Saturday, September 22, 2018

THINGS PEOPLE HAVE TOLD THEIR DOCTORS, AND RELATED STORIES, PART THREE

From multiple various sources:

Doctor: I had a patient tell me, "I am allergic to cats.  I am getting a cat.  Would you give me a vaccination?

Doctor: I had a patient whose complaint was "My skin is soft."

Doctor: I had a woman come in with her teenage boy.  "Doctor, something must be horribly wrong with my son.  I have looked and looked, but I can't find any porn on his computer.  What healthy fifteen year old boy doesn't have porn on his computer?"

Doctor: A patient’s son got into a verbal altercation with me over the fact that I was trying to “freeze his mother to death.” He kept pointing to the digital thermostat displaying a temperature of 23 degrees Celsius (we’re in the U.S.). When I explained to him that 23 C is not at all cold, he just kept pointing to the display & shouting, “You don’t think 23 degrees is cold?! It’s 23 F*CKING DEGREES IN HERE!” & acting insane. After multiple attempts to explain to him what Celsius is, we finally gave up & had him escorted out. He was a man in at least his late-30’s who graduated from high school and had never heard of Celsius & Fahrenheit.

Doctor: Had a lady measure her baby’s temperature by pre-heating the oven and putting one hand in front of it while the other hand was on the baby’s forehead. She told the nurse her baby’s fever was about 250 degrees.

Nurse: I handed the patient a urine specimen container and directed him to the bathroom. A few minutes later, the patient comes out of the bathroom. “Thanks,” he says, returning the empty container. “But there was a toilet in there, so I didn’t need this after all.”

Doctor: My patient announced she had good news … and bad. “The medicine for my earache worked,” she said. “What’s the bad news?” I asked. “It tasted horrible.” Since she was feeling better, I didn’t have the heart to tell her she was actually supposed to put the drops in his ear.

Nurse; I was admitting a guy to the hospital. I can't really remember what for but he was obese and was suffering from diabetes and heart disease,  I'm at the computer going over some admission questions with him and his 10 family members who are crowded in the room with him. A few minutes in he starts complaining that he's thirsty. He needs something to drink RIGHT NOW. So I get on my phone and call the nurse assistant and ask her to bring in some ice water. As soon as the words are out of my mouth the whole family screams "NOOOO! NO WATER! HE'S ALLERGIC TO WATER!"  Turns out the guy had been drinking nothing but Sprite and sweet tea for years because of his "water allergy".

A car belonging to a patient was broken into. The only thing that was stolen was a brown paper bag. It turns out, that’s where she was keeping her urine sample, which she’d brought in to be tested.

Patient: Doctor, I slipped in the grocery store and really hurt myself. 
Doctor: Where did you get hurt? 
Patient: Aisle six.

Patient: I’m sorry to have so many questions. 
Doctor: Oh, that’s no problem. You always can ask for clarification when you need it. 
Patient: Oh, thank you very much, Clara! You’ve been very helpful.

Doctor: I am a family practitioner and I had a family not want to vaccinate their newborn because they heard that vaccines were derived from monkeys brains and they didn't want their child to develop monkey like characteristics.

Patient: The day after I had surgery on my leg, a nurse came into my hospital room with a box in her hand. “Are you ready for this?” 
“What is it?” I asked. 
“Fleet enema. Didn’t your doctor tell you about it?” 
“No.” 
She rechecked the orders. “Oh, sorry! It said feet elevated!”

Dentist: A man came in with a hard object coming out of the back of his gum.  He said that at lunch a new tooth had suddenly erupted out of his mouth.  Since the patient was 23 years old and had his wisdom teeth removed years ago, I explained to him that I was skeptical.  It turned out to be a piece of a tortilla chip.

Saturday, September 8, 2018

A PLAN FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF ENGLISH SPELLING

Attributed by many sites to Mark Twain, this actually came from a man named "Yilz" (therefore, "Shields" who wrote it as a Letter to the Editor of The Economist in 1971.

January 16, 1971

Sir,

I note with interest the two references to spelling which occur in your issue of December 26th, in particular the letter of Mr D. L. Cattley. Proposals for revision of the orthography are regularly produced, and just as regularly dismissed, but in this case it might be interesting to examine orthographical revision in some detail.

Unlike metrication, any reform in spelling should preferably take place over a long period of time in order to prevent confusion (freight=frate; eight=ate?). It should also be completely coherent, and the invention of new letters (vide the pseudo-Icelandic known as ITA) or the assumption of many diacritical marks, such as bespatter the pages of modern Slavonic texts, should, so far as possible, be avoided.

It was suggested — by, among others, G. B. Shaw — that a convenient method of revision would involve the alteration or deletion of one letter, or associated group of letters, per year, thus giving the populace time to absorb the change.

For example, in Year 1, that useless letter 'c' would be dropped to be replased by either 'k' or 's', and likewise 'x' would no longer be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which 'c' would be retained would be in the 'ch' formation, which will be dealt with later. Year 2 might well reform 'w' spelling, so that 'which' and 'one' would take the same konsonant, wile Year 3 might well abolish 'y', replasing it with 'i', and Iear 4 might fiks the 'g/j' anomali wonse and for all.

Jeneralli, then, the improvement would kontinue iear bai iear, with Iear 5 doing awai with useless double konsonants, and Iears 6-12 or so modifaiing the vowlz and the rimeining voist and unvoist konsonants. Bai Ier 15 or sou, it wud fainali be posible tu meik ius ov thi ridandant letez 'c', 'y' and 'x' — bai now jast a memori in the maindz ov ould doderez — tu riplais 'ch', 'sh' and 'th' rispektivli.

Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers of orxogrefkl riform, wi wud hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld. Haweve, sins xe Wely, xe Airiy, and xe Skots du not spik Ingliy, xei wud hev to hev a speling siutd tu xer oun lengwij. Xei kud, haweve, orlweiz lern Ingliy az a sekond lengwij at skuul! 

Iorz feixfuli, 

M. J. Yilz

Saturday, August 25, 2018

THINGS PEOPLE HAVE ACTUALLY SAID TO THEIR DOCTORS, PART II (Warning! Rated R!)

Source uncertain.

1. A young couple came in, both upset and confused about the fact that the woman had become pregnant. They stressed the fact that they were on birth control, specifically they were on the pill.  However, before I could say anything, the boyfriend quietly took me aside and explained to me that he had been taking the pill instead of his girlfriend because “she had a weak stomach and couldn’t take pills…”

2. A patient came in for a sexually transmitted disease related appointment. She was very upset and continued to stress the fact that she only ever had one partner. “And even if my boyfriend is sleeping with other people, it shouldn’t matter,” said the patient. “My boyfriend uses a condom every time and makes sure to wash it thoroughly after every use.” The nurse asked the patient what she meant when she said her boyfriend “washes it every time”. The patient explained that her boyfriend washed the same old condom with hot water and soap before he used it. Every time. I had to kindly explain to a grown woman that condoms are a one-time use product. She had no clue.

3. More than one patient has come into my vet’s office complaining about their dog’s chest. One man thought his dog’s nipples were giant blood-sucking ticks. He actually tried prying at them and pulling on them, complaining that “they are impossible to remove…” A woman also came in complaining that her dog had “huge tumors” growing on its chest. Nope. Again, just nipples.

4. I’m a registered nurse, not a doctor, but here’s the story:
Patient was a newly diagnosed diabetic who needed to be taught how to inject insulin. So the diabetes educator did the good old routine of taking an orange, drawing up insulin, then injecting it into the orange. He then made the patient repeat this practice routine a few times.  The patient goes home, etc. He comes back in a week and his blood sugar is out of control. They ask him if he's been taking his insulin and he goes "of course." So they decide to ask him to demonstrate how he injects insulin. The patient goes "sure, I just need an orange." They got him a orange and a vial of insulin with a syringe. So the guy draws up the insulin correctly, takes the syringe, injects it into the orange, and then says "and then I eat the orange." At this point I had to walk out because I nearly lost it right there…

5. Not a doctor, but a good friend of mine is. He once told that he had to explain to one of his patients that regular BandAids do not cure anything at all, but just cover up a wound. The patient in question had tried to cure her recently diagnosed Type-II diabetes by sticking bandaids all over herself...

6. Another lady I was seeing in clinic was diabetic, and she would come in every week with super high blood sugar levels (250-560ish), not knowing why they were so high.  She kept a record of everything she ate, and all her food intake seemed fine. One day, her husband came with her, which was weird, and he slipped me a note while shaking my hand. It read, "Ask her about the Quiktrip slushies. She doesn't believe me that they have sugar in them." So I asked her if she was having any soda, lemonade, tea, ice cream, shakes or slushies, and she told me, like a light bulb had gone off in her head, "Well, I have been drinking about 3 of the 48oz Quiktrip slushies every day for awhile now. They're just so good! And they aren't food or drink, they're slushies! So they don't count, and I don't need to record them!" It was so hard to convince her that those are so full of sugar it isn't even funny. 

7.  I'm not an M.D. but I am an eye doctor. Recently, I had to tell a patient that no, you should not attempt to continue wearing a contact lens that was dropped in the toilet! Maybe that’s where your eye infection came from?

8.  A woman came in for a well baby check with her 6 month old and she had what looked like chocolate milk in the baby's bottle. The doctor started explaining to her as kindly as he could that she shouldn't be giving her baby chocolate milk, at which point she interrupts him and says "oh that isn't chocolate milk. Its coffee! He just loves it!"

Monday, August 20, 2018

THINGS PEOPLE HAVE ACTUALLY SAID TO THEIR DOCTORS, PART I

Original source unknown... these have been going around the medical community for years.

1.These weren’t patients of mine, but I once overheard the following conversation in the waiting room:
Man 1: My daughter is allergic to wheat.
Man 2: So she can't eat bread or anything?
Man 1: We only give her white bread.
Man 2: Oh yeah, I guess bread only has wheat if it says it on there. Like whole wheat or whatever.
Man 1: Yeah, I guess.
Man 2: So can she eat pizza?
Man 1: Only cheese pizza.

2. A lady had to have her foot amputated and was given waiver forms to sign pre-op. The patient is asked if she needs time to think about her decision. She’s surprisingly calm and nonchalant, she doesn’t seem to care much about what they do to her limb.
The doctor gets suspicious and probes a bit further, asking why she’s not more concerned. The patient says she understands that they have to operate, but that “it’s okay because the foot will grow back.”
The doctor had to explain to the woman that she is not, in fact, a salamander and that limbs do not grow back in humans.

3. My favorite patient story is particularly funny because I’m not actually a medical doctor. I have a PhD in Fine Arts, but apparently lots of people think that just because I have a DOCTORATE of Philosophy, it means they can ask me about their disgusting medical issues… I can NOT prescribe you medication, and I will NOT look at your rash.

4. I once had a meeting with a patient about their diet and nutritional intake. I ended up having to explain to this person that, no, Coca-Cola is NOT in fact a vegetable. Just because it says "contains vegetable extracts" on the side of a can of Coke does not mean it can count as one of your “five servings of veggies a day…”

5. Paramedic here, I have had to inform numerous people that pouring Gatorade into the mouth of unresponsive diabetics is not a good idea…

Saturday, July 28, 2018

DAM BEAVERS: 20th anniversary

It was twenty years ago that Stephen Tvedten, who, although allegedly living in Texas, was the owner of some land in Michigan, was given a letter sent to his property's renter from the State of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality regarding the "unauthorized construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams" on a stream on his property. The letter reminded him that these dams were not permitted, and thus he was in violation of the law and must cease and desist: and that the dams would need to be removed.

There were dams on his property, alright.  Beaver dams.  And he wrote back to the Michigan DEQ, in a letter which probably was one of the most widely circulated items on the Internet back in the day.   Here's his letter.


Dear Mr. Price:
Re: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N, R10W, Sec 20; Montcalm County
Your certified letter dated 12/17/97 has been handed to me to respond to.  You sent out a great deal of carbon copies to a lot of people, but you neglected to include their addresses.  You will, therefore, have to send them a copy of my response.

First of all, Mr. Ryan DeVries is not the legal landowner and/or contractor at 2088 Dagget, Pierson, Michigan - I am the legal owner and a couple of beavers are in the (State unauthorized) process of constructing and maintaining two wood "debris" dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond.  While I did not pay for, nor authorize their dam project, I think they would be highly offended you call their skillful use of natural building materials "debris".  I would like to challenge you to attempt to emulate their dam project any dam time and/or any dam place you choose.  I believe I can safely state there is no dam way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.

As to your dam request the beavers first must fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity, my first dam question to you is: are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond  Beavers or do you require all dam beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request?  If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, please send me completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits.  Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Michigan Compiled Laws annotated.  My first concern is - aren't the dam beavers entitled to dam legal representation?  The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said dam representation - so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer.

The Department's dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event causing dam flooding is proof we should leave the dam Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling their dam names.  If you want the dam stream "restored" to a dam free-flow condition - contact the dam beavers - but if you are going to arrest them (they obviously did not pay any dam attention to your dam letter -- being unable to read English) - be sure you read them their dam Miranda first.  As for me, I am not going to cause more dam flooding or dam debris jams by interfering with these dam builders.  If you want to hurt these dam beavers - be aware I am sending a copy of your dam letter and this response to PETA.  If your dam Department seriously finds all dams of this nature inherently hazardous and truly will not permit their existence in this dam State - I seriously hope you are not selectively enforcing this dam policy - or once again both I and the Spring Pond Beavers will scream prejudice!

In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their dam unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream.  They have more dam right than I to live and enjoy Spring Pond.  So, as far as I and the beavers are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more dam elevated enforcement action now.  Why wait until 1/31/98?  The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice then, and there will be no dam way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them then.

In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention a real environmental quality (health) problem; bears are actually defecating in our woods.  I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the dam beavers alone.   If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your step!  (The bears are not careful where they dump!)
Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office.
 
Sincerely,
Stephen L.Tvedten

Saturday, July 21, 2018

Geology Joke

Some geologists are Gneiss.  But some are full of Schist and ought to wear a Diapir.  Some geologists are Tuff, and others are just Wacke.  Some just need to take a Nappe.  But don't put your Karst before the Horst.

Friday, June 15, 2018

The Importance of Walking



Walking can add minutes to your life. This enables you at 85 years old to spend an additional 5 months in a nursing home at $7000 per month.. 


My grandpa started walking five miles a day when he was 60. Now he's 97 years old and we don't know where the hell he is.


I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.

The only reason I would take up walking is so that I could hear heavy breathing again
.


I have to walk early in the morning, before my brain figures out what I'm doing..
 

I joined a health club last year, spent about 400 bucks.  Haven't lost a pound. Apparently you have to go there.


Every time I hear the dirty word 'exercise', I wash my mouth out with chocolate.


 The advantage of exercising every day is so when you die, they'll say,
'Well, she looked good didn't she.'


If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country.
 

I know I got a lot of exercise the last few years,...just getting over the hill.


We all get heavier as we get older, because there's a lot more information in our heads. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
 

AND

Every time I start thinking too much about how I look, I just find a Happy Hour and by the time I leave, I look just fine.

Saturday, June 9, 2018

Bannered Thoughts



it's not whether you win or lose,
but how you place the blame.
A fool & his money can throw a great party
LEARN FROM YOUR PARENTS' MISTAKES
-  USE BIRTH CONTROL
Money isn't everything,
But it sure keeps the kids in touch.
If at first you don't succeed,
Skydiving is not for you
We are born naked, wet, hungry.
Then things get worse.
Red meat is not bad for you;   
Fuzzy green meat is bad for you.
Ninety-nine percent of all lawyers
give the rest a bad name.
Xerox and Wurlitzer will merge
to produce reproductive organs.
Alabama state motto:   
At least we're not Mississippi
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS NO
MATCH FOR NATURAL STUPIDITY.
The latest survey shows that
three out of four people make
up 75% of the population
"I think Members of Congress should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers, so we could
identify their corporate sponsors."
The reason politicians try so hard to get
re-elected is that they would hate to try to
make a living under the laws they've passed.

Saturday, May 12, 2018

DODGE CITY (true story)

Memory coming back to me: 

Back when I first moved to Texas and was working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, our group had to take a road trip to Kansas City for a meeting.  Amongst us was a visiting researcher, who was from China.  

We decided to take the scenic route (Hey! Don't laugh! For Department of Agriculture folks and geography buffs, the Great Plains are scenic!), make it a two-day trip, and stop for the night in Dodge City.  The Chinese guy was really thrilled about that: we figured he must be a fan of old Westerns.  

When we left town the next morning to hit the road to K.C., he pleaded with us to at least stop and have a view of the factory on the way out.  The factory?  What?  Of course, the automotive plant!  He had been thrilled because he had thought that we must be where Dodge cars and trucks were made.  He was unhappy when we told him he was misinformed.

Saturday, May 5, 2018

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY



♦  I read that 4,153,237 people got married last year, not to cause any trouble but shouldn't that be an even number?
 
♦ Today a man knocked on my door and asked for a small donation towards the local swimming pool. I gave him a bottle of water.
 
♦ I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather. Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.
 
♦ I find it ironic that the colors red, white, and blue stand for freedom until they are flashing behind you.
 
♦ A recent study has found that woman who carry a little extra weight, live longer than the men who mention it.
 
♦ Relationships are a lot like algebra. Have you ever looked at your X and wondered Y?
 
♦ America is a country which produces citizens who will cross the ocean to fight for democracy but won't cross the street to vote.
 
♦ You know that tingly little feeling you get when you like someone? That's your common sense leaving your body.
 
♦ Did you know that dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish?
 
♦ My therapist says I have a preoccupation with vengeance. We'll see about that.
 
♦ I think my neighbor is stalking me as she's been googling my name on her computer. I saw it through my telescope last night.
 
♦ Money talks ...but all mine ever says is good-bye.
 
♦ If you think nobody cares whether you're alive, try missing a couple of payments.
 
♦ My therapist said that my narcissism causes me to misread social situations. I’m pretty sure she was hitting on me.
 
♦ My 60 year kindergarten reunion is coming up soon and I’m worried about the 175 pounds I’ve gained since then.
 
♦ The pharmacist asked me my birth date again today. I’m pretty sure she’s going to get me something.
 
♦The location of your mailbox shows you how far away from your house you can be in your pajamas before you start looking like a mental patient.
 
♦ Money can’t buy happiness, but it keeps the kids in touch!
 
♦ The reason Mayberry was so peaceful and quiet was because nobody was married. Andy, Aunt Bea, Barney, Floyd, Howard, Goober, Gomer, Sam, Earnest T Bass, Helen, Thelma Lou, Clara and, of course, Opie were all single. The only married person was Otis, and he stayed drunk.