CSA week 2

I'm such a slacker- it's Thursday and the day to pick up the new batch of produce, yet I have yet to blog or finish cooking everything from last week. Aarghhh!

So here's what we received week 2:

• 2 lbs red spinach
• 1 bunch mustard greens
• 1 bunch arugula
• a baby bok choy

It's hard work eating all these vegetables. I cooked up the spinach in some bacon fat and feta cheese, and made an asian-inspired slaw salad with the baby bok choy and the radishes from last week. Half of the arugula and the bunch of mustard greens are stll sitting in the fridge. (Here comes the rant) I'm glad I get to pick out the veggies this week. If Will wanted the mustard greens so badly, then how come he didn't cook them himself? I know I love to cook, but I would have preferred the rapini, or a helper in the kitchen.

CSA week 1

In an effort to be healthy, my hubby and I signed up for a cropshare with Native Offerings Farm.  The way I see it, we have one week to eat through everything before we pick up the next wave of veggies.  

Here's what we received week one:

• 1 bunch mustard greens
  

- final destination: saute pan with bacon (BACON!) and gorgonzola

• 1 bunch rappini
  

- final destination TBD

• over 1 pound red spinach
  

- final destination: quiche

• 1 bunch thyme
  

- final destination: mixed with eggs, still "hanging around", and butt of pun-intended jokes

• 1 bunch of radishes
  

- final destination:  still pleading for help in the refrigerator (aka the rotter)- any ideas? And they came with the greens too!  We have one day to think of something!

Swish and swallow

Another example of why e-prescribing will not take over the world...

Rx:

Nystatin sus 100,000 units/ml

swish and swallow 4-6 ml four times daily

disp: 60ml

Congratulations, you can read the prescribing information for this drug!  At this point you're as skilled as a monkey (you know, the one that fills all of your prescriptions overnight, allowing you to call in an rx at 2 in the AM and expect it to be ready when the gates are opened).

Now, let's see if your degree can help you apply this knowledge...

4-6 ml.... Yeah, that's the recommended adult dose, but did you LOOK at the population you're prescribing this to?  If I write this on the bottle the patient will be back with an empty bottle in three days because they thought that a ml is a teaspoon, or worse, tablespoon. (And for laypeople out there, 1 teaspoon=5ml.)  Just write one teaspoonful!

But it gets better, because since you only wrote for 60 ml, they WILL be back in three days.  I really hope you don't think it will a day for this to clear up, but sadly I know you wrote 60 ml because, oh, in the prescribing information this is available as a 60ml bottle (for infants!).  What? you actually wanted your patient to be on this for one week?  Well it's a good thing I called to cover your ass.

Sorry i'm not a phonebook?

I had a woman call me trying to find the phone number for new Walgreens a few miles away.  I knew the phone call was not going to be pretty as soon as the woman started complaining about how long it takes to go through all these automated messages

Two facts you must know: 

1.  the specific pharmacy opened within the last few months and I have not had to call them yet, and

2.  I do not work at a walgreens.

I tried to tell her that I did not have their phone number; big mistake.

"What do you mean you don't have their phone number? you're a pharmacy!  You have to have it!  How do you get a hold of them?"

I'm sorry that I haven't had to transfer any rx's from there yet!  I explained to her that I would have to contact another Walgreens store to see if they could give me the number to the new store.  I started giving her the number to the Walgreens across the street, and she interrupted me mid-number saying "I SAID I NEED THE NUMBER FOR THE OTHER WALGREENS, NOT THE ONE HERE."  Again I replied "I don't have their number", to which she politely slammed the phone on the receiver.

Have fun dealing with the automated message at the next pharmacy you call, b!tch!

The only thing missing is the full moon

Fridays are not supposed to be busy.  Granted, I like being busy.  The day is over before I know it.  I filled 212 scripts.  I battled with medco (and lost, because, well, it's medco, and medco sucks).  But nothing can top the conversation I had with one of my 90+ year old patients.

 

Patient (P)- This prescription I have, this salve, it should be taken off the market.

Me- What seems to be the problem?  (he's been on this cream for years)

P- I can't apply it. I can't reach.  The sore is on my bottom and I can't reach there.

Me- Do you have anyone that can help you apply it? Any family or friends?

P- No.  And the doctor wants me to apply it as often as needed.  What am I going to do?

Me- Actually the doctor wants you to apply the cream only twice daily, and only if needed, as it says on the directions.  Have you tried contacting your doctor to see if they could help you find a visiting nurse to help?

P- The salve says to keep it covered.  How can I have someone come and apply it throughout the day?

Me- (Reitierating the twice daily directions) the wound site should be covered with a dressing, but the cream should be applied no more than twice daily.  Have you called your doctor's office?

P- They said they couldn't help.  Can you help?

Me- I would recommend seeing if a visiting nurse can come by and help you with your medication.

P- Can you help me apply it?

Me- I'm sorry, I can't.  I recommend you call your doctor's office if you still have problems.

Wow.

There's a reason why i'm a pharmacist, not a nurse.

May I also add that nurses don't get paid enough?

One of my techs was later wondering how he manages to wipe his own ass.

Lying gets you nowhere

---disclaimer- I am aware there are plenty of people with legit pain problems who are not trying to abuse the system. This post is about the 1% of abusers that make life that much more difficult for the other 99%.

You come to my pharmacy counter with a prescription for Lortab. You want this filled as cash.
Do you have insurance? of course you don't. You lost it a few months ago. At that point I ask for your ID. Sometimes I get lucky and you hand me a medicaid card as ID. No ID, no controls.
You're new to our pharmacy. Have you had this before? No, of course you haven't. Every doctor starts their patient on Lortab 10/500 four times a day #120.
I tell you it's going to be at least 15 minutes so you hopefully don't hover around my counter and observe my every move.
You set off enough red flags to make me think something is amiss. I get a reject saying this was just filled recently. People like you are the reason why I get along with the other pharmacists in the area. Turns out, Medicaid just paid for a 30 day supply of the same medication at the Rite pharmacy down the street, SIX DAYS ago.
The problem is, if you have medicaid, you are required to get all of your prescriptions filled under medicaid.
What? you lost that last bottle of lortab and your doctor said it was ok to get the rx filled again? Great! I'll give them a call and document the conversation. What? you don't want me to call your doctor? Then i guess you're not getting this script filled here.

Slacktastic

Slack-tas-tic [slak-tas-tik}
-adjective
1. completing an everyday expected task that while postponed, was completed faster than a true slacker.
2. doing something necessary, in an not-so-impressive time frame, while still being appreciated.

Julia, are you going to finally take back the garbage?
I guess so (grrr....)
Thanks, you're slacktastic!