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that sneaky motherfucker...
Jan. 17th, 2008 07:44 amSo last night I went to the emergency room for an acute asthma attack. All I wanted was for them to make it so I could breathe, and say I don't have pneumonia so I can be sent home.
The doctor was concerned with the fact that I'd ever smoked a cigarette in my life, so after lecturing me on how easy it was to quit smoking (though he admitted he'd never tried smoking himself and thus has no idea what it's like to quit), he arbitrarily told me I had EMPHYSEMA; a severe, irreversible and progressive lung disease for which there is no cure, WITHOUT HAVING RUN A SINGLE TEST ON ME. This might not have been so upsetting if my grandfather hadn't died of it. I suspect the doc was trying to scare me straight, but you can't just tell a person that smoking is bad and expect them never to have to deal with the monster of addiction again. The truth is, addiction - especially to cigarettes - is not simply a matter of willpower. Any of you who've ever tried to quit smoking knows this. They're everywhere, they're cheap, and you can usually find a stranger who's willing to give you one for free.
By the way, this same doctor told me to cut down on the junk food and eat healthier stuff. He didn't ask me any questions whatsoever about my diet, didn't ask me what or how often I ate, and obviously had no idea that there are only a couple of fast food establishments (like In 'N' Out where they actually use real meat and vegetables) that I will consent to eat from, and then only if I'm starving and it's that or nothing. He just assumed I eat crap and plenty of it. He never found out that I often go for days without eating because he was too busy talking to actually listen to me.
[Poll #1122762]
The doctor was concerned with the fact that I'd ever smoked a cigarette in my life, so after lecturing me on how easy it was to quit smoking (though he admitted he'd never tried smoking himself and thus has no idea what it's like to quit), he arbitrarily told me I had EMPHYSEMA; a severe, irreversible and progressive lung disease for which there is no cure, WITHOUT HAVING RUN A SINGLE TEST ON ME. This might not have been so upsetting if my grandfather hadn't died of it. I suspect the doc was trying to scare me straight, but you can't just tell a person that smoking is bad and expect them never to have to deal with the monster of addiction again. The truth is, addiction - especially to cigarettes - is not simply a matter of willpower. Any of you who've ever tried to quit smoking knows this. They're everywhere, they're cheap, and you can usually find a stranger who's willing to give you one for free.
By the way, this same doctor told me to cut down on the junk food and eat healthier stuff. He didn't ask me any questions whatsoever about my diet, didn't ask me what or how often I ate, and obviously had no idea that there are only a couple of fast food establishments (like In 'N' Out where they actually use real meat and vegetables) that I will consent to eat from, and then only if I'm starving and it's that or nothing. He just assumed I eat crap and plenty of it. He never found out that I often go for days without eating because he was too busy talking to actually listen to me.
[Poll #1122762]
