Dear Pharmacy; your carbon footprint stinks.

Dear Pharmacy that shall not be Named;

If just 25% of U.S. families used 10 fewer plastic bags a month, we would save over 2.5 billion bags a year.* So tell me; why do you have such a problem with my bringing my own bag? Last time I had to tell the clerk twice, loudly and clearly, before she looked at me with a confused expression and then set the plastic bag down. I guess I'll take the confused expression over the eye roll I've gotten several other times.

Well, dear Pharmacy, let's look at another wasteful habit. Every single time a clerk hands out a (stupid little plastic) bag, it contains advertising. Flu shots, diabetes supplies, the smart phone app for refills - I don't need these. Really. And when I hand back the paper with a "Thanks, but I've already had my flu shot," the paper doesn't go to another customer; it goes in the recycling. What the heck? Your carbon footprint approaches Paul Bunyan's print in size.

Pharmacy, dear, oh Ye Who Shall Not be Named, I just moved the bulk of my maintenance medications to another provider. I no longer plan to make multiple trips per month, tolerate the attitude, or accept the outrageous amount of waste generated.

Got it? Oh. I didn't think so. Never mind.

Sincerely,

Daisy

*source: http://www.handprinter.org/

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Dear Clinic; Efficient? Nope.

Actual (almost) exchange by way of the messaging system at our local Clinic That Shall Not Be Named

Dear Family Doc's Office;

You will receive (or may have already received) a request from (insert insurance company's mail-order pharmacy here) to transfer four prescriptions to them from the local Pharmacy Who Shall Not be Named. Please keep Pharmacy on my list for short term medication needs.

Sincerely,

Daisy

Dear Daisy;

Refills of your medications have been sent to (insert new pharmacy here) this morning. You are due for a medication/asthma check appointment in April. If you mention the "wait list" the scheduler will know what to do.

Sincerely,

LPN a.k.a. Refill Associate

Wait list? In my vocabulary, those are four letter words. Oh, wait, they ARE four letter words. But anyway, the saga continued --

Confused, because I usually take care of this kind of med check in the summer along with my annual check-up, I made the appointment anyway. After enduring a cold silence when I mentioned that my lack of flexibility was due to my job as a teacher, we managed to find an appointment during my Spring Break. I was to fast overnight, get blood work done, and then talk with the doctor. I wasn't convinced, though. This was out of the ordinary.

Dear Messaging System at the Clinic That Shall Not be Named;

For the past several years I've combined my med checks with a physical in July or August. The message that I need a fasting medication check in April caught me by surprise.

Is the appointment really necessary?

Why the change in routine?

Oh, well, why bother asking,

Daisy

Hi Daisy -- all the Docs agreed on medication protocols/visits for certain chronic illnesses, which is usually every 6 months -- each MD does have exceptions to the rule though.

I will route this by Family Doc for you, and we'll be back in touch with his response.

Thanks.

RN in Family Doc's Offices

Ooh - I actually got an answer from an RN this time. Maybe MD is next. Have I jumped through enough hoops yet to get to the top?

Hi, Daisy - Family Doc had the following comment:

Daisy can be seen for her annual visit in July or August and meds checked then.

Sincerely, RN in Family Doc's Offices

All of this leaves me wondering once again: is this supposed to be efficient?

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Flu shots: there's still time!

Amigo visited our family doctor last week to get his ear checked out and flushed out. The nurse asked him if he'd had a flu shot. He replied in the affirmative, that he'd got it at school, from the school nurses that serve the residential school for the blind. We didn't have an exact date, but we estimated late October.

Amigo is wise beyond his 20 years when it comes to flu. He knows how miserable a case of influenza can be. He's always been one who doesn't get sick often, but when he does, he gets really, really sick. He signed up for the flu shot at school registration, got our signatures on the approval sheet (even though he's old enough that he didn't need them), and willingly got his flu shot. He knows what the Center for Disease Control (CDC) says: The flu vaccine is your best protection against the flu.

Timing of influenza outbreaks is unpredictable. I will always remember the impact of H1N1 on my fourth grade students. My class had at least five and as many as ten students out each day for a time period of three to four weeks. That outbreak came in October, but outbreaks can occur as late as May.

Flu vaccines are usually available in early autumn and remain available for several months. Last year, the flu peaked in February. A January flu shot isn't too late.

Not all families have good coverage and a family doctor, and not everyone has access to a school nurse, either. If you'd like to find a location near you, look here.

Information and web links from the Center for Disease Control: I received no monetary compensation for writing this post. I wrote it to bring valuable information to my readers.

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