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Various Sightings From College Town Hell

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  • Various Sightings From College Town Hell

    I thought they would go away when I was sick, but no. No.....*sobs*

    IDs=NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL!!!
    So, I'm in the mall, because my mom needed something and she happens to be working in Macy's for her second job. I'm hungry and actually have money for once, so I step in line for Auntie Anne's. Best. Pretzels. EVER! The line is sorta long, but nothing unusual for a Saturday evening. I'm behind what I presume to be a mom/daughter/grandaughter (or other younger daughter). The wait was not even 5 minutes long and the entire time, the mom is complaining about the wait, the first daughter is jabbering on a cellphone and the younger gril is screeching and heemin and hawin loudly about what pretzel she wants. Great.... Then this happens when she goes to pay:

    Clerk: *after woman hands over a card* Can I see some ID?
    W: What? Since when did you start doing that? I don't have my ID, jeez! Where's a fricking ATM?
    C: *points to the center of the mall, where there is a large sign proclaiming ATM!*
    W: *turns to me* God, seriously? Like I'm going to steal a card and go to the pretzel stand with it! Ha!

    They then walk away in a huff and the clerk voids their transaction because there's a large line. I pay and give her a weak *sorry, I know how it is* smile. She smiles back and seems a bit more cheerful. The woman then passes me as I skip my way out the doors with my tasty pretzel in hand.

    let's play a game. Your Nancy Drew in the Case of the ID Reasoning. Here's a clue for ya Nancy, THEY DO IT FOR YOUR PROTECTION! Yes, people can steal a card and get simple things. My sister's card was swiped and the only purchase they put on it was a pack of cigarettes, before tossing it at the clerk and taking off. They will buy ANYTHING with it, whether it be small or large! Do not berate the clerk because she's doing her job. Not to mention, why the hell do you not have an ID with you in the very large purse? Wouldn't that be one of the required items for when you're trying to enter another state of confusion?

    Gas Pumping 101
    Was getting gas the other night. It's really late, there's a storm rolling in and the place is dead save for me and a little mustang. I go to pay and chat with the clerk I've become friends with (I see a pattern here.....), when all of a sudden, the help button dings for the pumps. It's the mustang. And guess who's driving it. A sterotypical rich girl. Small, blonde, with an overlarge bag and oversized sunglasses (it's like, Midnight, wtf?), plus Ugg boots with Daisy Duke shorts and a pink shirt. Not shitting you. I about died laughing at the irony, seeing as this station is in one of the most nortorious part of town for rape, drugs and racial violence, apptly named, The South Side. I am baffled at this, because 1) She's way out of place and 2) She standing there, with not one, but two cellphones in her hands, pouting.

    RG: Yea, uh don't you guys do the pumping?
    C+M: *snort, wtf?*
    C: Uh, no miss, this is a self service station
    RG: *ooo* (imagine high pitched, foot stomping) But, I don't know how! Can't you please come do it for me? *whine whine*
    C: Miss, I am not paid to do that. If you need help, there are some diagrams on the pump that take you step by step.\
    RG *pause as she attempts to read the pump while jabbering on one phone and texting on the other* I don't understand this! Can't you heeeeeeeeelllllpppppp meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?!
    C: *turns mic off, sighs* Oh jeez.
    M: Oh no, please, allow me.
    C: *shrugs* Don't scare her too bad!

    So I go out to the pump. I'm dressed in black shorts, torn at the knee, black boots, with a black bandana and my bf's school shirt (gray button down, machaniac shirt). I come into the light behind her, since she was too busy texting/talking.

    M: Can I help you?
    RG: *jumps and nearly drops her phone* OMG, don't, like, do that! Now, are you going to pump my gas.
    M: No, I'm just here to show you how to do it, so you can do it in the future. Unlikely of course, but it's good to know, don't you think?
    RG: Whatever. What do I do.
    So I take her through it step by step, even holding her hand to press the latch to lock it. I smile sweetly at her and she keeps stepping back slightly. Finally, it's time to pay. So, I extend my arm and oddly enough she gingerly takes it and I lead her inside. Clerk is about ready to die, but keeps his cool long enough to cash her out. I then lead her back to her car, open the door and close it after she sits.
    M: Well there ya go miss. I hope this experience was as thrilling for you as it was for me.
    She then tries to hand me a $10.
    M: Nah, nah I can't except that. Your beauty is tip enough. *tip imaginary hat* Ya have a nice night now, ya hear!

    I get back inside, clerk is literally on the floor, laughing. We then hear the girl talking. He had left the speaker on from when he was listening to us earlier, with the mic muted.

    RG: Daddy, I don't know where I am. It's dark and there's a really creepy mexican....lesbian hitting on me at the gas station! Why didn't you have Carl drive me?! *whine whine bitch bitch*

    Now, I know I was tan, but damn, I wasn't that tan! But still, her look will carry me through work for some time.

    Curses to Some Workers
    To the nurses at the local hospital: Yes, I know a possible pink eye condition and constant nausea aren't really top emergencies, but as I explained to the nicer nurse up front, I can't afford for doctor visits, unless I need a check up for something. Ambulatory Care wasn't open, so you're my next best bet. So please, don't give me a dirty look when you look at why I'm here, give me a brake and just be less mean. Espcially when I explain about the constant nausea I've had for almost a month. It could be a million different things, yes, but why is it that the first thing you have to jump to is pregnancy. I know teen pregnancy is high in this area, but as I told you when you asked before you suggested pregnancy, it's not possible. Boyfriend's been gone a month, haven't cheated on him and had my period not even a week before. So please, don't give me another dirty look when I say no quickly, with the explanation (again) afterwards. Believe me, that was the first thing I checked before coming you people. Also, don't give me more dirty looks when I can't remember something that happened 5 years ago. I can barely remember what happened the day before because of the SEARING PAIN IN MY EYES! Not everyone has a photographic memory like you apparently do. And PLEASE stop giving me dirty looks when I tell you that I don't believe in flu shots. When I got them, I got the flu 3 times in one winter. Stopped getting flu shots, stopped getting the flu. Yes, I see the pattern, and to me, it's not a conspiracy theory, so stop looking at me like a crazy person!

    To the annoying woman in walmart: I don't care if you were here before me. It goes by who's order is ready. Mine turned out to be over the counter instead of prescription so I was in and out. Whine to you doctor about prescriping narcotics instead of eye drops.

    *huff* I need a drink!
    Just because they serve you, doesn't mean they like you. And just because they smile and act polite doesn't mean they aren't planning to destroy you.

    "I put the laughter in slaughter."

  • #2
    Creepy Mexican Lesbian ey?

    Geez, what a Paris Hilton (the girl not you)
    The best professors are mad scientists! -Zoom

    Now queen of USSR-Land...

    Comment


    • #3
      Quoth fireheart17 View Post
      Creepy Mexican Lesbian
      Quoted just to read it again . I hope I don't think of this one later today, it may be awkward if I just burst out laughing while I'm getting blood tests.

      Comment


      • #4
        Quoth Tithera View Post
        W: *turns to me* God, seriously? Like I'm going to steal a card and go to the pretzel stand with it! Ha!
        HA! Indeed! The jerks who stole my debit card number last month racked up about $300 in FAST FOOD purchases! McD's and some no-name fast food place. So yeah, it is a big deal for even places like Auntie A's to check IDs.

        Quoth Tithera View Post
        To the nurses at the local hospital: Yes, I know a possible pink eye condition and constant nausea aren't really top emergencies, but as I explained to the nicer nurse up front, I can't afford for doctor visits, unless I need a check up for something. Ambulatory Care wasn't open, so you're my next best bet. So please, don't give me a dirty look when you look at why I'm here, give me a brake and just be less mean. Espcially when I explain about the constant nausea I've had for almost a month. It could be a million different things, yes, but why is it that the first thing you have to jump to is pregnancy. I know teen pregnancy is high in this area, but as I told you when you asked before you suggested pregnancy, it's not possible. Boyfriend's been gone a month, haven't cheated on him and had my period not even a week before. So please, don't give me another dirty look when I say no quickly, with the explanation (again) afterwards. Believe me, that was the first thing I checked before coming you people.
        I feel the same way about using ERs for non-emergency care, but sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do. You know not to abuse it, so I don't think that you're being sucky. Besides, pain and eye infections are really good reason to be seen immediately.

        As for the nausea, though... you have to cut the nurses some slack on that one. I personally knew a girl who swore on a stack of bibles that she hadn't had sex in the last year so there was no possible way she was pregnant. Three months later she was popping out a screaming "little miracle". Teen girls lie ALL THE TIME about their sexual activity, ESPECIALLY when the boyfriend is out of town. Add to that the fact that many girls don't get proper education in birth control and you wind up with a population of teens that wouldn't know the signs of pregnancy unless they Googled them.

        Pregnancy is one of the most common causes of continuous nausea in women and one of the cheapest and easiest things to test for. Oh, and in case you don't know it yet, women can continue to have periods throughout their pregnancies. Periods aren't necessarily a sign of not being pregnant, and the nurses know it. It can be annoying to have to put up with their doubts, but if they didn't test you for it, and you wound up having an ectopic pregnancy that killed you, they would be the ones up before a board explaining why they didn't test you.

        Like House says, everyone lies... Especially about sex.
        Sorry, my cow died so I don't need your bull

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        • #5
          And if you were pregnant, it would affect their options as to how they could treat you safely.

          I sometimes wonder about the card thing- since most places only card over 20 dollars or so, you could buy a lot of stuff in the day or two it took them to notice and cancel-tracked a lost wallet down through the phone book yesterday and he didn't even know it was gone, and it was a whole wallet, not just a card.

          Heck, a lot of places just require a signature...

          Comment


          • #6
            Quoth EvilEmpryss View Post
            Oh, and in case you don't know it yet, women can continue to have periods throughout their pregnancies. Periods aren't necessarily a sign of not being pregnant, and the nurses know it.
            I know this isn't a medical advice board, but I have to know more about this. I wouldn't have thought that anything more than spotting was possible. (And yes, I know you don't actually mean menstruating, but I still am very confused). I'm fine with the key words to look up elsewhere, but you just boggled my mind quite thoroughly.

            Comment


            • #7
              Guys who are easily disgusted by discussions of "Female Issues", skip to the next post.
              Quoth Magpie View Post
              I know this isn't a medical advice board, but I have to know more about this. I wouldn't have thought that anything more than spotting was possible. (And yes, I know you don't actually mean menstruating, but I still am very confused). I'm fine with the key words to look up elsewhere, but you just boggled my mind quite thoroughly.
              I'll tag Panacea on this one: she's an RN and will have all the medical details.

              I think I may have misrepresented it, though. It isn't an actual "menstruating" since there's no release of an egg and all, but there is bleeding that occurs around the same time every month. I do know that it's rare for there to be monthly bleeding during pregnancy, but it does happen: often enough that the medicos look out for the other signs just to make sure. I'm guessing it happens more in women who have periods that are normally rather light to begin with, but I've seen enough of those "I Was Pregnant And Didn't Know It" shows to have heard about women having what they termed as normal to heavy periods throughout the pregnancy. I myself had what I swore was a normal period the first month after I conceived my daughter. I was heartbroken because I thought I wasn't pregnant. Then the other signs started, and I went to get tested and low-and-behold I was knocked up! When we eventually got the ultrasound they confirmed that I had to have been pregnant for the two months I thought I wasn't.
              Sorry, my cow died so I don't need your bull

              Comment


              • #8
                Disclaimer: I usually wouldn't make a point of this, but since questions were asked I thought I'd mention how I know my information--I am a nursing instructor (I teach OB nursing) and an ER nurse, so I have a lot of experience with these kinds of questions.

                Pregnancy is one of the most common OB complaints we see in the ER. Anytime we have a female of childbearing age (approximately 12-51) come in complaining of abdominal pain and/or nausea and vomiting, the very first thing we rule out is pregnancy.

                When I worked as an ER nurse, the first thing I would do for patients with these kinds of complaints is collect a urine sample, and run a pregnancy test.

                There are a number of reasons for this. First of all, confirming a pregnancy may by itself explain the symptoms. If so, it affects the treatment: some drugs are unsafe during pregnancy because they cause birth defects or miscarriage.

                Another reason, is to make sure the patient does not have an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy. These pregnancies can never be carried safely to term, and if the tube bursts can result in internal bleeding, infection, sepsis, and death.

                Finally, pregnancy has to be ruled out before certain types of diagnostic tests can be performed, specifically CT scans and X rays (MRI's and ultrasounds are OK) because X rays are harmful to the fetus. If an X ray tech is not asking a woman of childbearing age is she is pregnant before doing the films, then they should be!

                Bear in mind, there are so many symptoms of pregnancy that we actually group them into 3 distinct types: possible, probable, and positive.

                Possible signs include: a missed period, breast tenderness, nausea/vomiting, abdominal distention.

                Probably signs include: specific cervical changes on physical exam, and a positive pregnancy test (which can be falsely positive in some circumstances, such as a molar pregnancy).

                Positive signs include: visualization of a fetus on ultrasound, fetal heart tones, palpation of fetal parts by a trained examiner.

                So to the OP: I'm sorry you feel put out by the questions about your sexual history, but those ER nurses were doing exactly what they were supposed to be doing. As Evil Empryss quoted, (and if this was really on House, he stole it from Robert A. Heinlein) "Everybody lies about sex." Especially if they are teen-aged girls and mom is in the room. I simply can't take your word for it. It's too important to take chances with.

                As for the flu shots; you cannot get the flu from a flu shot. It is a killed virus. If you really got the flu after getting a flu shot, you already had the flu. Some people do get mild flu like symptoms after getting a flu shot; it is nothing like the real flu (which I've had). So if you really had the flu, you already had it when you got the shot (that's happened to me actually).

                Regarding questions about bleeding during pregnancy:

                There are several reasons why a woman might bleed during pregnancy. One is called "implantation bleeding." It is common for the egg, when it is implanted in the blood rich endometrium of the uterus, to cause a mild spotting. Many of the bleeding in pregnancy complaints I see in the ER are related to this (usually women fearful of having a miscarriage).

                Another reason is a miscarriage of some type. There are several different types of miscarriage (the definition depends on whether the products of conception are expelled, and when), but they almost always involve bleeding. Miscarriages can't be stopped, unfortunately.

                Another reason is a low lying placenta. If the placenta sits too low in the uterus, and partially covers the cervix, then blood vessels become exposed and leak blood into the vagina. This can be mild, and self resolve, or be serious to the point of requiring bedrest and a C section to delivery the baby. It's called placenta previa.

                Another reason is the placenta may be torn partially or completely away from the uterine wall. This is called placental abruption, or abruptio placentae. Trauma, drug use, or hypertension in pregnancy are common causes. It can be mild, or life threatening.

                A final reason is infection of the placenta, causing bleeding (chorioamnionitis). This can result in stillbirth, miscarriage, or sepsis in the mom.

                A very few rare women will continue to have their menstrual periods during pregnancy. This is usually not dangerous to the pregnancy.

                Bottom line: if you are pregnant and bleeding, see your doctor right away. Some of these problems can be managed and conclude in a healthy term delivery.

                Sorry this was so long. It's a complicated subject.
                They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Quoth EvilEmpryss View Post
                  Besides, pain and eye infections are really good reason to be seen immediately.
                  Especially since it can cost you your sight. I had a lovely little case of shingles on my face about a month ago. I had one sore right up under the eyebrow on the inner corer of my eye. You should have seen all the eye checking that went on....
                  It's floating wicker propelled by fire!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re the flu shot: it's more of a coincidence. Leave it at that.

                    Also Panacea, what is a molar pregnancy? I know that an ectopic one is one that grows in the Fallopian tube.
                    The best professors are mad scientists! -Zoom

                    Now queen of USSR-Land...

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      A molar pregnancy (hydadtitaform mole) occurs when a sperm fertilizes an empty ovum: an egg that does not contain any genetic material from the mother. We get 23 pairs of chromosones from mom, 23 from dad. So the sperm cell duplicates its own chromosones to make 46. The cell division continues uncontrolled, but does not develop a fetus.

                      Essentially, you end up with a huge tumor that grows until the uterus bursts. It's not a true pregnancy because there is never any chance for a fetus develop.
                      They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Quoth Tithera View Post

                        I know teen pregnancy is high in this area, but as I told you when you asked before you suggested pregnancy, it's not possible. Boyfriend's been gone a month, haven't cheated on him and had my period not even a week before
                        I personally knew a girl, who had her period every month,(baby visible on the ultrasound and active) and negative pregnancy tests until her 8th month. your period is no guarantee you aren't pregnant.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Quoth Teskeria View Post
                          I personally knew a girl, who had her period every month,(baby visible on the ultrasound and active) and negative pregnancy tests until her 8th month. your period is no guarantee you aren't pregnant.
                          When I was pregnant with my first son, I was 18, and had periods almost till 5 months.

                          I didn't know I was pregnant until I went to the gynocologist (I was actually gaining weight at this point), wondering what the hell was wrong with me...and did an exam and said "I'd put a due date at April 20th."

                          My response? "Due for what?"

                          "So, if you wanna put places like that outta business, just stop being so rock-chewingly stupid." ~ Raudf, 9/19/13

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                          • #14
                            The last time I was in the ER for kidney stones, the nurses had started my IV of wonderful morphine and compazine. There is nothing like the drowsy relief of being suddenly pain and nausia free after hours of being hunched over in fetal position moaning.

                            Only problem is that the drugs give one horrible cotton mouth. But they can't give me water until they've done my cat scan, since if I need surgery, I can't have water. And they can't do my cat scan til they've done the pregnancy test, since of course such scans are dangerous for babies. But they can't do the pregnancy test, because no matter how hard I try, and how much I run the faucet, I just CANNOT give them a urine sample to test.

                            It was awful. Not the staff's fault, of course. I know they can't take my word for it that I'm not sexually active. At all. FINALLY they manage to get a release form for me to sign that basically says that I'm am personally certain that I'm not pregnant, and that if I AM, I understand that there are possible nasty side effects from the scan.

                            Got my scan, got my water.
                            My webcomic is called Sidekick Girl. Val's job is kinda like retail, except instead of corporate's dumb policies, it's the Hero Agency, and the SC's are trying to take over the world.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Quoth CoffeeMonkey View Post
                              But they can't do the pregnancy test, because no matter how hard I try, and how much I run the faucet, I just CANNOT give them a urine sample to test.
                              Sorry, but the staff was at fault for that one. They could have done a blood test to verify that you weren't pregnant and saved you the grief... especially if they'd already started an IV! A blood test wouldn't have taken much longer than a urine test and you could have had your water that much sooner.
                              Sorry, my cow died so I don't need your bull

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