Thursday, November 8, 2012

A Little Presumptuous Perhaps?

Just a quick side story from yesterday's doctor's appointment. :) Think of it as a BONUS! Woot! heehee

You know when you go to a new doctor and you have to fill out a "New Patient"  questionnaire?  Name, age, family and personal health history, lifestyle, etc?

Under lifestyle they always ask about smoking and drinking.  Everywhere I have been, always, these are yes/no questions.  As in "Do you smoke?  _____yes _____no" and "Do you drink? _____yes _____no" with appropriate blanks to fill with the amount you smoke or drink if you check "yes".

The questionnaire I filled out yesterday was like that for smoking - yes or no.  But for drinking?  It said "How often do you drink [beer/wine/liquor]?"  No "DO you drink yes or no". Just straight up "HOW OFTEN" which  I thought was odd because it assumes that everyone drinks.  I don't.  I know other people who don't drink either.  I don't even occasionally drink [holidays, parties, weddings] and could not tell you the last time I had a drink, honestly, so I wrote 0 and "I don't drink".  I just found it weird that for smoking you were given an option but drinking you weren't.  It was as if you had to admit to drinking some kind of alcohol recently or on a weekly basis. heehee

For what it is worth I have drank [drunk? drinked? giggle what is it?] alcohol before and I like to talk about it with people who drink - it's fun, but I honestly don't like the taste of any of it and it's expensive besides.

Anyhoodle - Have you guys ever seen a question posed like that?  And don't you guys know other adults that don't drink?  And not just people that are in AA* - aren't there some adults out there like us that just don't drink?  Or do I live in a cave?  giggle

Whatever, I just thought it was weird. Then again.....

*A very close friend [who is a member of AA] told me there were only two types of adults in the world "Those who drink and those in AA."  When I asked him "What about me?" He just shrugged and told me I was unique.  In more ways than one I'm sure. ::wink::

Have a good one Tadpoles.  There's a "twofer" for ya'.

So no one thinks I am "bristling" about this [Thanks for the giggle Rudee :D] the CAPS in this post are used as emphasis, not yelling.  Sorry if anyone thought this upset me or that I am too stupid to know why they have to ask about a patients drinking history.  For the record - it isn't WHAT [emphasis] they asked, it was HOW [emphasis] they asked it that I thought was weird.  WEIRD, not wrong or intrusive, just WEIRD like I said when I wrote the post yesterday. Besides, if I let something like this bug me I would have a pretty short [and pathetic] life expectancy, now wouldn't I?

Again, have a great weekend and we'll see ya on the flipside.  Enjoy the gorgeous weather :D

14 comments:

Yum Yucky said...

Drank? Drunk? Drinked? I believe the correct term is "dranken". duh!
And then there's the other term drankin' with an "i". As is, "Let's go out drankin' ya'll!"

I should charge a fee for this type of deep knowledge...

Celia said...

I don't drink. I just never got into it. My mom died of cirrhosis of the liver, so maybe that's subliminal reason.

Kinda in the same landscape of medical questions, my GYN questionnaire had on it.
-Are you sexually active?
-Have you had more than one partner in the last year?
-How many partners have you had over your lifetime?

Lifetime? That's a very strange question to me. I know it's probably assessing your STD risk, but still, that was a crazy question.

P.S. Sorry for the long comment.

life in the mom lane said...

Ok this is the third time I am trying to post a comment...if it doesn't go I am quitting!
Hubby does not drink... He has had alcohol in the past but like you, does not care for it.
Me on the other hand... *cough-cough* I rarely drink.....
*crickets*
Ok, ok, I have been known to have an occasional drink.... *crickets again*
Alright already! Yes I like my wine, and have just actually finished a glass and am planning on having another! Satisfied?
I admit it I am a closet lush.... I will usually have either a light beer when we eat out, or a mixed drink...sometimes even two.
But oh.... I do LOVE me my wine!!!! ;)

Jeannie said...

...have drunk... I think.

You are not alone. My sister never used to touch alcohol. She will have a small glass of wine on special occasions if it is somewhat on the sweet side. Like you, she just really never liked the taste. There is a lady down the street who doesn't drink. I don't think she's an alcoholic but I don't really know her well enough to ask but her husband drinks regularly so she's got a hard time of it if she is. A good friend of ours doesn't drink because he doesn't like what he turns into - I don't think he's an alcoholic though - just an asshole when drinking. I've known tons of people who don't drink for religious reasons - Baptists and Pentecostals especially. And my husband rarely drinks - the occasional beer or bloody Mary - a sip of my wine. To be honest, I don't drink nearly as much as I used to - I don't enjoy the effect as much since the surgery.
Alcohol in the States is so cheap compared to here. And easily available everywhere. I don't know how anyone affords being an alcoholic in Canada. (I think an average 26er is about $34 - wine starts at about $8.99 or maybe more)

Juli said...

I never really drank. I went through "that" time when I did a bit, but in the end, I really like being in control. And then I married an alcoholic, so if I wanted a sober ride anywhere, I was going to be it.

I went drinking with a girlfriend when I went to NH for a wedding a few weeks back. We recalled the last time we had done that, also for my birthday, ten years prior. And when I say drinking, I had 3 margaritas.

Before that was my honeymoon in Vegas. We were there for 3 days with no kids. I had 5 drinks total.

I know. I'm so wild you can't even stand it. :)

CWMartin said...

I do opinion outpost surveys, so yeah I see a lot of questions without "my" answer. Especially the surveys whose first question is "Are you of Latino descent?" There's never a "HELL NO" choice!

Terry said...

Definitely "I have drunk".

But, I never have. The whole "mother-is-drunk-and-passed-out-on-the-sofa" thing sort of killed any interest I may have had in drinking. Then, I became a Mormon and, well, 'nuff said. Several years ago, I broke one of my ankle joints and needed to have surgery to pin the joint back together. Prior to outpatient surgery, the anesthesiologist came in to interview me so she wouldn't over-juice me. Her first question: "How much do you drink?" Me: "I don't." MD: "So, like once a month and when you go out to dinner?" Me: Nope, not even then." MD: "So on holidays, birthdays, special occasions?" Me: "No, I have never had anything to drink at all. Never, none, zip, zilch, nix, nil . . . nothing." MD: "Really, nothing at all?" with her voice rising incredulously at the end. Me: "That would be correct." MD: "Then, you are going to be really sick." And I was. I began throwing up as soon as I started coming out of the anesthesia. I was so sick that I kept the staff there w-a-y past quittin' time. When I was calm for about one-half hour, the nurses hurried and got me into a wheelchair, pushed me out to my husband's waiting car, got me loaded up, and darted back inside as fast as possible. And I promptly vomited into the bag the center so graciously provided for that express purpose. My husband rushed inside to tell them of my status. He was told I was no longer a patient of the facility and that, if he were concerned, he could take me to the hospital emergency room across the street. I was sick for hours, including during a phone call from the surgeon later that night. He was furious when he heard what happened at the surgical center. So, I got a nice apology letter from the center's director. And a couple of days later, a nice bill.

Too much information . . . sigh . . .

Rudee said...

It's not presumptuous. It's a legitimate question from a physician trying to decipher if alcohol abuse is a part of a patient's history. In the hospital, how that question is answered determines whether or not we complete an alcohol audit that is way more in-depth than that one question. To us, it's about saving brain cells in the hospitalized alcoholic. You may have bristled, but it's really a question about safety (in disguise). How you answer? Never...

SkippyMom said...

I didn't realize alcohol is so expensive, but I do know you like to bring the yummy Rums home from the south. I don't blame you for the cost and the taste.

What, pray tell, is a 26er? Never heard of the size, but sounds expensive. :)

SkippyMom said...

Rudee, um, lighten up? You you seem to have missed part of what I was saying. I don't mind them asking the question, of course they have to. And I never said it wasn't legitimate, it is. But you are surprisingly [word deleted] in your explanation of why they ask it. I may not know the medical details, but as I said in the post I see the question all the time, have no problem answering it, I have just never seen it asked in that manner where they assume every patient drinks.

As for bristling? Sorry if you think I was coming across that way - not my style, and considering I have spent a large portion of my year dealing with doctors it would take a heck of a lot more than a question I see on every new patient questionnaire to make me bristle - even if it was asked in a way I find inappropriate. We may not all be nurses, but we know enough to appreciate why a particular question is asked repeatedly, on every questionnaire. As I said, I found this one weird because not everyone drinks [as we all know.] I would post the same blogpost if the questionnaire read "How much do you smoke?" Not "Do you smoke" because, again, it assumes everyone smokes. And they don't.

Sorry that you missed what I meant.

Anonymous said...

I worked with a woman who never had a drop of alcohol in her whole life - even through college and law school, but I have a feeling her parents imbibed and to see that was enough to make her not want to drink.

My "social drinking" turned into "having a glass while making dinner." I decided to give it up for 21 days, and I am on day 9 and I am fine! :D

Hugs to you Skip!

Linda said...

"I have drunk."

I did not take a drink until I was 30, had a very few for two years, stop, and finally just drank a glass of wine about three times a year. Now, I pass on it all.

Knitty said...

Sorry I've been AWOL. Busy, busy, busy. Just stopping by now to wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving, and always, Peace.

Anonymous said...

Hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving Skippy! Hugs!