I was working late tonight, walking past a room where a patient was waiting to be seen for a cough. As I passed he started coughing, the dry, horrible cough that doesn't produce anything but won't go away, and it reminded me of a time I went to the doctor when I was little. I had gone in for a cough, and it must've been pretty bad because my family isn't the "run into the doctor after the first sniffle" type, we wait a week. Or two.
So I had gone into the doctor, and he asked me to cough for him, and I did, which of course lead to a bout of coughing that I couldn't help and couldn't stop. And afterward he looked at me and said, "Wow, that's quite a cough. You don't smoke, do you?"
I must've been 7 or so, maybe younger, but I fired back a "NO!" that really said, "HOW DARE YOU?! SMOKING IS NO LAUGHING MATTER!" And I remember thinking about it later, and hearing my mom laugh when he asked it, and I realized it was a joke, but I decided not to be embarassed because I had told him very stongly how I felt about it. Plus, I'd always had a sneaking suspicion that he asked in a joking manner, but was really being serious.
It wasn't until today when I was reminded of the whole situation that I realized how rediculous that thought was.
I don't know what it is, but sometimes jokes doctors tell just get lost on me. Jay and I took Kami in for her two week check-up, and her stats were all good except her head was a little bit small. The doctor commented on it, and Jay asked, "Well, what happens if it stays small?" To which the doctor replied, without skipping a beat, "We'll have to do head-expansion therapy." I'm sure he was expecting a laugh, but instead me and Jay sat there silent, imagining it until Jay said, "Will it hurt?" He walke out of the room and just said to himself, "Don't joke with first time parents."
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2 comments:
I think that's funny. :)
I love telling kids who come in with a rash, minor cut or a cough, that we're going to have to cut their leg off. Sometimes the kid will argue with me and tell me they have a cough, how could cutting off their leg help? And I say, well once you only have one leg you won't think about your cough anymore. Most the time the kids will just say no exactly how you did, and when they don't and just give you a passive no, or look at you like your an idiot it just isn't as funny.
I also like to ask kids if they drink beer to get that sort of reaction, but one time a kids said yes and that opened a whole other can of worms.
And I also like to ask kids about boyfriends or girlfriends. I usually say something like you didn't sick from kissing a girl did you? This one is good to use on adolescents as well! I LOVE making them blush in front of their parents!
SSFB
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