It happened on a spring evening at our local convenience store. My wife and I pulled in to obtain the material (ice cream and Lifesavers) used to violate our code of healthy eating.

The clerk knows me and is very creative, offering suggestions about how to make junk food even more tantalizing. As we sought to locate the best hard candy, a shout came from the other end of the store.

“I found it!” a man called out. 

He and the clerk had been searching online for information about a medication his doctor had recently advised in order to reduce his cholesterol levels. 

He had no idea why or whether he should take the medication. He was asking the clerk what she thought.  

At that moment, this retired internist couldn’t stand by in silence. I identified the medication in question, as well as the name of a blood pressure medication. He was unaware that he even had hypertension.

The clerk reminded him that after his previous carotid artery surgery, he had lost weight, started exercising and stopped smoking. Perhaps he didn’t need the new injectable medicine. She expressed her own disappointment with “doctors these days” and lamented that her friend had been left to figure things out himself. 

She was right.

Communication is the duty of a physician. No one should leave their doctor’s office without knowing what is going on. Understanding your treatment and why you need it should not be left to a chance meeting in the line at a convenience store. 

Don’t accept being rushed by your doctor. Ask your questions and don’t leave until they are answered. And try doing a better job than I do at resisting junk food.

Brian Scanlan, M.D.
Pike County, PA