winner of doctor of the week:
today a lady who we have had a PLETHORA of problems with filling controlled substances at other pharmacies, trying to fill things early, etc., etc. came in today with a percocet prescription. here were the problems:
1. doctor's signature was illegible. he did provide his dea, but fat load of good that did me since we didn't have him in the computer. he didn't bother to print his name any where on the script.
2. the strength was for 5 mg percocet, but the 5 looked like it had originally been something else. what it was, i couldn't tell, i just knew the 5 looked funky.
3. the amount was originally #60 then it was written over to say #80. the doctor did not initial by the change, so i assumed (as an pharmacy would) that the patient had altered it.
4. there were 3 refills written on the script.
just like any other pharmacy would think, we believed the script to have been altered by the patient. the next 20 minutes i spent getting transfered from department to department in the hospital. first to the er, then to her usual doctor who told me that "never, ever, EVER would he write a script for percocet for her." he has obviously had problems with her in the past. when i finally got a hold of the doctor who had written the script, this was how our conversation went:
me: hi! this is the pharmacy calling. we have a question on a script you wrote.
dr: is it for the percocet?
me: uh, yeah.
dr: yeah, i wrote it. i was initially going to write it for 10 mg, then changed my mind halfway through and decided it was too high. so i changed it to 5 mg. but then i had to give her more pills since i lowered the strength, so i changed it from 60 to 80.
me: oh, ok. but this script also has 3 refills on it.
dr: yeah.
me: um, percocet is a narcotic, a C-II, we can't refill it.
dr: oh, well, then just ignore them.
gee, like i wasn't going to do that anyway. thank you SO MUCH for guiding me in the right direction. idiot. the scary thing is, this doctor has had his license for 2 years. i have a hard time believing this is the first time he's written for a narcotic. i wonder how many other pharmacies have had to explain the law to him. he must have slept through that entire part of medical school.
p.s. bad tech left about 4 days after he was hired. i just realized i never wrote about that.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
why anda is the best wholesaler in the world
a.k.a. "i am shallow and you can buy my loyalty." (to be followed by an entry titled "i love our benicar rep.")
1. next day delivery, including saturdays.
2. unlike cardinal, they always manage to correctly print their stickers.
3. also unlike cardinal, they actually remember to GIVE you your stickers.
4. their crazy packing makes me laugh (one box and 3 of those air-puff packs for one bottle of budeprion?)
5. our anda rep ROCKS. she called me back last night approximately 30 seconds after i finished leaving a message. she knew my voice when i answered the phone and didn't even bother with formalities, just jumped right in and started answering my question. she's extremely friendly and is so helpful.
6. that handy anda scanning machine. no entering item numbers to order stuff!
7. free stuffed pandas in our orders!
8. the fact that they carry oxycontin cr generic again.
9. they told me yasmin was going generic about a month before it actually was available. i checked andanet every freaking day for a MONTH. i practically cried with joy when i saw it was available to order.
10. the super nice rep at the ce conference. she was handing out free pandas!
AND BEST OF ALL....
11. they gave me a free ipod! technically i won it at the ce conference, but i secretly think the rep rigged it in my favor because i chatted her up.
proof that you CAN buy my love: i'm going to check every generic we get on monday and see if we can get it even a penny cheaper through anda (most likely), at which point i will then order 10 of EVERYTHING! not really. but i do <3 anda. i wish they would carry brand name stuff too. then i would never ever have to deal with stupid cardinal ever ever again.
1. next day delivery, including saturdays.
2. unlike cardinal, they always manage to correctly print their stickers.
3. also unlike cardinal, they actually remember to GIVE you your stickers.
4. their crazy packing makes me laugh (one box and 3 of those air-puff packs for one bottle of budeprion?)
5. our anda rep ROCKS. she called me back last night approximately 30 seconds after i finished leaving a message. she knew my voice when i answered the phone and didn't even bother with formalities, just jumped right in and started answering my question. she's extremely friendly and is so helpful.
6. that handy anda scanning machine. no entering item numbers to order stuff!
7. free stuffed pandas in our orders!
8. the fact that they carry oxycontin cr generic again.
9. they told me yasmin was going generic about a month before it actually was available. i checked andanet every freaking day for a MONTH. i practically cried with joy when i saw it was available to order.
10. the super nice rep at the ce conference. she was handing out free pandas!
AND BEST OF ALL....
11. they gave me a free ipod! technically i won it at the ce conference, but i secretly think the rep rigged it in my favor because i chatted her up.
proof that you CAN buy my love: i'm going to check every generic we get on monday and see if we can get it even a penny cheaper through anda (most likely), at which point i will then order 10 of EVERYTHING! not really. but i do <3 anda. i wish they would carry brand name stuff too. then i would never ever have to deal with stupid cardinal ever ever again.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
the new tech
so for a couple of months now, all the employees at the pharmacy have been begging the owner to higher a new tech. with both of our interns gone, myself going to school full-time, and only 2 full-time techs, we've been a little short lately.
now, however, perhaps being short on techs was the better option.
the owner hired the new tech 2 weeks ago. he started last monday. here are some of the amazing things we have had to deal with since:
-he likes to take off for 45 minutes to get lunch with his girlfriend, and not tell anybody when he leaves. i know by law we have to let him leave for a break if he asks, but all the other techs stay as a courtesy to one another. sure, it might be slow when you leave, but 5 minutes later, we could be slammed. such a thing happened last thursday, leaving 2 techs and a pharmacist to figure things out, without a clerk, as she left early as well.
-he conveniently forgot to subtract the half hour to 45 minutes from the hours he worked, and wrote down a full 9 hours on our timesheet.
-he charged someone $34 for a usually $10 prescription, and $99 for on that is $47. as an independent pharmacy, we have to watch prices very carefully. we also recently found out that the pharmacy he came from (another independent that was bought out by walgreens) had been getting reimbursed by medicaid only $150 for a $280 prescription. no wonder the pharmacy shut down. they were losing over $100 a MONTH on only one prescription.
-lastly, and most scary, he filled someone's robinul with ropinirole. unfortunately, the mistake got past our pharmacist and out of the pharmacy. luckily, it was a really good customer who is extremely nice. she called to let us know she received the wrong medication and we fixed it for her today.
i really am starting to not like the new tech, and i've only worked with him once, since he's only there to fill in the days that i'm at school. the few times our paths have crossed though, i have found him to be extremely arrogant and unwilling to listen to constructive criticism or instructions. if i ever get the chance to work with him again, i will be taking him down a few notches. just because you know how to work foundations, does NOT mean you are the best tech in the whole wide world.
now, however, perhaps being short on techs was the better option.
the owner hired the new tech 2 weeks ago. he started last monday. here are some of the amazing things we have had to deal with since:
-he likes to take off for 45 minutes to get lunch with his girlfriend, and not tell anybody when he leaves. i know by law we have to let him leave for a break if he asks, but all the other techs stay as a courtesy to one another. sure, it might be slow when you leave, but 5 minutes later, we could be slammed. such a thing happened last thursday, leaving 2 techs and a pharmacist to figure things out, without a clerk, as she left early as well.
-he conveniently forgot to subtract the half hour to 45 minutes from the hours he worked, and wrote down a full 9 hours on our timesheet.
-he charged someone $34 for a usually $10 prescription, and $99 for on that is $47. as an independent pharmacy, we have to watch prices very carefully. we also recently found out that the pharmacy he came from (another independent that was bought out by walgreens) had been getting reimbursed by medicaid only $150 for a $280 prescription. no wonder the pharmacy shut down. they were losing over $100 a MONTH on only one prescription.
-lastly, and most scary, he filled someone's robinul with ropinirole. unfortunately, the mistake got past our pharmacist and out of the pharmacy. luckily, it was a really good customer who is extremely nice. she called to let us know she received the wrong medication and we fixed it for her today.
i really am starting to not like the new tech, and i've only worked with him once, since he's only there to fill in the days that i'm at school. the few times our paths have crossed though, i have found him to be extremely arrogant and unwilling to listen to constructive criticism or instructions. if i ever get the chance to work with him again, i will be taking him down a few notches. just because you know how to work foundations, does NOT mean you are the best tech in the whole wide world.
Friday, June 6, 2008
sometimes doctors are retarded
and sometimes they are amazing. i've dealt with a little of both today.
i went to a new general practitioner today as i've had some doubts about mine ever since she diagnosed me with prediabetes after only running one set of tests. bascially our conversation went like this:
me: my periods really suck. i don't know why.
md: well, i think your sister has pcos, so you probably have it too. and so you're probably prediabetic. let's draw your blood.
i was never told to go in fasting to that appointment, so what she thought was a fasting glucose level actually was not. now i can understand that seeing a "fasting" of 115-120 would be alarming. however, she also ran an a1c test, which i think she chose to ignore after having the following conv. with her nurse at a prediabetes clinic:
me: umm, my a1c is 5.1%. is that just okay?
nurse: whoa, no, actually that's great. keep doing what you're doing!
those test results were from october. i talked to the nurse in april. for 7 months i was on four 500 mg XR metformin once a day. when i finally got those original test results i brought them into the pharmacy and discussed with one of the pharmacists whether or not i should continue taking the metformin. we decided that i should try to go off of it and keep testing my blood sugars to see what would happen. guess what? there was little to no change.
so today when i went to see the new doctor, i brought in my old test results with my little notebook of all my blood sugars written down. as i was telling him all of this, he kind of gave me a weird look when i told him i had an a1c of 5.1% and almost freaked out when i told him about my metformin dosage. i am glad to say that i have been officially taken off of it and will continue with lifestyle changes for the next 6 months when i will be retested and we will see where i stand. yay for competent doctors!
i went to a new general practitioner today as i've had some doubts about mine ever since she diagnosed me with prediabetes after only running one set of tests. bascially our conversation went like this:
me: my periods really suck. i don't know why.
md: well, i think your sister has pcos, so you probably have it too. and so you're probably prediabetic. let's draw your blood.
i was never told to go in fasting to that appointment, so what she thought was a fasting glucose level actually was not. now i can understand that seeing a "fasting" of 115-120 would be alarming. however, she also ran an a1c test, which i think she chose to ignore after having the following conv. with her nurse at a prediabetes clinic:
me: umm, my a1c is 5.1%. is that just okay?
nurse: whoa, no, actually that's great. keep doing what you're doing!
those test results were from october. i talked to the nurse in april. for 7 months i was on four 500 mg XR metformin once a day. when i finally got those original test results i brought them into the pharmacy and discussed with one of the pharmacists whether or not i should continue taking the metformin. we decided that i should try to go off of it and keep testing my blood sugars to see what would happen. guess what? there was little to no change.
so today when i went to see the new doctor, i brought in my old test results with my little notebook of all my blood sugars written down. as i was telling him all of this, he kind of gave me a weird look when i told him i had an a1c of 5.1% and almost freaked out when i told him about my metformin dosage. i am glad to say that i have been officially taken off of it and will continue with lifestyle changes for the next 6 months when i will be retested and we will see where i stand. yay for competent doctors!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
pharmacy schools
so this summer one of my goals is to narrow down where i want to go for pharmacy school (and figure out where will accept me...that's another story though). i know that some pharmacy people read this, so i want your opinions. tell me where you went to school and why you loved/hated/are apathetic about it. i'm looking at the northern u.s., specifically northwest. because i hate hot climates. well, not so much that i hate them, just that i'm in a perma-bad mood when the temp climbs too much above 72F. and the NW is still fairly close to the family. but basically i'll go wherever will take me. so yeah. give me some feedback!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
sequins, sparkles, and all that jazz
first order of business: highly recommended song of the day - the call by regina spektor. even if you're not a narnia fan, this song is still pretty awesome.
second order of business: people who proved their retardedness beyond a reasonable doubt today.
-extremely overweight woman decked out in sequins and beads with a hairdo that more resembled a fountain than hair. why is it that every woman who looks like this has an obnoxiously, high-pitched, girlish voice? and why do they think that it's cute and try to use their *ahem* girlish charms to flirt with male pharmacy staff? seriously. gag me with a spoon.
-another extremely overweight woman who blamed her swelling on the salts in her Klor-Con. i seriously doubt that the potassium chloride has anything to do with your rings no longer fitting your fingers. i believe a more appropriate culprit would be all the junk food you stuff in your fat, i mean, swollen face.
-man who tried to convince us that the doctor really did mean to write for ms contin 60 mg 6 times daily instead of qid. he sat in our waiting area for near 45 minutes, continually telling us "can't i just buy some until the insurance will pay? i mean, you have the prescription, you know he obviously wants me to be on it." um, except federal law prohibits us doing that. i think we would be the most popular pharmacy in town if we took every person's word on what their dosage was supposed to be. "well, your doctor only wrote for oxycontin 20 mg bid, but if you're telling me it's supposed to be 80 mg every 3 hours, well, okay. i'll go ahead and change it." honestly. the doctor's office finally called us back and told us to stick to the original directions. the man left and said he would come back when his insurance would pay. 5 minutes later doctor's office calls us again to okay 6 times a day. well, you win some, you lose some. i'd rather be on the right side of the law in this case.
-other man whose insurance was requiring a pa to pay for both his oxycontin 40 mg and 80 mg. i called and talk to an insurance agent who was actually competent and told me he could do one or the other, but not both. i tried to explain this to man, but he kept yelling at me telling me i needed to call the insurance. couldn't quite seem to understand that i had just done so.
-man (and his wife) who is on state medicaid. receives monthly oxycontin prescription for $3. but has no problem telling me to not run his percocet rx through insurance and will gladly pay the $90 for it. i wouldn't even pay $90 for a prescription, and i no where near qualify for medicaid. sometimes i hate my state.
-lady with 2 children, probably ages 8 to 10, with a rather ample chest and a shirt that would have been qualified as soft-core porn if it had been any lower. i don't want to see that. you might as well have been the breast-feeding lady.
-another "breast" related issue, another, younger mother with again 2 children, a boy and a girl, around the same age as above, at the kohl's. they go past the lingerie department when mom realizes she needs to get a bra. she tells her kids to look for the "ones with the wire in them." to which her kids immediately start asking what the wire's for. i booked it as far away as possible because i couldn't take any more stupidity today.
-stupid, squeaky shopping cart. not a person, but still annoyed the heck out of me.
-people who call up the pharmacy and say "fill everything we got last time." there will always be something they don't need. "what? why did you fill this?! i don't need this! take it back!" freaking a. how hard is it to call in a list of numbers? oh wait, your fingers are too "swollen" to actually use a pen to write down the rx's you need or to even pick up the bottle so you can read the number off to us over the phone. agh.
-so it's bad enough when you have people freak out at you, let alone when they're people you actually know outside of the pharmacy and know quite well. granted, this woman didn't get in to an all-out freak-out, but she was almost there. i would have lost it if she had started yelling at me, as she was practically like a second mother to me while i was growing up. apparently once you put on the white coat, you're no longer a human being. my favorite though is when people from our old neighborhood come in and no longer recognize me and act like total beasts. they always pull this line of "well, i know the owner and he ALWAYS does this for me." to which i want to reply, "yeah, well, i grew up in the same neighborhood and i know the owner too, actually have known him since i was pretty much BORN, but he's not here and i'm NOT going to do it for you."
-people, especially women, who call in with a question, but when they hear a girl on the line, they always instruct us to ask one of the 2 men who work there. my sweet, female pharmacist got that earlier this week.
patient: oh, well, will you just ask bob (not real pharmacist's name) what he thinks?
pharmD: actually, i AM the pharmacist, and here's what's going on....(proceeds to answer question competently)
i love how customers doubt our knowledge (well, mainly her knowledge as i don't even know 1/32nd of what she does) just because we're young and female. i get this a lot too in chemistry and math classes. my favorite is when it's other women doubting you. seriously, whatever happened to feminism? do you refuse to vote as well because that's your husband's domain? i just love it when i get these weird stares from boys (and occasionally girls) when i answer a question correctly in class that had all of them scratching their heads. yes, you can be smart, strong, AND feminine. WOW! it's revolutionary!
so that's about it. a day of rest and then back to the grindstone. whooo.
second order of business: people who proved their retardedness beyond a reasonable doubt today.
-extremely overweight woman decked out in sequins and beads with a hairdo that more resembled a fountain than hair. why is it that every woman who looks like this has an obnoxiously, high-pitched, girlish voice? and why do they think that it's cute and try to use their *ahem* girlish charms to flirt with male pharmacy staff? seriously. gag me with a spoon.
-another extremely overweight woman who blamed her swelling on the salts in her Klor-Con. i seriously doubt that the potassium chloride has anything to do with your rings no longer fitting your fingers. i believe a more appropriate culprit would be all the junk food you stuff in your fat, i mean, swollen face.
-man who tried to convince us that the doctor really did mean to write for ms contin 60 mg 6 times daily instead of qid. he sat in our waiting area for near 45 minutes, continually telling us "can't i just buy some until the insurance will pay? i mean, you have the prescription, you know he obviously wants me to be on it." um, except federal law prohibits us doing that. i think we would be the most popular pharmacy in town if we took every person's word on what their dosage was supposed to be. "well, your doctor only wrote for oxycontin 20 mg bid, but if you're telling me it's supposed to be 80 mg every 3 hours, well, okay. i'll go ahead and change it." honestly. the doctor's office finally called us back and told us to stick to the original directions. the man left and said he would come back when his insurance would pay. 5 minutes later doctor's office calls us again to okay 6 times a day. well, you win some, you lose some. i'd rather be on the right side of the law in this case.
-other man whose insurance was requiring a pa to pay for both his oxycontin 40 mg and 80 mg. i called and talk to an insurance agent who was actually competent and told me he could do one or the other, but not both. i tried to explain this to man, but he kept yelling at me telling me i needed to call the insurance. couldn't quite seem to understand that i had just done so.
-man (and his wife) who is on state medicaid. receives monthly oxycontin prescription for $3. but has no problem telling me to not run his percocet rx through insurance and will gladly pay the $90 for it. i wouldn't even pay $90 for a prescription, and i no where near qualify for medicaid. sometimes i hate my state.
-lady with 2 children, probably ages 8 to 10, with a rather ample chest and a shirt that would have been qualified as soft-core porn if it had been any lower. i don't want to see that. you might as well have been the breast-feeding lady.
-another "breast" related issue, another, younger mother with again 2 children, a boy and a girl, around the same age as above, at the kohl's. they go past the lingerie department when mom realizes she needs to get a bra. she tells her kids to look for the "ones with the wire in them." to which her kids immediately start asking what the wire's for. i booked it as far away as possible because i couldn't take any more stupidity today.
-stupid, squeaky shopping cart. not a person, but still annoyed the heck out of me.
-people who call up the pharmacy and say "fill everything we got last time." there will always be something they don't need. "what? why did you fill this?! i don't need this! take it back!" freaking a. how hard is it to call in a list of numbers? oh wait, your fingers are too "swollen" to actually use a pen to write down the rx's you need or to even pick up the bottle so you can read the number off to us over the phone. agh.
-so it's bad enough when you have people freak out at you, let alone when they're people you actually know outside of the pharmacy and know quite well. granted, this woman didn't get in to an all-out freak-out, but she was almost there. i would have lost it if she had started yelling at me, as she was practically like a second mother to me while i was growing up. apparently once you put on the white coat, you're no longer a human being. my favorite though is when people from our old neighborhood come in and no longer recognize me and act like total beasts. they always pull this line of "well, i know the owner and he ALWAYS does this for me." to which i want to reply, "yeah, well, i grew up in the same neighborhood and i know the owner too, actually have known him since i was pretty much BORN, but he's not here and i'm NOT going to do it for you."
-people, especially women, who call in with a question, but when they hear a girl on the line, they always instruct us to ask one of the 2 men who work there. my sweet, female pharmacist got that earlier this week.
patient: oh, well, will you just ask bob (not real pharmacist's name) what he thinks?
pharmD: actually, i AM the pharmacist, and here's what's going on....(proceeds to answer question competently)
i love how customers doubt our knowledge (well, mainly her knowledge as i don't even know 1/32nd of what she does) just because we're young and female. i get this a lot too in chemistry and math classes. my favorite is when it's other women doubting you. seriously, whatever happened to feminism? do you refuse to vote as well because that's your husband's domain? i just love it when i get these weird stares from boys (and occasionally girls) when i answer a question correctly in class that had all of them scratching their heads. yes, you can be smart, strong, AND feminine. WOW! it's revolutionary!
so that's about it. a day of rest and then back to the grindstone. whooo.
Friday, May 30, 2008
way to be a friend
sometimes i think i'm still in junior high. tonight is one of those times.
i love how you can be friends with someone since before forever. yet when newer and supposedly "cooler" people come along, they push you aside like yesterday's garbage. and just what makes these people so cool? just because they'll drink and party and make you feel good about your bad and stupid decisions? whereas i probably wouldn't let you get yourself into trouble and would prevent you from being a total idiot, just because i care about you. i love how you only invited me to hang out with them once and proceeded to ignore me the entire time. way to be a true friend. after that, i never received another invitation. not that i would accept anyway. i prefer to hang out with people who have a collective iq that is higher than 2. way to pick friends who only care about their looks, drinking, and partying as much as possible. we'll see who your true friends are soon enough. who will still be there when you get married? when you have your first kid? when you have your first grandchild? i'm guessing not them, self-absorbed as they are. but me, who you treat like crap on the bottom of your shoe, who you ignore, will always be there, when you're ready to come to your senses. guess what? as soon as you start to settle down, go to the bars and clubs less, you'll stop being cool to them. they'll move on without you. i'll be here though. just like always. little reliable laura. always there when you're in a pickle. always run to me when life sucks, then ditch me when it gets good again. fine by me. it's the role i've chosen. but keep it up and sometime soon you'll find yourself falling flat on your face without me there to pick you up again. then you'll see how it feels to be abandoned.
i love how you can be friends with someone since before forever. yet when newer and supposedly "cooler" people come along, they push you aside like yesterday's garbage. and just what makes these people so cool? just because they'll drink and party and make you feel good about your bad and stupid decisions? whereas i probably wouldn't let you get yourself into trouble and would prevent you from being a total idiot, just because i care about you. i love how you only invited me to hang out with them once and proceeded to ignore me the entire time. way to be a true friend. after that, i never received another invitation. not that i would accept anyway. i prefer to hang out with people who have a collective iq that is higher than 2. way to pick friends who only care about their looks, drinking, and partying as much as possible. we'll see who your true friends are soon enough. who will still be there when you get married? when you have your first kid? when you have your first grandchild? i'm guessing not them, self-absorbed as they are. but me, who you treat like crap on the bottom of your shoe, who you ignore, will always be there, when you're ready to come to your senses. guess what? as soon as you start to settle down, go to the bars and clubs less, you'll stop being cool to them. they'll move on without you. i'll be here though. just like always. little reliable laura. always there when you're in a pickle. always run to me when life sucks, then ditch me when it gets good again. fine by me. it's the role i've chosen. but keep it up and sometime soon you'll find yourself falling flat on your face without me there to pick you up again. then you'll see how it feels to be abandoned.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
happy memorial day!
first off, thank you pharmLand for linking my blog! it's kind of funny to see how my pagecount has skyrocketed the past couple days.
it's days like today i'm glad i work for an independent. no work for me on memorial day! and bonus points for no work tomorrow as i have class. :) i feel sorry for all my fellow pharmacy staff members out there who have to deal with the nightmare that is a post-holiday-monday tuesday. i remember last year working that tuesday. it was my first real experience with how insane pharmacy work can be. ah, those were the days. back when i was young, and naive and believed that "no way would a doctor actually write for that high of a dose of oxycontin!"
on a side note, breast-feeding in public is gross. especially when there are boys sitting at the same table as you (the breast-feeder) who are between the ages of 16 and 23. and especially when i get flashed by you as you get ready to give baby his dinner. seriously. i'm all for breast-feeding. really. but not in public. why is it okay to show your boobs when there's a baby attached, but not otherwise? i'm glad you're using your child as an excuse to show the goods off to the entire restaurant.
/end rant.
it's days like today i'm glad i work for an independent. no work for me on memorial day! and bonus points for no work tomorrow as i have class. :) i feel sorry for all my fellow pharmacy staff members out there who have to deal with the nightmare that is a post-holiday-monday tuesday. i remember last year working that tuesday. it was my first real experience with how insane pharmacy work can be. ah, those were the days. back when i was young, and naive and believed that "no way would a doctor actually write for that high of a dose of oxycontin!"
on a side note, breast-feeding in public is gross. especially when there are boys sitting at the same table as you (the breast-feeder) who are between the ages of 16 and 23. and especially when i get flashed by you as you get ready to give baby his dinner. seriously. i'm all for breast-feeding. really. but not in public. why is it okay to show your boobs when there's a baby attached, but not otherwise? i'm glad you're using your child as an excuse to show the goods off to the entire restaurant.
/end rant.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
i couldn't hear with your voice ringing in my ears
that is from "make you smile" by plus 44, for those of you who don't know.
for once i have no stupid customer stories or anything to get off my chest that i'm angry about. mainly just bored. so to kill the next 20 minutes or so, i'm doing a survey. feel free to stop reading now, as you probably won't find it very interesting.
60 things you may not have known about me until you read this...
What is in the back of your car?
nothing in the back seat. in the trunk i have a blanket, tennis shoes, socks, an emergency kit, a reusable shopping bag for groceries, a jack, and other various tire-changing tools.
What color is your toothbrush?
pink.
Name one person that made you smile today?
alanna.
What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
tch. heck, i was still asleep! no work or school today!
What were you doing 45 minutes ago?
online shopping for day planners.
What is your favorite candy bar?
oooh. i don't know. probably a snickers.
Have you ever been to a strip club?
negatory.
What is the last thing you said aloud?
"that's cool!" - commenting on nico rosberg's 6th place starting postion at the monaco gp.
What is the best ice cream flavor?
ben and jerry's new york super fudge chunk or chocolate brownie.
What was the last thing you had to drink?
diet coke.
What are you wearing right now?
american eagle jeans, new pink shirt from steve & barry's, and a pink billabong jacket.
What was the last thing you ate?
winger's cookie and ice cream dessert.
Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
oh of course. i went shopping at steve & barry's and got 3 new shrits, a jacket, and some capris. also went to the wally-mart and got some cheap workout pants.
When was the last time you ran?
ooh, not such a big fan of the running. more of a biking kind of gal.
The last sporting event you watched?
in its entirety? a gymanstics meet.
What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?
carmel. or plain.
Who is the last person you sent a comment/message on myspace?
christina.
Ever go camping?
yep. used to go once a year. haven't been for 2 years or so though.
Do you take vitamins daily?
ha, when i remember and go on a sudden health binge.
Do you go to church every Sunday?
i should. do i? not really.
Do you have a tan?
i'm trying to get a fake tan by using that nivea tanning lotion. not working so hot though.
Do you like Chinese food over pizza?
ew, no.
Do you drink your soda with a straw?
depends. if it's in a can, no.
What did your last text message say?
"she abandoned you huh?"
Are you someone's best friend?
well, i think so. if not, i should stop hanging out with her, as she's awfully bossy when we go to the gym.
What are you doing tomorrow?
church, homework, reading, making haystack cookies.
Where is your dad?
in the room across the hall, on his computer.
Look to your left, what do you see?
a door.
What color is your watch?
silver. same old fossil i've had since junior year of high school.
What do you think of when you think of Australia?
"wtf, mate?"
Do you use chap stick?
not necessarily that brand, but yes, i do.
What is your birthstone?
topaz.
Do you go in at fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
i am the a-typical lazy american when it comes to fast food restaurants. i use the drive through. however, i NEVER use a pharmacy drive through. i'm much less worried about wendy's screwing up my order by having them work super fast than i am about the pharmacy screwing up by making them work too fast.
What is your favorite number?
6.022x10^23
Do you have a dog?
no. although my cat acts like one
Last person you talked to on the phone?
alanna
Have you met anyone famous?
i once knew the ex-drummer of good charlotte who is the current drummer for the summer obsession.
Any plans today?
today is now tomorrow. so, no.
How many states have you lived in?
1
Ever go to college?
currently going.
Do you dye your hair?
nope. my mother would kill me. and i know i'd never get it back to my original color. i've watched my sister go through that.
Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
my cat crawling all over my desk.
Can you say the alphabet backwards?
if i take my time.
Do you have a maid service clean your house?
um, i think my mom would get mad if i called her a maid.
Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
i try not to play favoritism with mychildren shoes.
Are you jealous of anyone?
psht. people should be jealous of me.
Is anyone jealous of you?
see above.
Do you love anyone?
love? we'll see. it's much too early to tell.
Do any of your friends have children?
ew, sick! well, not friends, but acquaintances. and by this, i mean friends of the same age as me. i do have older friends and colleagues who DO have children.
Do you eat healthy?
i try.
What do you usually do during the day?
either school or work.
Do you hate anyone that you know right now?
of course.
Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
yeah.
What color is your car?
white with some nice rust spots. which will hopefully be removed very soon.
for once i have no stupid customer stories or anything to get off my chest that i'm angry about. mainly just bored. so to kill the next 20 minutes or so, i'm doing a survey. feel free to stop reading now, as you probably won't find it very interesting.
60 things you may not have known about me until you read this...
What is in the back of your car?
nothing in the back seat. in the trunk i have a blanket, tennis shoes, socks, an emergency kit, a reusable shopping bag for groceries, a jack, and other various tire-changing tools.
What color is your toothbrush?
pink.
Name one person that made you smile today?
alanna.
What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
tch. heck, i was still asleep! no work or school today!
What were you doing 45 minutes ago?
online shopping for day planners.
What is your favorite candy bar?
oooh. i don't know. probably a snickers.
Have you ever been to a strip club?
negatory.
What is the last thing you said aloud?
"that's cool!" - commenting on nico rosberg's 6th place starting postion at the monaco gp.
What is the best ice cream flavor?
ben and jerry's new york super fudge chunk or chocolate brownie.
What was the last thing you had to drink?
diet coke.
What are you wearing right now?
american eagle jeans, new pink shirt from steve & barry's, and a pink billabong jacket.
What was the last thing you ate?
winger's cookie and ice cream dessert.
Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
oh of course. i went shopping at steve & barry's and got 3 new shrits, a jacket, and some capris. also went to the wally-mart and got some cheap workout pants.
When was the last time you ran?
ooh, not such a big fan of the running. more of a biking kind of gal.
The last sporting event you watched?
in its entirety? a gymanstics meet.
What is your favorite flavor of popcorn?
carmel. or plain.
Who is the last person you sent a comment/message on myspace?
christina.
Ever go camping?
yep. used to go once a year. haven't been for 2 years or so though.
Do you take vitamins daily?
ha, when i remember and go on a sudden health binge.
Do you go to church every Sunday?
i should. do i? not really.
Do you have a tan?
i'm trying to get a fake tan by using that nivea tanning lotion. not working so hot though.
Do you like Chinese food over pizza?
ew, no.
Do you drink your soda with a straw?
depends. if it's in a can, no.
What did your last text message say?
"she abandoned you huh?"
Are you someone's best friend?
well, i think so. if not, i should stop hanging out with her, as she's awfully bossy when we go to the gym.
What are you doing tomorrow?
church, homework, reading, making haystack cookies.
Where is your dad?
in the room across the hall, on his computer.
Look to your left, what do you see?
a door.
What color is your watch?
silver. same old fossil i've had since junior year of high school.
What do you think of when you think of Australia?
"wtf, mate?"
Do you use chap stick?
not necessarily that brand, but yes, i do.
What is your birthstone?
topaz.
Do you go in at fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
i am the a-typical lazy american when it comes to fast food restaurants. i use the drive through. however, i NEVER use a pharmacy drive through. i'm much less worried about wendy's screwing up my order by having them work super fast than i am about the pharmacy screwing up by making them work too fast.
What is your favorite number?
6.022x10^23
Do you have a dog?
no. although my cat acts like one
Last person you talked to on the phone?
alanna
Have you met anyone famous?
i once knew the ex-drummer of good charlotte who is the current drummer for the summer obsession.
Any plans today?
today is now tomorrow. so, no.
How many states have you lived in?
1
Ever go to college?
currently going.
Do you dye your hair?
nope. my mother would kill me. and i know i'd never get it back to my original color. i've watched my sister go through that.
Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
my cat crawling all over my desk.
Can you say the alphabet backwards?
if i take my time.
Do you have a maid service clean your house?
um, i think my mom would get mad if i called her a maid.
Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
i try not to play favoritism with my
Are you jealous of anyone?
psht. people should be jealous of me.
Is anyone jealous of you?
see above.
Do you love anyone?
love? we'll see. it's much too early to tell.
Do any of your friends have children?
ew, sick! well, not friends, but acquaintances. and by this, i mean friends of the same age as me. i do have older friends and colleagues who DO have children.
Do you eat healthy?
i try.
What do you usually do during the day?
either school or work.
Do you hate anyone that you know right now?
of course.
Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
yeah.
What color is your car?
white with some nice rust spots. which will hopefully be removed very soon.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
stupid drug addicts pt. 2
so a while back i wrote about the kid who came in to get needles for his "mom" but it was actually his "friend's mom," wait, no his "friend's mom's dog." i think we heard from him again today, judging by the intelligence of a particular caller.
*phone rings*
me: pharmacy, tech speaking.
man: uh, yeah, i have a family membe-well, more like a frie-well, he's like a really close friend and so he's like a family member.................and he has cancer. can i get his prescription filled for him?
me: that depends. what is it for? [as if i don't know the answer]
man: uh, oxycodone.
me: well, we're going to need you to bring in your license if you're going to pick it up.
man: okay. the other pharmacy said i couldn't fill it for him and he had to come in and get it but how's he supposed to get it? he's like really sick. he's like almost dead. [note: there was no choking up, no sadness in his voice. when he said "he's like almost dead" it was in a tone of voice that could have said "he's like wearing a green shirt." he continues on for a good two or three minutes telling me how his "friend" is "dying."]
me: let me put you on hold and make sure that i'm telling you the right thing.
so i put our crazy friend on hold, tell my pharmacist and we both know that he's lying. he's obviously stolen someone's prescription. so she decides that really the only thing we can do is tell him that we have to have positive ID for both him and his "friend." i get back on the phone to tell him this and all he says is "oh, okay, well.......i'll uh....have to tell my.... uhh.....friend. 'bye."
sometimes you need these people in your life to make you realize just how blessed you are to have more than 2 functioning brain cells.
also you need someone stupid like this to cheer you up after a fellow coworker (who is NOT a tech nor a pharmacist) has just reprimanded you in front of a customer (for something that was actually common sense if they had taken more than 2 seconds to think it through) and treated you like a 2-year-old.
*phone rings*
me: pharmacy, tech speaking.
man: uh, yeah, i have a family membe-well, more like a frie-well, he's like a really close friend and so he's like a family member.................and he has cancer. can i get his prescription filled for him?
me: that depends. what is it for? [as if i don't know the answer]
man: uh, oxycodone.
me: well, we're going to need you to bring in your license if you're going to pick it up.
man: okay. the other pharmacy said i couldn't fill it for him and he had to come in and get it but how's he supposed to get it? he's like really sick. he's like almost dead. [note: there was no choking up, no sadness in his voice. when he said "he's like almost dead" it was in a tone of voice that could have said "he's like wearing a green shirt." he continues on for a good two or three minutes telling me how his "friend" is "dying."]
me: let me put you on hold and make sure that i'm telling you the right thing.
so i put our crazy friend on hold, tell my pharmacist and we both know that he's lying. he's obviously stolen someone's prescription. so she decides that really the only thing we can do is tell him that we have to have positive ID for both him and his "friend." i get back on the phone to tell him this and all he says is "oh, okay, well.......i'll uh....have to tell my.... uhh.....friend. 'bye."
sometimes you need these people in your life to make you realize just how blessed you are to have more than 2 functioning brain cells.
also you need someone stupid like this to cheer you up after a fellow coworker (who is NOT a tech nor a pharmacist) has just reprimanded you in front of a customer (for something that was actually common sense if they had taken more than 2 seconds to think it through) and treated you like a 2-year-old.
Monday, May 19, 2008
if i had my own world
i would ban oxycontin.
but that's beside the point and really has nothing to do with what i want to talk about. except that i really like the new angels and airwaves song "secret crowds." also i listened to mates of state for the first time tonight and think they rock. i will be doing further investigation to see just how much they rock. i also bought the new Ludo cd a couple days ago. i've only listened to it once and not very closely, at that. it sounds pretty good though.
so question for any pharmacy people who happen to read this. has anyone heard of adderall xr going generic? my pharmacist has heard rumors about it, but we haven't seen anything concrete until today when i went to fill a prescription through Community Care RX for adderall xr and rejected it, saying that the "amphetamine sr" was preferred. unfortunately CCRX was closed when i tried to call them, so i don't know what's going on. i checked our wholesalers and none of them are stocking the generic. so if you know anything about this, i would greatly appreciate the info.
lastly, the only person who really bothered me today was the following. a man called in today asking if a hormone replacement drug that we compound was ready. it was, and for some reason or another, his name stuck out to me. i remembered who he was a couple hours later when he came in to pick it up. because his name rung a bell, i also remembered that he had never filled this prescription before, and had never filled anything with us before. i made a point of specifically asking him if he had any questions for the pharmacist. he told me no and walked away. 20 minutes before we closed, we got a call from his wife. she said she had some questions for the pharmacist about his medication as he didn't ask for any literature and the pharmacist hadn't offered to consult him on his medication. to which i replied i remembered clearly asking him if he wanted to speak to the pharmacist and he turned it down. she then brushed it off with a "oh, well, that's just like my husband." i hope she yells at him tonight for blaming us for his not being informed and making her look like an idiot.
but that's beside the point and really has nothing to do with what i want to talk about. except that i really like the new angels and airwaves song "secret crowds." also i listened to mates of state for the first time tonight and think they rock. i will be doing further investigation to see just how much they rock. i also bought the new Ludo cd a couple days ago. i've only listened to it once and not very closely, at that. it sounds pretty good though.
so question for any pharmacy people who happen to read this. has anyone heard of adderall xr going generic? my pharmacist has heard rumors about it, but we haven't seen anything concrete until today when i went to fill a prescription through Community Care RX for adderall xr and rejected it, saying that the "amphetamine sr" was preferred. unfortunately CCRX was closed when i tried to call them, so i don't know what's going on. i checked our wholesalers and none of them are stocking the generic. so if you know anything about this, i would greatly appreciate the info.
lastly, the only person who really bothered me today was the following. a man called in today asking if a hormone replacement drug that we compound was ready. it was, and for some reason or another, his name stuck out to me. i remembered who he was a couple hours later when he came in to pick it up. because his name rung a bell, i also remembered that he had never filled this prescription before, and had never filled anything with us before. i made a point of specifically asking him if he had any questions for the pharmacist. he told me no and walked away. 20 minutes before we closed, we got a call from his wife. she said she had some questions for the pharmacist about his medication as he didn't ask for any literature and the pharmacist hadn't offered to consult him on his medication. to which i replied i remembered clearly asking him if he wanted to speak to the pharmacist and he turned it down. she then brushed it off with a "oh, well, that's just like my husband." i hope she yells at him tonight for blaming us for his not being informed and making her look like an idiot.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
best sign idea ever
one more thought for today. i saw this when reading through the comments on an old news article:
"If you want your prescription filled instantly, please go elsewhere and have that pharmacist kill you."
if i end up going into retail pharm, and am not a corporate puppet, i will so be hanging that sign up.
another comment i thoroughly enjoyed:
"Well, America if you treat picking up a prescription like getting a #1 supersized big mac meal at McDonalds, then dont complain about the service.
Honestly, everyone makes mistakes and it is only right that they own up to it, but dont act as if you dont have a part in the system that allowed the mistake.
Can anyone tell me the difference between a Mcdonalds restaurant and a Walgreens pharmacy (well, besides the burger and fries)?"
i think next time someone starts asking me or a clerk "how much longer?" when only 2 minutes have passed, i'm going to start fighting back. well, maybe not. as i do actually enjoy keeping my job. one day though. one day. then i will reply "how come if you're starving, you're willing to wait 30 minutes for a meal at a restaurant or a pizza to be delivered, yet you can't wait the same amount of time for your cialis/ambien/lortab/oxycontin? i have yet to here of a case where someone died while waiting 5 minutes to get their narcotics filled.
"If you want your prescription filled instantly, please go elsewhere and have that pharmacist kill you."
if i end up going into retail pharm, and am not a corporate puppet, i will so be hanging that sign up.
another comment i thoroughly enjoyed:
"Well, America if you treat picking up a prescription like getting a #1 supersized big mac meal at McDonalds, then dont complain about the service.
Honestly, everyone makes mistakes and it is only right that they own up to it, but dont act as if you dont have a part in the system that allowed the mistake.
Can anyone tell me the difference between a Mcdonalds restaurant and a Walgreens pharmacy (well, besides the burger and fries)?"
i think next time someone starts asking me or a clerk "how much longer?" when only 2 minutes have passed, i'm going to start fighting back. well, maybe not. as i do actually enjoy keeping my job. one day though. one day. then i will reply "how come if you're starving, you're willing to wait 30 minutes for a meal at a restaurant or a pizza to be delivered, yet you can't wait the same amount of time for your cialis/ambien/lortab/oxycontin? i have yet to here of a case where someone died while waiting 5 minutes to get their narcotics filled.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
oh how true it is
so i've loved PhD comics ever since i worked in a graduate research lab for a year or so. i happened to be printing up some papers and noticed a comic about undergrads by jorge cham sitting next to the printer. and i loved it because it was so true. once again, he speaks words of wisdom:
Friday, May 16, 2008
i never thought i'd say this...
...but obviously congress is LISTENING!
YES!
for the past few months we have been receiving several calls at the pharmacy regarding the FDA's ban of estriol-containing medications. since the FDA decided to follow the advice of wyeth (insert appropriate swear words here) and decide that they knew better than all of europe, where estriol has been tested and tried for YEARS, insurance companies have been refusing to pay for any hormone replacement therapy billed under an estriol NDC.
and our government is actually telling the FDA that they are wrong. i have since become even MORE excited to learn that the house's resolution has moved on to the committee on energy and commerce, of which my house representative is a member. my rep is ALSO a member of the health subcommittee. make no mistake, i will be writing to him immediately.
as for wyeth pharmaceuticals, can you say HYPOCRISY? so apparently estriol is dangerous for american women, but you feel quite happy about your decision to market not one but TWO estriol containing medications to european women? i suppose you're just more concerned about americans. that or you're all gigantic TOOLS. oh, and what was that other little thing? oh, that's right. wyeth is also the company that manufactures PremPro and Premarin which, unlike estriol, have been PROVEN to cause heart disease, strokes, and cancer. thanks for marketing THAT.
on the other hand, unlike wyeth's SYNTHETIC hormones, estriol has been found to not only be quite safe, but may actually make estrone and estradiol safer to use than if they are used on their own.
as you can tell, i'm a bit worked up. if you want to read up more about the estriol "controversy" (a.k.a. the FDA and wyeth having their heads shoved up their rear ends) i recommend the following sites:
The House Resolution
wyeth's amazing ability to be complete tools
Oxford study on safety and efficacy of estriol
our own NIH's research
a study done in california on estriol safety FIVE years ago
see if your representative is on the health subcommittee
now, do your research. become informed. and then tell your house rep that you don't want big drug manufacturers telling you (or the special women in your life) what you can or cannot take.
(oh, and as an added bonus, estriol might also help relieve symptoms of MS!)
if only commissioner von Eschenbach could change from a 67 year old man to a 67 year old woman suffering from hot flashes. maybe then he'd think twice before listening to ANOTHER middle aged man (bernard poussot, ceo of wyeth). trust me guys, i've seen 50 and 60 year old women when they can't get their HRT right then. they get mad. if i were you, i'd go into hiding.
last of all, a big DUH goes out to the study funded by GSK that showed people who have higher copays are more likely to be noncompliant with their drug routines. so when i tell my patient that they have a $50 copay for some new brand diabetic drug, i'll then tell them that the drug companies charge pharmacies an arm and a leg and those high costs are then filtered down to the patient. but don't worry! that $600 a year is going to research and funding studies! just like this one. next time GSK, just come ask me. i could have told you that in five minutes. and i would have only asked that you give me a month supply of one medication free, instead of spending millions to fund this "study."
YES!
for the past few months we have been receiving several calls at the pharmacy regarding the FDA's ban of estriol-containing medications. since the FDA decided to follow the advice of wyeth (insert appropriate swear words here) and decide that they knew better than all of europe, where estriol has been tested and tried for YEARS, insurance companies have been refusing to pay for any hormone replacement therapy billed under an estriol NDC.
and our government is actually telling the FDA that they are wrong. i have since become even MORE excited to learn that the house's resolution has moved on to the committee on energy and commerce, of which my house representative is a member. my rep is ALSO a member of the health subcommittee. make no mistake, i will be writing to him immediately.
as for wyeth pharmaceuticals, can you say HYPOCRISY? so apparently estriol is dangerous for american women, but you feel quite happy about your decision to market not one but TWO estriol containing medications to european women? i suppose you're just more concerned about americans. that or you're all gigantic TOOLS. oh, and what was that other little thing? oh, that's right. wyeth is also the company that manufactures PremPro and Premarin which, unlike estriol, have been PROVEN to cause heart disease, strokes, and cancer. thanks for marketing THAT.
on the other hand, unlike wyeth's SYNTHETIC hormones, estriol has been found to not only be quite safe, but may actually make estrone and estradiol safer to use than if they are used on their own.
as you can tell, i'm a bit worked up. if you want to read up more about the estriol "controversy" (a.k.a. the FDA and wyeth having their heads shoved up their rear ends) i recommend the following sites:
The House Resolution
wyeth's amazing ability to be complete tools
Oxford study on safety and efficacy of estriol
our own NIH's research
a study done in california on estriol safety FIVE years ago
see if your representative is on the health subcommittee
now, do your research. become informed. and then tell your house rep that you don't want big drug manufacturers telling you (or the special women in your life) what you can or cannot take.
(oh, and as an added bonus, estriol might also help relieve symptoms of MS!)
if only commissioner von Eschenbach could change from a 67 year old man to a 67 year old woman suffering from hot flashes. maybe then he'd think twice before listening to ANOTHER middle aged man (bernard poussot, ceo of wyeth). trust me guys, i've seen 50 and 60 year old women when they can't get their HRT right then. they get mad. if i were you, i'd go into hiding.
last of all, a big DUH goes out to the study funded by GSK that showed people who have higher copays are more likely to be noncompliant with their drug routines. so when i tell my patient that they have a $50 copay for some new brand diabetic drug, i'll then tell them that the drug companies charge pharmacies an arm and a leg and those high costs are then filtered down to the patient. but don't worry! that $600 a year is going to research and funding studies! just like this one. next time GSK, just come ask me. i could have told you that in five minutes. and i would have only asked that you give me a month supply of one medication free, instead of spending millions to fund this "study."
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
one week down....
well i'm back to working full time again, now that school is out. it's been kind of insanse, actually. i forgot how draining working 3 9-hour shifts in a row can be. here's what's been going on at work:
the pharmacy was broken into last thursday morning, at around 1 a.m. we have surveillance tape of the robbery, but we can't tell who it is, as the person is wearing a mask. we know that they have been in the pharmacy at least once, however, as they went directly to the shelf that had oxycontin. luckily we have a gate and they couldn't climb over the back. however, they started randomly pulling ready prescriptions out of the bins and stuffing them in to a bag. they mostly got away with just compound hormone replacement therapy, but they also got a klonopin and a valium, as well as some pretty expensive non-controlled drugs. everything's back to normal now. we do have our suspicions on who we think it is, but no solid proof. so it looks like we'll just eat our losses and continue on.
there haven't been any extremely crazy patients lately. just a lot of picky ones. today in particular. especially with duragesic patches, it seems. one person wanted 2 boxes of one brand and one box of another. another lady's insurance wasn't paying us enough for one brand so we tried to substitute it for another, cheaper brand, and she freaked out. yet another lady told me i gave her the wrong lamictal, although i verified that we really did give her the strength the doctor ordered. she still didn't believe me and is going to see her doctor tomorrow and ask him about this.
apparently insurance companies hate lovenox just as much as i hate trying to make them pay for it. one man's copay came back as well over $500 for 3 boxes of it. another lady's insurance is raking us, her, and the doctor's office over the coals to try and get the prior auth done. the nurse told us the patient may just have to pay out of pocket. except i'm pretty sure her only income is her social security check, so i have no idea how that is supposed to work.
i love when people call me who already have a thick accent, then they have a lot of background noise, so their yelling at me. especially when i'm trying to get their information down so we can properly fill their medication and don't end up killing them. okay, so maybe that's an exaggeration. getting the wrong address won't kill you. but getting the wrong drug allergies might. regardless, it's still annoying. i'm not saying speak english flawlessly. i'm just saying, if you know you have an accent, try to go somewhere quieter and speak in a normal register so you don't have to repeat everything 20 times.
i also love when girls who are my age come in to get prescriptions filled and are obviously trying to look like they're still in junior high. not that i'm old by any means. i've just matured enough to the point where i know it's not okay to where a whole thing of glitter on your face. it wasn't even okay in junior high, but for some reason we thought we were hot.
stupid man at the gym is driving me insane. every time i go there, he asks me "your membership is up for renewal, can i do that for you now?" i've told him repeatedly that i might not be in this state next year, depending on pharmacy schools, so no, you cannot renew my membership until i know what i'm doing. and that won't be for a while, friend.
i think my brain shuts off once school is out. i mixed up 2 patients yesterday. it wasn't a big deal, no drug mix ups or anything. just told one person they were getting something delivered when they really weren't. luckily they were very nice about the whole misunderstanding. i also forgot to get a dr.'s DEA# about 5 times today while calling on the above lovenox PA. it was basically one of those days where you just want to throw in the towel and go lie down for a bit. we weren't even really that busy. i guess i was just having an off day.
the oxycontin filling has been pretty average this week. no crazy addicts to tell you about. they're my favorites. you always need at least one completely insane person each day to give you something to laugh about and get you through the day.
we did have one guy call us saturday who was speaking to my pharmacist and was very worried that we had given him morphine instead of his roxicodone "or roxicets, as they're known on the streets, in case you didn't know. that's a nickname for them." really. i totally wouldn't have known that. thank you for enlightening me with your druggie knowledge. i did open up the first bottle of oxycontin 15's this week. it actually made me kind of sad. pretty soon it's going to be like baskin robbins. "31 flavors of oxycontin!"
well, those are my exciting experiences for the week. pretty soon i'm starting summer classes, so we'll see how often i'm able to get on here and write.
the pharmacy was broken into last thursday morning, at around 1 a.m. we have surveillance tape of the robbery, but we can't tell who it is, as the person is wearing a mask. we know that they have been in the pharmacy at least once, however, as they went directly to the shelf that had oxycontin. luckily we have a gate and they couldn't climb over the back. however, they started randomly pulling ready prescriptions out of the bins and stuffing them in to a bag. they mostly got away with just compound hormone replacement therapy, but they also got a klonopin and a valium, as well as some pretty expensive non-controlled drugs. everything's back to normal now. we do have our suspicions on who we think it is, but no solid proof. so it looks like we'll just eat our losses and continue on.
there haven't been any extremely crazy patients lately. just a lot of picky ones. today in particular. especially with duragesic patches, it seems. one person wanted 2 boxes of one brand and one box of another. another lady's insurance wasn't paying us enough for one brand so we tried to substitute it for another, cheaper brand, and she freaked out. yet another lady told me i gave her the wrong lamictal, although i verified that we really did give her the strength the doctor ordered. she still didn't believe me and is going to see her doctor tomorrow and ask him about this.
apparently insurance companies hate lovenox just as much as i hate trying to make them pay for it. one man's copay came back as well over $500 for 3 boxes of it. another lady's insurance is raking us, her, and the doctor's office over the coals to try and get the prior auth done. the nurse told us the patient may just have to pay out of pocket. except i'm pretty sure her only income is her social security check, so i have no idea how that is supposed to work.
i love when people call me who already have a thick accent, then they have a lot of background noise, so their yelling at me. especially when i'm trying to get their information down so we can properly fill their medication and don't end up killing them. okay, so maybe that's an exaggeration. getting the wrong address won't kill you. but getting the wrong drug allergies might. regardless, it's still annoying. i'm not saying speak english flawlessly. i'm just saying, if you know you have an accent, try to go somewhere quieter and speak in a normal register so you don't have to repeat everything 20 times.
i also love when girls who are my age come in to get prescriptions filled and are obviously trying to look like they're still in junior high. not that i'm old by any means. i've just matured enough to the point where i know it's not okay to where a whole thing of glitter on your face. it wasn't even okay in junior high, but for some reason we thought we were hot.
stupid man at the gym is driving me insane. every time i go there, he asks me "your membership is up for renewal, can i do that for you now?" i've told him repeatedly that i might not be in this state next year, depending on pharmacy schools, so no, you cannot renew my membership until i know what i'm doing. and that won't be for a while, friend.
i think my brain shuts off once school is out. i mixed up 2 patients yesterday. it wasn't a big deal, no drug mix ups or anything. just told one person they were getting something delivered when they really weren't. luckily they were very nice about the whole misunderstanding. i also forgot to get a dr.'s DEA# about 5 times today while calling on the above lovenox PA. it was basically one of those days where you just want to throw in the towel and go lie down for a bit. we weren't even really that busy. i guess i was just having an off day.
the oxycontin filling has been pretty average this week. no crazy addicts to tell you about. they're my favorites. you always need at least one completely insane person each day to give you something to laugh about and get you through the day.
we did have one guy call us saturday who was speaking to my pharmacist and was very worried that we had given him morphine instead of his roxicodone "or roxicets, as they're known on the streets, in case you didn't know. that's a nickname for them." really. i totally wouldn't have known that. thank you for enlightening me with your druggie knowledge. i did open up the first bottle of oxycontin 15's this week. it actually made me kind of sad. pretty soon it's going to be like baskin robbins. "31 flavors of oxycontin!"
well, those are my exciting experiences for the week. pretty soon i'm starting summer classes, so we'll see how often i'm able to get on here and write.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
PC - political correctness and physical chemistry
two things are bothering me tonight.
1. it's 11:30 and i still haven't started studying for my 8 a.m. p chem final.
2. political correctness. being a student leader this year, i have had my vocabulary corrected time and time again. here are a list of things i CANNOT say:
-lame
-retard
-gay (as in "that's so gay")
-dorms (we need to refer to them as "residence halls." um, just because you call the dog crap on your lawn a "calling card," it doesn't make it smell any better)
and many many more. not only can we NOT say certain things, we can also NOT express our opinions or feelings. that is, unless you're not white. then go ahead. cry if you need to, blame whoever you need to. yell, scream, laugh, point fingers, whatever makes you feel better. i have known of more than one student leader this year who has been fired or threatened to be fired simply because of their paler skin and overactive tear ducts. and yet i have seen some of my latino/a friends, some of my african american friends, and some of my asian friends express the same emotions, only to receive a pat on the back.
now i agree that there are certain derogatory terms that should never be uttered by any human being. ANY. just because you have a darker skin color, you get to call others of the same shade a n*****, but if a paler person do it, they can be shot? that's like me calling my pale friends crackers but beating up anyone else who says it. i don't call them that because it is a disrespectful name and i actually RESPECT my friends. i've been called some very rude things in regards to my religion, so don't tell me i don't know what it's like to deal with prejudice. trust me. i know. if i go any where outside of my region, i will be ridiculed, i will be picked on, i will be segregated. does that mean i start crying to authorities that i'm being picked on? no. i correct those who i can. if they listen, great. if they ignore me, hey i tried. that's all i can do. just because someone has a stupid idea about a certain type of people doesn't mean it has to affect the way i live my life.
but i digress. i'm so excited to be out of my leadership position. i will be able to say whatever i want. i will be able to say "lame" without worrying about being lectured. yes, i understand where it came from. and yes, if i were to suddenly to become lame, i would still say it. i'd probably say it even more because i'd think it was funny and ironic.
i am so sick of reverse discrimination. one monday a month we had it drilled into us that white = evil and racits. you're straight and white? you're also homophobic. you're a straight, white man? start dying your skin my friend. for you are racist, sexist, and homophobic. until you get some ovaries, change your skin color, or start liking boys, well, sucks to be you. you will get passed up for job after job because companies have to fill quotas. i hate that. i hate that so much as a woman. i work hard so that i can EARN my place. i don't want it handed to me. if it came down to selecting a white, male student for medical school who was more qualified and a female student of color who was slightly less qualified but filled a "quota," i'd prefer you to take the man. i want the best of the best looking after me and mine. we already have enough doctors, PAs, NPs, and the like who can't even remember to SIGN a prescription. we need the best people we can get.
well, that's all for today. time for some p chem. maybe that's why i like chemistry so much. molecules and atoms don't care what color you are. they'll still build your DNA, the air you breathe, and the water you drink.
1. it's 11:30 and i still haven't started studying for my 8 a.m. p chem final.
2. political correctness. being a student leader this year, i have had my vocabulary corrected time and time again. here are a list of things i CANNOT say:
-lame
-retard
-gay (as in "that's so gay")
-dorms (we need to refer to them as "residence halls." um, just because you call the dog crap on your lawn a "calling card," it doesn't make it smell any better)
and many many more. not only can we NOT say certain things, we can also NOT express our opinions or feelings. that is, unless you're not white. then go ahead. cry if you need to, blame whoever you need to. yell, scream, laugh, point fingers, whatever makes you feel better. i have known of more than one student leader this year who has been fired or threatened to be fired simply because of their paler skin and overactive tear ducts. and yet i have seen some of my latino/a friends, some of my african american friends, and some of my asian friends express the same emotions, only to receive a pat on the back.
now i agree that there are certain derogatory terms that should never be uttered by any human being. ANY. just because you have a darker skin color, you get to call others of the same shade a n*****, but if a paler person do it, they can be shot? that's like me calling my pale friends crackers but beating up anyone else who says it. i don't call them that because it is a disrespectful name and i actually RESPECT my friends. i've been called some very rude things in regards to my religion, so don't tell me i don't know what it's like to deal with prejudice. trust me. i know. if i go any where outside of my region, i will be ridiculed, i will be picked on, i will be segregated. does that mean i start crying to authorities that i'm being picked on? no. i correct those who i can. if they listen, great. if they ignore me, hey i tried. that's all i can do. just because someone has a stupid idea about a certain type of people doesn't mean it has to affect the way i live my life.
but i digress. i'm so excited to be out of my leadership position. i will be able to say whatever i want. i will be able to say "lame" without worrying about being lectured. yes, i understand where it came from. and yes, if i were to suddenly to become lame, i would still say it. i'd probably say it even more because i'd think it was funny and ironic.
i am so sick of reverse discrimination. one monday a month we had it drilled into us that white = evil and racits. you're straight and white? you're also homophobic. you're a straight, white man? start dying your skin my friend. for you are racist, sexist, and homophobic. until you get some ovaries, change your skin color, or start liking boys, well, sucks to be you. you will get passed up for job after job because companies have to fill quotas. i hate that. i hate that so much as a woman. i work hard so that i can EARN my place. i don't want it handed to me. if it came down to selecting a white, male student for medical school who was more qualified and a female student of color who was slightly less qualified but filled a "quota," i'd prefer you to take the man. i want the best of the best looking after me and mine. we already have enough doctors, PAs, NPs, and the like who can't even remember to SIGN a prescription. we need the best people we can get.
well, that's all for today. time for some p chem. maybe that's why i like chemistry so much. molecules and atoms don't care what color you are. they'll still build your DNA, the air you breathe, and the water you drink.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
finals and freshman pt. 2
i think this semester the freshman have an all new goal. instead of getting completely wasted and drinking for 72 hours straight, they're seeing how many of them will get kicked out of the halls before the school year is officially up. so far i know of at least one girl on our floor. and by the sounds of it, there will be 3 or 4 boys to follow. we have 24-quiet hours during finals week, and for the most part it's been fine. but apparently tonight some boys are playing hallway basketball. i'm just waiting for the ra to walk down here and tear them a new one.
Friday, April 25, 2008
what the...GLADIATOR SANDALS?
oh come on all you fashion designers. for the love of all that is good in the world (namely stilletos and ballet flats), you people pick the next big trend to be GLADIATOR SANDALS? no one has ever looked or will ever look good in those things. not even gladiators looked that good. steve madden... i have never been so disappointed in you. and that's including the awful knock-off ugg boots you made. my sister once upon a time had gladiator sandals in the 1980s, which means they were passed on to me and i was forced to wear them in the 1990s. they were awful then, they are awful now. they're not sleek, they're not feminine, they're not cute, they're not even practical. they're just an abomination to humanity. perhaps if i start blaming global warming on them, it will be even more uncool to wear them and they can be wiped from the face of the earth.
seriously steve. try not to come up with designs while completely plastered next time, m'kay?
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
i get by with a little help from my drug addicts
sometimes you need customers who are so completely insane, so unbelievably stupid, to get through the day with a smile on your face. i'll admit that i arrived at work in a very grouchy mood. you see, i'm not a morning person and i prefer to spend the first 30 minutes to an hour after i wake up in quiet solitude, preparing to face the day. that didn't happen this morning. as much as i like my suitemate, i don't enjoy being forced to talk in the morning. and i most certainly do not like being watched as i go through my daily make-up regimen. anyway. as unsociable as i was coming into the pharmacy, i left with a big grin on my face.
it all started when my friend danny and i started texting each other about Charlie the Unicorn. man, that thing cracks me up. i have obviously spent too many years of my life hanging around keith, trent, and ryan. "it's a magical liopleurodon!" wow. anyway. so that made me burst out laughing at random times. then i had this lovely person enter my pharmacy.
man: uh, hi, my, uh, mom sent me to pick up these needles for her, uh, dog.
***BEGIN SUSPICION!***
tech: oh, okay. well, does your mother fill here?
man: yes.
tech: alright, what's her name?
man: uhhhhh............(silence)..........i.....don't......know..........
(at this point myself and the pharmacist are trying not to laugh. i'm being slightly more successful, although i have a goofy grin on my face.)
tech: wait, you don't know your mom's name?
man: uhhhh....well, actually it's, uh, my friend's mom. and, uh, i'm staying with them.
tech: well, we need a prescription in order to fill this.
man: oh, well, okay. they told me it probably wouldn't work.
(wait, who told him what wouldn't work? nothing like admitting you're trying to get needles to shoot up)
man walks out of the pharmacy. when he's about halfway to the door, my pharmacist loses it and just starts cracking up. i manage to retain my composure until i hear the door ding as it opens, then i just lay my head on the counter and start snorting uncontrollably.
these are the drug addicts i LOVE! the ones who think that even though the pharmacist has gone to 6+ years of school and the techs have even been through at least 1 year of training, they can still outsmart us. not so, friend. not so.
i thought it would be more fun to go along with it, though. be all like "oh yeah! barbara did call in that refill for fluffy. we just love fluffy! such a cute little dog!" and see the expression on his face.
it all started when my friend danny and i started texting each other about Charlie the Unicorn. man, that thing cracks me up. i have obviously spent too many years of my life hanging around keith, trent, and ryan. "it's a magical liopleurodon!" wow. anyway. so that made me burst out laughing at random times. then i had this lovely person enter my pharmacy.
man: uh, hi, my, uh, mom sent me to pick up these needles for her, uh, dog.
***BEGIN SUSPICION!***
tech: oh, okay. well, does your mother fill here?
man: yes.
tech: alright, what's her name?
man: uhhhhh............(silence)..........i.....don't......know..........
(at this point myself and the pharmacist are trying not to laugh. i'm being slightly more successful, although i have a goofy grin on my face.)
tech: wait, you don't know your mom's name?
man: uhhhh....well, actually it's, uh, my friend's mom. and, uh, i'm staying with them.
tech: well, we need a prescription in order to fill this.
man: oh, well, okay. they told me it probably wouldn't work.
(wait, who told him what wouldn't work? nothing like admitting you're trying to get needles to shoot up)
man walks out of the pharmacy. when he's about halfway to the door, my pharmacist loses it and just starts cracking up. i manage to retain my composure until i hear the door ding as it opens, then i just lay my head on the counter and start snorting uncontrollably.
these are the drug addicts i LOVE! the ones who think that even though the pharmacist has gone to 6+ years of school and the techs have even been through at least 1 year of training, they can still outsmart us. not so, friend. not so.
i thought it would be more fun to go along with it, though. be all like "oh yeah! barbara did call in that refill for fluffy. we just love fluffy! such a cute little dog!" and see the expression on his face.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
wait, it's over already?
well, only 3 official days left of classes. then 3 days of finals and i'm done for yet another semester. looking back through some photos of this year, i realize that although maybe i didn't study as hard as i should have and maybe i made some mistakes, i learned a lot about myself. i had fun, i made new friends, i became a happier, improved version of myself. i learned about love, loss, and recovery. i learned how to climb out of the holes that i dig for myself. i learned how to accept the consequences when i've done something wrong, and hold my head up high, knowing that i've learned from my mistakes. i've learned that sometimes people will hurt you, sometimes they'll annoy you, sometimes they'll be there for you, sometimes they'll let you fall on your butt, and sometimes there isn't anyone around when you need them. but that's why it is so iimportant to discover who you are, for those times when you're all alone and you need a friend. i've talked myself in and out and through a lot of crap this past year, heck, the past 3 years. yes i have regrets. who doesn't? but instead of dwelling on what i could've should've would've done, i move on. what will happen next year? who knows. what do i want to do with my life? well, i have a couple ideas. i guess i'm just waiting for things to fall as they may and i'll take life as it comes. i think the most important thing i learned this year is how to love again. how to open up and trust. it took a lot longer than i would've liked, but at least i'm here again. sure i didn't have a wild and crazy dating life, but that's not me. that's not what i wanted. i know that when, if i find someone it will be real. it will be forever. and i'm not in a rush to get there. i'm young and have my whole life ahead of me. i just want to enjoy as much of it as i can. i may not change the world. i may not cure cancer or save a life. but if i can live my life to the best of my ability and be the best version of myself, then that's enough. that's all i ask. i will forever and always remember how i convinced becca that all germs were green. i will remember learning just exactly what bacon is. and i'm pretty sure i'll always remember where the psoas major is. i'll always know that struzzo is ostrich in italian and that one of my heroes bears a strong resemblance to a squirrel. i've definitely learned my lesson about going after something you want, otherwise that something may be married the next time you see it. i'll remember what it feels like to lose a beloved pet and yet find room in your heart to adopt a new member of the family. i'll always remember going to concerts with christina and dancing like a fool, but not caring. i'll remember the sound of thousands of young girls screaming as the jonas brothers came on stage, me and alanna screaming with them. i'll remember bad meals at the hc, and not much better meals at village inn at 2 a.m. i'll remember my first facial and falling asleep during it. i'll remember going to institute and baskin robbins with my sister and growing closer. i'll remember stealing kalie from archana and sending ransom notes for her safe return. i'll remember a crazy 21st princess birthday party, playing high school mystery date, and ordering my own cinderella cake from baskin robbins, the boy working there thinking i'm a complete nut. i'll remember all the old ladies at the pharmacy, the angry ones, the nice ones, the very sick ones. i'll forever remember "m&mies" and certain customers who can always make your day. i'll unfortunately remember kidney stones and illness after illness after "supposed" illness only to find out there's nothing wrong with me. i'll remember how to live a little more healthily and to always take care of my body first and foremost. i'll remember quiet nights filled with despair only to have a letter arrive the next day to wipe away all my tears. i'll remember sudden revelations and truths becoming evident. i'll remember to never lose my faith again and that faith is something you carry on the inside, not something that's on display only once a week at church. i'll remember that a grade is just a letter, not something that determines your self worth and that you almost always have a second chance to make things right again. i'll remember our deep discussions about danny's previous life in the amish community with becca and quentin after inservice meetings. i'll remember how i held a heart and a kidney. i'll definitely always remember how gross the large intestine looks. i'll remember the day i sat in geometry learning what makes a point a point and a line a line. i'll remember saturday nights and winger's and sunday nights at home. i'll remember my parents being my safety net, always there to catch me when i fall.
it's hard to think that all of this has just been from a year, and i've already been through three with one more to go. it makes me a little hopeful, a little scared, a little excited, and a little apprehensive for my (hopefully) last year at the U. but i know that no matter what happens or where life takes me, i have excellent friends, a great family, and a love for myself to get me through it. so thanks to everyone who has been with me on this wild ride.
it's hard to think that all of this has just been from a year, and i've already been through three with one more to go. it makes me a little hopeful, a little scared, a little excited, and a little apprehensive for my (hopefully) last year at the U. but i know that no matter what happens or where life takes me, i have excellent friends, a great family, and a love for myself to get me through it. so thanks to everyone who has been with me on this wild ride.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
stupid license plate covers pt. 2
i'm beginning to hate license plate covers. yes, i have one. no, i don't like it. not since my career goals have changed from "become president" to "become pharmacist." but enough about my stupidity. let's talk about someone else's.
today's license plate cover:
LIFEGUARDS
Save Lives
well there's a big fat DUH. isn't that implied in the name LIFE GUARD? someone who GUARDS other people's LIVES? definitely not as bad as my friend from cardinal health (which everyone at my pharmacy got a kick out of) but still pretty darn stupid.
today's license plate cover:
LIFEGUARDS
Save Lives
well there's a big fat DUH. isn't that implied in the name LIFE GUARD? someone who GUARDS other people's LIVES? definitely not as bad as my friend from cardinal health (which everyone at my pharmacy got a kick out of) but still pretty darn stupid.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
yay for oxycontin!
today we had at least 4 drug dealers in our pharmacy at one time. we sold 2 of them between $1200 and $2000 worth of oxycontin. my pharmacist was frustrated because we know what these guys are doing, but we can't really just say we're not filling the prescription without a valid reason, especially when everything SEEMS to be in order. i have overcome my anger by knowing that we can hike up our prices sky high, they'll still pay for it, pharmacy makes more money, and i get a higher salary. i know that sounds horrible, but there are a million and 5 reasons to get angry every day that you work in a pharmacy. you have to learn to pick your battles.
Monday, April 14, 2008
cardinal health = evil incarnate?
i have long suspected that cardinal health was run by the spawn of satan. or complete imbeciles. especially since it seems that most of their employees are incapable of correctly loading labels into a printer and then matching those labels with the correct order, or even simply remembering to print labels. i seem to have been proven correct.
today while driving to my parents' house for dinner, i noticed a car i was driving behind had a license plate cover that said "Cardinal Health: Proud to be a Respiratory Therapist." the passenger in the car was smoking. that's one amazing respiratory therapist.
today while driving to my parents' house for dinner, i noticed a car i was driving behind had a license plate cover that said "Cardinal Health: Proud to be a Respiratory Therapist." the passenger in the car was smoking. that's one amazing respiratory therapist.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
concerts, sickness, and more concerts
tuesday: rock in uvu with the brobecks, story of the year, and the bravery
the 3 or so songs i heard of the brobecks were amazing as usual. i'm sad i had to work and ended up missing most of what they did. i also missed ludo, which i was bummed about.
story of the year was okay. i'm kind of glad my tickets were free, actually. it was mainly just fun to watch the moshers and crowd-surfers.
the bravery was actually pretty awesome. i didn't realize how many of their songs i knew and they sounded amazing. i will definitely go see them again.
wednesday: got an ear infection. got antibiotics today. woot. 3 visits to the doctor's office in 3 weeks. let's see if i can go for 4. i also think i only need 2 more illnesses until i have a "disease BINGO!" yay! maybe my prize will be ebola.
friday: grand kerfuffle with augustana, hellogoodbye, and shiny toy guns
i missed augustana which i'm way mad about, but i heard they weren't actually that good. hellogoodbye was decent. it's hard to enjoy any music when you're just getting pushed and shoved. shiny toy guns were amazing. i will certainly go to their concert next time they're out here.
the 3 or so songs i heard of the brobecks were amazing as usual. i'm sad i had to work and ended up missing most of what they did. i also missed ludo, which i was bummed about.
story of the year was okay. i'm kind of glad my tickets were free, actually. it was mainly just fun to watch the moshers and crowd-surfers.
the bravery was actually pretty awesome. i didn't realize how many of their songs i knew and they sounded amazing. i will definitely go see them again.
wednesday: got an ear infection. got antibiotics today. woot. 3 visits to the doctor's office in 3 weeks. let's see if i can go for 4. i also think i only need 2 more illnesses until i have a "disease BINGO!" yay! maybe my prize will be ebola.
friday: grand kerfuffle with augustana, hellogoodbye, and shiny toy guns
i missed augustana which i'm way mad about, but i heard they weren't actually that good. hellogoodbye was decent. it's hard to enjoy any music when you're just getting pushed and shoved. shiny toy guns were amazing. i will certainly go to their concert next time they're out here.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
you're not fooling anyone
okay, haha. i get it. the joke's on me. very good. now, would all viral rna please vacate my body asap?
this so sucks.
this so sucks.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
you've got to be freaking kidding me
i was so good all winter long. i didn't get sick at all. i managed to avoid all the bronchitis, flu, pneumonia, and strep that was going around. i was so proud of myself for having the sense to get the flu vaccine.
WHAT THE HECK WENT WRONG?!?
now i have officially had TWO of the above diseases in the past WEEK. disease number 2: flu. so much for that painful day. GAH! now i just have to wait to be infected with pneumonia to complete the perfect trifecta of contagious diseases. i'd much rather get it over with now than later, so feel free to come cough on me at the pharmacy this week.
my white blood cells are going to get a stern talking to as soon as i can swallow something more than a popsicle.
WHAT THE HECK WENT WRONG?!?
now i have officially had TWO of the above diseases in the past WEEK. disease number 2: flu. so much for that painful day. GAH! now i just have to wait to be infected with pneumonia to complete the perfect trifecta of contagious diseases. i'd much rather get it over with now than later, so feel free to come cough on me at the pharmacy this week.
my white blood cells are going to get a stern talking to as soon as i can swallow something more than a popsicle.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
an oxycontin fun-filled day!
i want this sign hung up in my pharmacy.
"a lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."
if you're going to come get your girlfriend's oxycontin filled 10 minutes before we close, i don't want to have to wait 10 minutes after we're closed for your brother to bring the money to pay for it.
and if you can afford $630 worth of oxycontin, surely you can afford to go see a dentist every once in a while. at least 2 of the oxy patients i saw today had less than 10% of their teeth remaining. both also smelled strongly of cigarette smoke.
on a note to the purdue drug-whores, i can't believe you had the nerve to even step foot in a pharmacy, let alone try and push your "new and improved" 60 mg oxycontin tablets on us. it's because of your addiction-causing drugs that i'm forced to stay after closing hours 99% of the time. and i don't exactly appreciate the type of clientele the oxy scripts bring into us. i hope you choke on your own tablets.
"a lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."
if you're going to come get your girlfriend's oxycontin filled 10 minutes before we close, i don't want to have to wait 10 minutes after we're closed for your brother to bring the money to pay for it.
and if you can afford $630 worth of oxycontin, surely you can afford to go see a dentist every once in a while. at least 2 of the oxy patients i saw today had less than 10% of their teeth remaining. both also smelled strongly of cigarette smoke.
on a note to the purdue drug-whores, i can't believe you had the nerve to even step foot in a pharmacy, let alone try and push your "new and improved" 60 mg oxycontin tablets on us. it's because of your addiction-causing drugs that i'm forced to stay after closing hours 99% of the time. and i don't exactly appreciate the type of clientele the oxy scripts bring into us. i hope you choke on your own tablets.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
highlights from today
today a cute boy came into the pharmacy. and he DIDN'T get pain killers! just good old accutane. and he didn't even really have acne! no wedding ring either! eep! hopefully he'll come back in a month for refills and i'll be there again.
about 10 minutes to close, a lady called in saying that she was out of metformin and her blood sugar was high so she needed them refilled asap and she lived close by, so i told her it was okay and we'd get them ready for her. something about that statement didn't seem right, when i realized what it was. you don't take metformin when your blood sugar's high. it's not like insulin. but whatever. i ignored it and refilled it for her, just glad i wasn't staying after for some oxy-addict. about 2 minutes to close, my pharmacist came up to me after counseling a lady on xanax or something and told me that we already had a metformin refill ready for the lady who called me. she never picked it up last month. to which i loudly replied "well no wonder your blood sugar's high, if you're not taking your metformin regularly." my pharmacist then proceeded to inform me that the lady she had just counseled and who was still in hearing range was indeed the metformin patient. i hope she heard me though. someone needs to tell her that.
last night my parents were hanging out with close friends of theirs. apparently one of them takes 3 somas, 2 valiums, and an ambien to fall asleep at night. and even that doesn't always work. i told my parents that one day their friend wasn't going to wake up.
and that's about it!
about 10 minutes to close, a lady called in saying that she was out of metformin and her blood sugar was high so she needed them refilled asap and she lived close by, so i told her it was okay and we'd get them ready for her. something about that statement didn't seem right, when i realized what it was. you don't take metformin when your blood sugar's high. it's not like insulin. but whatever. i ignored it and refilled it for her, just glad i wasn't staying after for some oxy-addict. about 2 minutes to close, my pharmacist came up to me after counseling a lady on xanax or something and told me that we already had a metformin refill ready for the lady who called me. she never picked it up last month. to which i loudly replied "well no wonder your blood sugar's high, if you're not taking your metformin regularly." my pharmacist then proceeded to inform me that the lady she had just counseled and who was still in hearing range was indeed the metformin patient. i hope she heard me though. someone needs to tell her that.
last night my parents were hanging out with close friends of theirs. apparently one of them takes 3 somas, 2 valiums, and an ambien to fall asleep at night. and even that doesn't always work. i told my parents that one day their friend wasn't going to wake up.
and that's about it!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
attack of the streptococcus bacteria
the humidifier runs quietly in the background. the smell of vicks vapo-rub permeates the room.
they are coming.
they come on silent wings, flying swiftly, taking aim at their target. and then they land.
unbeknowest to them, the target has taken precautions. the army lines up, ready for battle.
the two sides take a brief pause to size each other up.
and then the war begins.
the bacteriophages are far outnumbered, but they have a secret weapon.
fight! fight little azithromycin molecules! fight because the life of your host depends on it! this is your calling! this is what you were made for! do not fail me!
and so the battle rages on.
....to be continued.
they are coming.
they come on silent wings, flying swiftly, taking aim at their target. and then they land.
unbeknowest to them, the target has taken precautions. the army lines up, ready for battle.
the two sides take a brief pause to size each other up.
and then the war begins.
the bacteriophages are far outnumbered, but they have a secret weapon.
fight! fight little azithromycin molecules! fight because the life of your host depends on it! this is your calling! this is what you were made for! do not fail me!
and so the battle rages on.
....to be continued.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
i'm going down swinging
well, it finally happened. those nasty little germs that have been flying past me left and right for the past 2 months finally hit their target.
i'm sick.
and it sucks. every year for the past 3 or 4 years, i've come home from a spring break vacation only to find myself staring an illness in the face. at least this is better than the year i had to get the lithotripsy to break up Giganto the Kidney Stone. still, having to work three 9-hour days in a row is sounding pretty nasty.
sigh. hopefully my little cough medicine knights will put up a good fight and slay the evil bacteria dragons asap.
i'm sick.
and it sucks. every year for the past 3 or 4 years, i've come home from a spring break vacation only to find myself staring an illness in the face. at least this is better than the year i had to get the lithotripsy to break up Giganto the Kidney Stone. still, having to work three 9-hour days in a row is sounding pretty nasty.
sigh. hopefully my little cough medicine knights will put up a good fight and slay the evil bacteria dragons asap.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
learn what your name means day
march 5th is also saint piran's day. if you're lame and don't know who saint piran IS (like myself), he is the patron saint of tin-miners, and also cornwall. so all you cornish tin-miners go ahead and take the day off. i wonder if there's a patron saint for irish/norwegian/english pharmacy technicians? hmmm...
yay for wikipedia! however often it may contain inaccurate facts, it is always there for me when i need to find obscure and random things.
there IS a patron saint for pharmacists. i give you SAINTS COSMAS AND DAMIAN! according to wikipedia, here's there sad story:
"During the persecution under Diocletian, Cosmas and Damian were arrested by order of the Prefect of Cilicia, one Lysias who is otherwise unknown, who ordered them under torture to recant. However, according to legend they stayed true to their faith, enduring a series of gruesome tortures that did not harm them, and finally suffered execution by beheading. Anthimus, Leontius and Euprepius, their younger brothers, who were inseparable from them throughout life, shared in their martyrdom.
Their most famous miraculous exploit was the grafting of a leg from a recently deceased Ethiopian to replace a patient's ulcered leg, and was the subject of many paintings and illuminations."
you know, all in all, it's not much different from the daily lives of many pharmacists. "under torture to recant" can be compared to "being yelled at for charging a different copay than last month when really it's the same." the gruesome, but harmless, tortures, sounds very much like staying on hold for a half an hour with an insurance company so some newbie insurance agent can figure out what an ID number is. beheading? oh, there are definitely days when i'm afraid some of those middle-aged women will cut my head off if they don't get there hormone replacement therapy ASAP.
so here's to you cosmas and damian. little known and probably underappreciated in the saint world, but you paved the way for suffering pharmacy staff!
yay for wikipedia! however often it may contain inaccurate facts, it is always there for me when i need to find obscure and random things.
there IS a patron saint for pharmacists. i give you SAINTS COSMAS AND DAMIAN! according to wikipedia, here's there sad story:
"During the persecution under Diocletian, Cosmas and Damian were arrested by order of the Prefect of Cilicia, one Lysias who is otherwise unknown, who ordered them under torture to recant. However, according to legend they stayed true to their faith, enduring a series of gruesome tortures that did not harm them, and finally suffered execution by beheading. Anthimus, Leontius and Euprepius, their younger brothers, who were inseparable from them throughout life, shared in their martyrdom.
Their most famous miraculous exploit was the grafting of a leg from a recently deceased Ethiopian to replace a patient's ulcered leg, and was the subject of many paintings and illuminations."
you know, all in all, it's not much different from the daily lives of many pharmacists. "under torture to recant" can be compared to "being yelled at for charging a different copay than last month when really it's the same." the gruesome, but harmless, tortures, sounds very much like staying on hold for a half an hour with an insurance company so some newbie insurance agent can figure out what an ID number is. beheading? oh, there are definitely days when i'm afraid some of those middle-aged women will cut my head off if they don't get there hormone replacement therapy ASAP.
so here's to you cosmas and damian. little known and probably underappreciated in the saint world, but you paved the way for suffering pharmacy staff!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
a couple of records
1. i am currently running on 25 minutes of sleep, which i'm not sure was even really sleep, more like a brief coma. i have been going strong since yesterday morning. no drugs were used in the accomplishing of this event. well, except for some hot chocolate.
2. i read eclipse in less than 8 hours. partly the reason i've had no sleep and am currently walking around in a haze. the other reason being blasted interviews for the prospective student leaders for next year. although i do have to say that it's much easier to be the interviewer than the interviewee.
3. i don't think i've eaten anything other than chocolate today.
2. i read eclipse in less than 8 hours. partly the reason i've had no sleep and am currently walking around in a haze. the other reason being blasted interviews for the prospective student leaders for next year. although i do have to say that it's much easier to be the interviewer than the interviewee.
3. i don't think i've eaten anything other than chocolate today.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
why i love the big bang theory (the tv show)
weather: 25° F
reading: some lame p chem textbook
reason #1: the following quote
penny: whoa, a girl scientist
leslie: yep. come for the boobs, stay for the brains.
i'm voting this become the official ACCESS motto. i can just see it now.
reading: some lame p chem textbook
reason #1: the following quote
penny: whoa, a girl scientist
leslie: yep. come for the boobs, stay for the brains.
i'm voting this become the official ACCESS motto. i can just see it now.
ACCESS
Women in Science and Math
"Come for the boobs, stay for the brains"
oh yeah. that would totally rock.
Friday, January 4, 2008
i take it back
weather: 22° F
reading: the count of monte cristo
i take back everything i said about last saturday. i was an ungrateful little brat.
monday there was one pharmacist, an intern, and a tech on staff. they did over 200 prescriptions in 4 hours. that's how many we usually do on a normal day with an extra tech and a clerk.
i am so sorry.
reading: the count of monte cristo
i take back everything i said about last saturday. i was an ungrateful little brat.
monday there was one pharmacist, an intern, and a tech on staff. they did over 200 prescriptions in 4 hours. that's how many we usually do on a normal day with an extra tech and a clerk.
i am so sorry.
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