. Sure enough, the good doctor remembered. The doc also stated that he is not sure that it will work this time but he will send him anyway.
His foot, when he took off the bandages, was of dark purple color at the toes getting lighter towards his shin. It was swollen on all sides to one and a half the size of a normal foot like a balloon waiting to burst at any moment with such force that it would send the green fungus infected nails flying and ripping in to any objects in their path like ninja shurikens.
Anyway, back to pain here. He told me he was in excruciating pain and the ladies in the pharmacy at the window always give him trouble when he tries to get his prescription of vicodin. This little bottle that he was waiving in his hand, he stated that he needed before any other medication. Sure enough, he recruits me for his cause and I get mad that they are giving him trouble too. This is an elderly gentleman here and how dare they give him trouble?
When we get to the window, he gets in to it with the lady;
"Why you always give me trouble"
"Sir, the physician that wrote this prescription is no longer practicing therefore the refills are invalid"
"But, why you smile in my face while you say this, why you happy"
"Because you have an appointment in two days and you can get a new prescription"
"Yes, you happy to make me feel bad"
Just to make sure, I pick up the prescription and check the label to see who the doctor is that prescribed it. I glance over to see the medication and it starts with "vi" and in my mind I am finishing it with "codin" and yet there is a few screws not wanting to pull in that direction. As those screws are jammed at the end of "vi" by an "a" and I am pulling for "cooo" and now the few cerebral iron screws are steaming trying to pump enough energy to take the mind in two different directions as the jam bursts and it comes up with "viaacodiaaaagraaa" and now I realize that what I am wanting to read is different than what it states on the little bottle. Wait, wtf? "viagra"? VIAGRA????
"Hey man, this is not vicodin, this is viagra"
"oh yes, viagra I need"
"Wait a minute, I thought this was for pain"
"yes, wife, you know big pain, have to satisfy first, I get vicodin later"
He is in pain...
