"Peotry of life"

The director of Family medicine clerkship at my school, Dr. Colgan, is a great clinician. In my opinion, one of the finest teachers of medicine. He teaches with passion, you can feel it sitting across the room from him. During today's lectures, he encouraged us to collect interesting quotes from our patients as something to look back on some years from now. I thought it was a great idea but decided to take it a step further: I'll be collecting quotes from both patients, colleagues and doctors.

The first one happens to come from a doctor. "You're still people but you're dangerousely close to becoming doctors" Dr Ferentz on supplements and vitamins and how doctors should advise their patients on not taking them because they're worthless.

"Sir, you must be very smart" a caretaker accompanying a mentally challenged pt mumbled to me. Why do you say that, I asked. "Because many young foreigners come to this country [US] and don't really do anything with their lifes, like my mom's husband" replied the caretaker. Little did she know that I was in her exact same position about 8yrs ago.

"What's your name again?" a pt asked. "Anselm" was my reply. "Ohh Handsome! I bet you must be getting in a lot of trouble with that name don't you?" pt replied. This same patient tells the doctor "only the 'dine works for my blood pressure. I done try all the other stuff ... the HCZ or whatever and dem, I done try them. I'm telling you ...." Pt w/ h/o drug abuse wants only Clonidine ('dine) for control of his HTN.

"... and there's a hole in the back of my throat. Do you think them cold drops could have caused that?" the patient asked. Wait huh?, I thought to myself. How many cough drops do you take? "I've taken as much as 380 in a day. You know I don't suck on them, I just crunch them with my teeth. They go just like that. I'm addicted to them ... do y'all have some cough drops around here?" I'm sorry, we don't.

After an otoscopic exam a pt, who came in w/ cold symptoms, asks me "do you see that I'm dehydrated?"

While taking a sexual history a 21y/o female pt says; "you be sitting there and hearing all these things but acting all professional, even though you young ..."

Mr. L, your BP still looks high today. Talking to a pt who does NOT want to be started on anti-hypertensives "...well it's probably 'cause I had some canned soup for lunch and used nasonex this morning ..."

To be continued...