Thursday, 6 January 2011

stop press: patient apologises to doctor!

A woman in her 40s comes in today. She is slim, wears a closely fitting white dress, with white fuck-me shoes to match. She is not beautiful, but as my wife might put it, she "scrubs up well". Oddly, she doesn't ring much of a bell. She sits down and, eyes downcast, says:
"I'm sorry about what happened last time, doctor. I was very rude, and afterwards I realized you were only trying to help me"
My first response is:
"Really? Why, what happened?"
She reminds me of the discussion of a month ago, and while she does so, I consult the notes. All I wrote at the time was:
"lengthy discussion about which meds are best for her"
She is surprised I don't remember the incident, but I remind her that like a good parent, a doctor must have a short memory for argy-bargy in the surgery, otherwise grudges could develop, which can only be counter-productive. I tried to think why I didn't notice how attractive she was last time; then I looked at the dates. Last time it was cold and icy; she was probably shrouded in numerous layers. Today, at 9 degrees, it is almost balmy by comparison.

At lunchtime, another milestone is passed as I preside over my last full practice meeting as boss. A strange, and not wholly pleasant experience, I have to say. Now I just want it to be over and to move on. The feeling is not improved when my manager gently points out that I shall have to share my consulting room from next week, and that I should conduct at least a partial clearance of my personal property. Not an easy thinng to do, but I gritted my teeth and got on with it, taking out half a car
boot's worth of books, gifts from patients and numerous other documents I can't simply bin. I guess this is another one of those things I'll only have to do once...

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