should I just have the penicillin now then?
I’ve just finished up at St Elsewhere’s in Dublin with mixed feelings. The work was good, the people even better, the patients often anecdote-worthy.
They called me from the short-stay unit in the emergency department to discharge a girl who had been waiting for Gynaecology review. She had come in with lower abdominal pain, which was probably consistent with a cyst or maybe even an infection ‘down below’. I wasn’t overly busy so I popped in to see her, answer any questions she might have and send her home…easy. Her chart showed the ultrasound, examination results from the Gynaecology team, nothing too serious that a course of antibiotics wouldn’t clear up.
When I went to her bedside the nurse had just taken out her drip, she was sitting there with an expectant look on her face, prescriptions in hand ready to get out the door.
‘Hi, I’m Ben, one of the A&E doctors. I understand you’ve been seen by the Gynae team. Everything sorted out then?’
‘Ummm, yes. But these are the same antibiotics the family planning service put me on.’
I grabbed the prescription with a frown undoubtedly creasing my forehead in a vain attempt at concern.
‘How long were you on them before?’
‘5 days.’
‘Oh, well you really should be on them for 10-14 days. I guess part of the problem is that…er…whatever was wrong was only partially treated. Hopefully these will ‘knock it on the head’ for you and you won’t have any further troubles.’
‘Oh cool, cool.’
‘Anything else I can help you with, any questions?’ (I really have to stop asking this!)
‘Will you marry me?’
‘Ummm, that’s lovely but generally I like to get to know people before I marry them…’
‘Ok, well I’ll take you out to dinner then.’
Sweat forming on my brow, probably beading on my upper lip too ‘It sounds lovely really, but my girlfriend probably wouldn’t appreciate it, but thank-you.’
I bade a hasty retreat.
Mental note to anyone, anywhere, thinking of hitting on your doctor, nurse.etc when you have presented to hospital with a sexually transmitted infection; just don’t.
classic ben, classic.
Thanks Eliza, where have you been girl?!
glastonbury!!!!
You seem to attract a lot of weirdo’s in that hospital – hope the next one has a better looking clientel.
obviously no good being good looking with lots of STD’s. So hope their a healthy group of people as well. Although why else would they go to hospital? What would be an attractive illness worthy of hospital attention?
Perfect! What a little charmer she was/is!!
Well handled Dr Ben, your bedside manner is impecable.
( A grief counsellor once asked me out at the end of our “session”…I was not quite so restrained as yourself. What a cock.)
So you are leaving Ireland? Where to next? Are you coming home?!