For One Thing, It Interferes With Neurological Exams

[bloodyrosemccoy]

We are seriously considering adding a "don't be falling-down drunk" line to our Welcome To The Doctor's Office letter. There seems to be some confusion on that point.

Comments

[shadesofmauve]

...wow. That's a method of dealing with doctor's visits that had never occurred to me. :P

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

It wouldn't have occurred to me either! Aside from the other more obvious reasons, my inner Teacher's Pet would worry that it would create a less-than-ideal way to calibrate my neurological exams. I don't want to fail my cognitive or motor tests!

[marag.livejournal.com]

No white coat hypertension for them!

I'm reminded of the time I was at a doctor's office for one health problem while I was on massive doses of muscle relaxants for a different one. The nurse taking my blood pressure got this wide-eyed look on her face until I said "I'm on Flexaril." And then she looked relieved.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

BWAHAHA. Yes, that'd be helpful to know!

[marag.livejournal.com]

In my defense, I was drugged to the gills, so I'm impressed I managed to walk straight, let alone remember to explain to the nurse.

I'd never taken medicine that strong before and it hit me hard. My roommates at the time tell me I was hilarious, because when I took the first dose, I was reading something funny and reading bits aloud to them, but as the drugs took hold, I got less and less coherent.

[cougarfang.livejournal.com]

... does this issue come up very often? o_o;;

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

More often than one might expect, yes.

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

LOL. That happened to me. And when I switched to Baclofen a year later it happened again. With the same nurse.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Well, there's being wobbly on meds, and then there's being blind stinking drunk. And I suspect you weren't on Baclofen for alcoholism, so it makes a bit more sense.

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

Nope, cerebral palsy spasticity. Which I did not know I could be on for until, oh, last year.

(What I mean is... nobody ever told my parents anything about any drugs that could ease spasticity. Until I went to a pain specialist at age 34 and shocked her by saying I had never heard of baclofen.)

[redbird]

Um, right.

I can see being seriously wired on caffeine because you weren't warned not to--I don't think any of my doctors have ever seen me with no caffeine in my system--but it really doesn't seem comparable. You aren't working in Urgent Care, are you?

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I'm not. Dad does when he's on call, so it's then that he gets a lot of people who were not expecting to be at the doctor. You'd expect alcohol to feature in that case--mostly because you are a lot more likely to hit your head when you aren't entirely sure where it is in relation to anything else. But for scheduled office visits, or showing up in the hopes of MAKING an office visit, we suggest NOT being completely shitfaced.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_wastrel/]

"This person needs to have their head examined... possibly more urgently than we thought."

[westrider.livejournal.com]

This could explain why some hospitals have such long waiting times. Gives 'em time to sober up.