Family Practice, continued

I stayed home today with my son who is sick. My wife had to travel to California for work so it's another boy's day home.

The clinic I am at is very interesting. There are so many chronic pain patients - I can't believe it. 75% must be on vicodin, percocet or MS contin. I feel that the vast majority need these medications but there are a handful that just piss me off. When you've seen these type of patients you'll know what I mean but until then it is difficult to really grasp what these people are like. Manipulative, mean, argumentative, and nasty. I hate dealing with these people. I do mean Hate. And their sense of entitlement regarding coming in late, demanding early refills, refusing to comply with the requirements of continued care and lack of decent interpersonal skills makes being around them a chore.

On a similar note, it seems that the majority of our patients are heavy smokers. The stench of cigarette smoke they carry on them is so overwhelming that I seem to be able to smell it hours after I leave the clinic. The thing is that a lot of them don't want to quit smoking, but they come in frequently for URIs, HTN, asthma and COPD needing O2 and med refills. They complain about all of their health problems and not having money to pay for decent food or health care yet they spend $100-$300 a month on smokes! My parents are heavy smokers and I grew up with the chain smoking mentality. I also realize that smoking may very well be one of the most difficult addictions to break. These people (including my parents) still piss me off with their lack of resolve, self-control and common fucking sense. If you are going to smoke 2 or 3 packs a day, what in the hell good do you think O2 or inhaler is really going to do for you? The spectrum of the human condition and experience is infinitely vast and often impossible to relate to. I "get it", but sometimes I still don't really "get it."