The doctor is in

A few days ago, me and the boys at work were running lines from Wayne’s World, cause that is just what you do in technical support. We were talking about the corporate sponsor scene – Pizza Hut, Doritos, Reebox, and Pepsi. We were got to Nuprin (Little, Yellow, Different) and realized that none of us had seen Nuprin in years. What had happened to the Nuprin? I asked the google, and the answer (that it was now a proprietary product of CVS and was no longer yellow) turned out to be the cake. The icing? I found this fantastic blog. It is written by a pharmacist somewhere in California. He is fiercely liberal, funny, and dedicated. His writing is hilarious because, like me, he is a misanthrope working in the service industry. That is a tough balance to maintain, particularly when you are trying to save idiots from themselves.

I have spent the last week catching up on his archives. I forwarded the page to my mom, a nurse, because I thought she would appreciate his analyses of the medical system in this country. There have been a few articles that were particularly interesting or poignant, but I liked this one the best.

Old lady comes up to the counter and asks a question. "I broke out in a rash and my doctor told me to get some Benadryl. Is this the right thing?"

Nothing unusual here. There are about 8,000 different types of Benadryl on the market, and if you're not a drug person and find yourself all blotchy and itchy, it's understandable you want to make sure you get the right thing. I answer this very question several times a week. If you find yourself in this type of situation in the future, look for the Benadryl Allergy in the pink box.

Which is exactly what the old lady had in her hand. Yay for her. When I told her that she indeed had the right thing she replied, "Well that's what the pharmacist at K-Mart said too, but since she was a woman, I thought I would ask again."

A woman was telling me that she didn't trust the advice of another woman. You've come a long way indeed baby.

Boy, can I relate. I find that women are more overtly sexist than men. They are incredulous that I, a mere girl, might fix their computer and software programs. On rare occasion, as faithful readers are all aware, I have to play the manager card and explain that not only am I a girl in technical support, I am girl managing a bunch of guys in technical support. Plus, I wear pants and don’t ride side saddle. Aside from the dead squirrel and my tendency to cry at Liberty Mutual commercials, you won’t find much in my temperament that betrays my ovaries. Sigh.

Some shit went down last night, but I am not yet brave enough to face it. I'm content to let it continue to poison me from the inside. Cheerio!