What's the matter with you?

I'm the first to admit that I don't know everything.  I know some stuff about pharmacy, but the more I get into this the more I realize that not only do I not know everything, neither does any other pharmacist.  There are some really smart pharmacists out there and I look up to them, but they don't know it all either.

I guess I'm using that introduction to make myself feel better about what happened the other day.  An older gentlemen steps up to the window and we have the following conversation:

Mr. Pain:  "Hey sonny, where's the Banesin?"

Me:  "Ban-eh-sin?  What's that?"

Mr. Pain:  "Yes sonny... where do you keep it?"

Me:  "I don't know what that is..." (I'm fumbling for my book now)  "Let me look that up."  You see, while I paid a boatload of money for my education, they didn't teach me everything.  And most of the time when they were teaching me stuff, they weren't using brand names, and they didn't spend a lot of time on OTC medications either.

Mr. Pain:  "What's the matter with you?  Every pharmacy carries Banesin.  Have so for 100 years."

Me:  "Well, I'm sure we don't have that" (because I don't recognize the name and I know everything we DO have on our shelves) "Can I order it for you?"

Mr. Pain:  "What's the matter with you?  You playing a game with me?  Just tell me where it is!"  He's getting angry now.

Me:  "What do you treat with it?"  At this point Banesin could be for purple zits or hair loss for all I know.

Mr. Pain:  "What's the matter with you?  It's for PAIN.  Where's your pain meds, sonny?"

I tell him where the pain meds are, offer to take him there (to a resounding NO) and then give him a parting comment.  I then go to the computer to find out about this mystery medication called Banesin.  After some research I realized I could have figured this out on my own by just thinking about the name and would not have appeared so stupid to the customer.  Banesin is acetaminophen... your basic tylenol product.

In my defense, though... the actual brand name "Banesin" has not been used for years.  MANY YEARS.

I called one of my older colleagues whom I call whenever I get in trouble.  He's been a pharmacist for many, many years.  I ask him, "Hey, what is Banesin?"

His reply: "Ban-eh-sin?  What's that?"