King of Demotivational Posters

 

This is me...

...trying to get another flu shot patron...

(as per Corporate Directive)

What YOU can do when Someone has a Miscarriage

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is a day of remembrance for pregnancy loss and infant death, which includes but is not limited to miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, or the death of a newborn. It is observed annually in the United States and Canada and, in recent years, in the United Kingdom and in the Australian States of Western Australia, New South Wales and in Italy on October 15.

A few years ago I had a close friend lose a baby. She was so thrilled and so happy. I look at photographs of her at the time and her face was just beaming. It was so thrilling and exciting. But tragedy started when she started to spot. She reached out to me for help and I didn't know what to do. I am a doctor of pharmacy, but I didn't know what to do. It was all very heart-wrenching and sad, and I just can't believe that I didn't know what to do and didn't try to help her. To this day and with all my heart I regret my actions (and inaction) at the time. 

As pharmacists, we are in a unique position as healthcare providers, especially community and/or retail pharmacists. We are literally open to the public every day and have a responsibility to help those in need. Although not very common, there are occasions where you will encounter a patient that recently had or is having a miscarriage. They often come to the pharmacist for advice because we are so accessible and are in the top five most trusted professions. We have a duty to be ready to help in any way we can. 

As pharmacists we know what medications to avoid in pregnancy. We can also recommend anxiety medications, depression medications, and even know what the doctor needs to prescribe if the bleeding gets out of hand, but... that's academic. Often its the patient trust for the pharmacist and she wants a shoulder to lean on and a listening ear. But what do you say? Our training is in medication, not psychology. 

Here's some hints and tips from what I've learned:

1. If you're in the pharmacy, take her to a quiet spot... the waiting room, or somewhere private away from the noise and listening ears. You want to give her 100% of your focus and time. The metrics can wait. THIS is no longer about some guy getting his generic Lipitor filled in 3.5 minutes. This is a genuine opportunity to help someone, and that's WHY you went into pharmacy in the first place.

2. LISTEN to her. What she's going through right now is uniquely tragic to her. This is something she may have never experienced before and the depths of complete despair are deep. She wants to unleash her feelings of sadness and disappointment. Let her do it and be supportive. Let her direct the conversation. Don't interrupt.

3. NEVER say something like "You can try again" or "Everything happens for a reason." Why? Because you don't know that. You don't know the situation, and moreover, the little spirit and life that was lost cannot just be replaced like a car part. He or she was a unique individual with his or her own personality. You wouldn't suggest to your grandmother that she can "try again" when grandpa passes away, would you? No. Let her grieve and mourn the unique soul that was lost.

4. Don't say "I know how much it hurts." Instead, listen to her as she tells you how much it hurts. Even if you've had a miscarriage yourself, you still don't know her unique situation. Be gentle, be kind. Pain of the heart is the worst kind of pain. She may dream about the loss all night long, then wake up and think about it all day long, wondering what she did wrong, wondering why God kept her from having children, wondering "Why me?" until she cries herself to sleep at night. Empathize with that pain.

5. Don't say "It's part of Mother Nature's or God's plan." That may very well be, or it may be that God wanted her to have that baby just as much as she did. We don't know everything about this life. It's a good bet we know even less how it works on the other side. If she is having a crisis of faith, be supportive and try to understand it from her point of view as she finds answers for herself. You couldn't possibly have answers in this regard, only opinions, and she doesn't need those.

6. NEVER tell her to stop feeling sorry for herself. A little life, full of love and personality, was just lost. She will always, always wonder what this little person could have been in her life, someone to hold and cherish and raise. That's NOT something you just get over. In fact, you NEVER get over it, you only deal with the pain. So never say anything like that. A better thing to say is "Nothing in the world could have prepared you for this and I'm so sorry you have to go through it."

7. If would be easy to just say you can't imagine their pain. Instead of that, try to imagine what it would be like to have a little person growing inside you. Imagine the excitement, thinking of a baby name, buying little socks, building a crib, etc. Then imagine that all taken away from you. Now do you understand why this is so hard on her? Now you'll want to hug her and hold her and console her if she's willing.

8. Refer as necessary to people and organizations equipped for this tragedy. A good place to start is HERE.

I don't pretend to an expert on the subject, but I'm a pharmacist and as a healthcare provider, I want to be ready for the next time this happens to me. You may never have this happen to you, but be prepared in case it does happen!

Also remember...

This blog post originally posted here.

Demotivational Hump Day... Fish Oil

Valar Morghulis

This is "High Valyrian" from Game of Thrones. Translation: All Men Must Die. The response to this phrase is, "All Men Must Serve."

Such is the life of the pharmacist. We serve the old gods and the new gods... The Authorities, then we must die. Ironically, our tablets and capsules and injections and potions and lotions and patches and drops are meant to serve mankind and extend life... yet The Authorities torture us, enslave us, and beat us when we displease them. We are here to serve and save mankind, yet The Authorities do not provide us with all we need to perform that task.

Perhaps it is The Master of Coin in control within the ranks of The Authorities... for truly we must be bankrupt of the monies to perform our duties if it must be limited and controlled. Therefore we must ask ourselves, do we actually serve the old gods, or do we serve the coin?

Perhaps it is to teach us a valued lesson. Men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil. The law of heaven and earth is given unto them. For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, righteousness would be as unknown as wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad.


So remember, my fellow pharmacist, we can endure. We have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. We will endure. Be honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and do good to all men; believe all things, hope for all things. Serve your fellow man, not The Authorities.

Analysis of The Martian starring Matt Damon

Spoiler Alert: First of all, this analysis contains spoilers. Stop reading now if you haven’t seen the movie.

You may not want to see the movie anyway because there are no little green men. I don’t know why they would have named this movie The Martian because there are no Martians or anyone green in the movie at all. However, for you fans of Game of Thrones, I would like to let you know that Ned Stark is alive and well but obviously no longer the Hand of the King. That aside, you will also find more disappointment that this movie is not another extension of the Bourne storyline. News alert: That is another character entirely. There is no spy plot or karate or gun play of any kind. Damn. Also, Kristin Wiig is in the movie but she’s not funny at all. Double damn.

On the upside there is an introverted character that really saves the day but gets no recognition whatsoever for his ingenious plan, much like all introverted people everywhere. And much like real life introverts, he is portrayed as a little off mentally and certainly a hermit. We don’t know much about him. Perhaps he hides in his office to avoid facing a world where the love of his love of left him for a guy with missing teeth that plays softball. Hell, we’ll never know.

Movies of a science fiction nature require details that allow scientifically inclined people to have a willing suspension of disbelief. Oh, there are lots of nifty details like that in this movie. There are really only two things that stuck out that bother me. First, when Matt Damon’s character is preparing to do surgery on his wound, it just seemed really too convenient that a mirror was right there to help him, like NASA preplanned ahead of time that astronauts would be doing surgery on themselves.

Secondly when the boss dude was on the way in to discuss the situation at JPL headquarters (which aren’t really JPL headquarters… it’s just some building with JPL stickers on the door) the camera view is from inside the building watching the characters walk in. From that point of view, the letters JPL should look backward because they face out, not in. I know, not a big thing, right? But for a pharmacist who notices details (that’s how we keep your dumb ass safe from doctors, by the way) this detail was obviously overlooked by Ridley Scott. How are we supposed to trust people with the life of a man left behind on Mars when they can’t even get the stickers right on their front door?

So I give this movie 3 potatoes out of 5 with no ketchup. That will make more sense to you when you see the movie.

Fabulous Funnies