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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsClinical pet peeve: if I ask you "How long has this been going on?", don't say "A minute".
Unless it has been going on for sixty seconds. All right?
I know "about a minute" is a current idiom for " a while now, a bit". But when I'm trying to fix your medical problem, please be a little more specific.
Argh!
hlthe2b
(101,730 posts)Aristus
(66,096 posts)And once, I heard it all from just one patient.
"What brings you in today?"
"I'm feeling kinda blah."
"How does blah feel?"
"I dunno; just kinda phht!"
"Well, does something hurt?"
"No, I just feel kinda meh."
This was seven or eight years ago, so I don't really remember if I was ever able to get a good history from this patient...
hlthe2b
(101,730 posts)Aristus
(66,096 posts)You just made me remember how it was talking to my mother .....
"I don't feel good."
"What's the matter, Mom?"
"I just don't feel good."
"Is something hurting you?"
"I don't feel good all over."
"Is your stomach upset?"
"No."
"Headache? Dizzy? Chest pain?"
"No .... I just feel lousy."
"Lousy, how, Mom?"
"You just don't understand."
Wounded Bear
(58,440 posts)That's one of my peeves too! People are sheep.
At least the terms kudos and wheelhouse have died out a little.
IggleDuer
(964 posts)Me:- How long has his ear been hurting him?
Mom;- Since birth!
3catwoman3
(23,820 posts)Every question asked gets an eye roll, a shrug, and an utterance that sounds rather like "Ah-oh-oh," and means, "I dunno."
Way too late in my career, I re-programmed my end-of-visit strategy. I used to ask a general, "Any questions?" and often get the dreaded, "By the way, as long as we're here..." Pandora's Box add on for a 3 yr history of something totally unrelated to the ear ache for which the appointment was made.
Now, I very specifically say, "Any questions about today's discussion?"
Aristus
(66,096 posts)Now I say: "Any questions about what we just talked about?" - Just like you.
If they say no, I shake their hand, offer a farewell salutation and get myself out of that exam room before they can dream up another thing for me to look at.
Sometimes, they're able to squeeze in a "No, but I do have this thing I'd like you to look at..."
And that sends the game into extra innings...
True Dough
(17,096 posts)"It's been a while, Ace."
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)I would go insane if I had to put up with what you do. I would probably start bringing a taser to work and using it on uncooperative patients. I suppose that would kind of go against the Hippocratic Oath, wouldn't it?