My pharmacy friends

Part 1: SmartRx's story

I talk to one of my pharmacist friends at least weekly. She lives far, far, away from the area we grew up in near RehabLand. We talk about kids, husbands and the public school systems. There's always something going on.

SmartRx went to school in the cornfields and developed a sense of adventure out on the prairie at a PrivateU syndicate school. She met her husband there, and after working a year in the midwest, she decided it was time to follow her man. Just like the Beverly Hillbillies, she loaded up the truck (and the car) and headed west to Californie. She stopped plenty of places along the way with one of our high school classmates who hitched a ride, including the Grand Canyon (a la Thelma and Louise).

After making her homestead, marrying the man she followed, she built a successful practice with a big pharmacy chain. She's known as a miracle worker, so she's often sent to places that really need a lot of TLC (code name s&%t hole). Her most recent store is no exception.

What could you say that might make a two decades long career in community pharmacy exciting? How about this for a week:

1. Your store makes the local top 10 list of places you never want to shop at. SmartRx told me what to look up in Google and lo and behold, there it was.
2. Customer (in a muumuu) comes to your counter and while walking out, in the middle of the waiting area, leaves a surprise (and it ain't a nice one).
3. Crazed customer takes a swing at you because you blatantly agree that you won't see your doctor for an appointment and he refuses to renew your script.

This last one was exciting. "Whoa!" I said. "What did you refuse? Narcs? Benzos? Amphetamines?"

"No. Metformin", she replied.

"WT...?"

"Yep, the diabetic drug."

Word to the wise, community pharmacists, they must be putting something funny in that Metformin.
Or as SmartRx says, the crazies just like her.

Someday SR, I'm really gonna help you write that book. There are too many stories not to share about life behind the counter.

More to come...stay tuned.

Little miracles

First, it was the 60 year old man floating on his roof.

Today, some survivors were found in the rubble.

Finally, when you have to make a terrible choice in a split second, sometimes, somewhere, someone is looking out for you.

And yes, I do believe all dogs go to Heaven.

It's a miracle

The semester is finally over. The parties are in full swing, so now I can really enjoy them.

My only research question now: what cookies to make this weekend?

More to come...so many things coming.