Other than the old grannies, there are also many interesting people I've met over the 2weeks. Now i wonder why I don't see such people in sg. I can write like 10 interesting events over here instead of whacking my brains so hard during prece*torship. Sg people are boring.
1) First up, the Misdiagnosed. This lady came from next door and she just found out that she was misdiagnosed with cancer. She was so elated that she told the pharmer that is she is "as healthy as a horse" and she kept calling the pharmer "honey" and "sweetie" (which is only called when the person is close to you) and talked about her feelings as I was counting her pills. She seemed to have filled the whole pharmacy with a spirit of hope and joy. Cheered me up on a rainy morning.
2) The first old granny who noticed me when he stepped in and asked: "Hey eric you've got yourself a helper!" Then, I was introduced by the pharmer as a student from sg. The old granny smiled and said:" Hi sweetheart, how are you? You better study hard eh.. and be a good pharmacist!" Was deeply encouraged by his warm smile and those cheerful words of his. :) On his second visit, I greeted him and as usual he replied with:" Hi sweetheart, how are you today?" awww.. heart melts*
3) The Deaf - There were two whom I met, the postwoman and another patient. At first, I was wondering why she didn't speak up like everyone because people there are so friendly. Then I saw her making signs and the pharmer also replied with a series of hand signs. After the postwoman left, the pharmer then told me that she's couldn't hear. As for the patient, he could mutter a few words and vaguely utter " have a good day" before he left. It is quite encouraging to know that even if people are slightly disabled, they have equal opportunities and they can still make a living on their own. :)
4) Another optimistic patient who was off her oxygen for the first few days after recovering from lung cancer. She pretty much can manage on her own and she also talked about how good she felt to be off the huge tank once in awhile. She still needs her tank if she needs to shop at the big mall tho. All in all, a healthy and happy patient.
5) The smoker. So far this is the most no of sticks a day I've heard. She said she used to smoke a carton a week. *jaw drops* A carton = 8packs * 20sticks/pack divided by 7days = 20sticks/day!! The pharmer told her that her lungs should be black colour by now. hahaha But good thing is she has reduced to 4sticks/day now and she is still on smoking cessation therapy. hmm She must be very determined. :)
6) Tylenol #4s. Those meds are narcotics with codeine inside and some people get addicted to them. Then these people become very kotor and they will tell the pharmer that he miscounted 5 pills for them. Obviously this trick doesn't work coz the pharmer will double count and take note of these kotor people in the computer. And also he will dispense sealed bottles of 100 so there's no excuse.
7) Embarrassed men. Haha first time seeing them around. Maybe Sg men can't be bothered but the men here do. One day, he walked in and glanced at me. Then he whispered something over the counter to the pharmer. It sounded something like "Ci*****" So I guess it was THAT and I hid myself at the far end of the counter. When he left, the pharmer said that he was really buying THAT. Then the pharmer continued to tell his stories about how men don't buy THAT from girl pharmers and how easy it is to spot such customers. hhaha interesting eh
8) Sad news from an old granny. She came into the pharmacy looking frail and spoke in a soft voice. Then, as usual the pharmer asked about her siblings (2 other old grannies) who lived in the same apartment as her. She began talking about her sis who was in hospital and how she had to travel to and fro to take care of her. She sounded really sad when she said her story. After she left, the pharmer was very grieved too. He then told me that it was a double blow for her: her bro passed away last week and then her sis went to hosp. :( The 3 of them were single and took care of each other since ages ago. hmmm.. Not easy living alone :(
9) Sometimes while packing meds, the pharmer will ask me to guess the patient's conditions from the list of meds taken. So far I've seen 2 interesting cocktails: post -MI and drug addicts. let's talk about the more interesting drug addict one:
a. Clonidine low dose is hormone adjusting, forgot why the drug addict takes it
b. Baclofen, a muscle relaxant for tremors tt occur (withdrawal sx)
c. Domperidone, coz too many drugs irritates the GIT
d. Lorazepam, to calm the nerves in case of withdrawal sx
e. tylenol 4# - the narcotic which we guess that he's addicted to -__-
10) Fortunately, the 2weeks ended with a semi-high note for me. I stepped into the pharmacy on Friday morning and the pharmer's eyes directed me to a corner behind the shelves while he served the customer. After the customer left, he then told me that there was a break in last night. WHOA! Then I saw the huge hole on the wall behind the shelves. Fortunately, the hole digger couldn't push away the shelves and enter in thru the hole. MADNESS. The hole digger had so much time to break in because the opposite shop had no alarm. When the police came, the pharmer told him everything and he actually suspected the reno man nx door to be an accomplice. I'll dropped the details here coz it's public. Will tell you all more when I get back. :)
