I work in prehospital healthcare. (Yes that’s a fancy way to say I’m an ambulance idiot).
That is one of my favorites. My other favorites are:
1) Guy is so intoxicated he can’t even sit up straight and can’t put a coherent sentence together. “How much have you had to drink tonight?” “Two beers.” Ok buddy.
2) “Do you have high blood pressure?” “No.” “Take any medications?” Lists off 27 anti-hypertensives. “You take a bunch of medications for high blood pressure.” “Yah I know. That’s why I don’t have it.”
“Do you have high blood pressure?” “No.” “Take any medications?” Lists off 27 anti-hypertensives
The fact that so many comments are just different versions of this exact story tells me that maybe the patients aren't stupid and the medical professionals are asking the wrong questions
I suspect it's parsing a lot of non medical professionals likely read each word. So 'do you have high blood pressure' doesn't parse as 'have you been diagnosed or medicated for hypertension' but instead 'is your blood pressure high'
If you hear that bottom one the controlled hypertension would be 'no its not high - see use the cuff - it's perfectly average (took ages to figure out the right meds to get that)'
I really do think on that one the question is 99% of the problem.
A lot of people think medications are like when you have sinus infection and you take antibiotics and you get cured of the infection.
A lot of people think their high blood pressure or diabetes medications cure them.
I try to educate patients that they have long term chronic conditions that are being controlled with medication not treated with medication.
Cause a whole bunch of people will just stop taking their meds after a couple months because they believe they have been "cured".
Especially diabetics. "I cured my diabetes with diet and exercise so I'm not diabetic anymore".
Your diabetes will absolutely come back if you stopped that diet and went back to how you used to eat and stopped exercising. It's not cured it's just being treated.
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u/TacitMoose May 02 '26
I work in prehospital healthcare. (Yes that’s a fancy way to say I’m an ambulance idiot).
That is one of my favorites. My other favorites are:
1) Guy is so intoxicated he can’t even sit up straight and can’t put a coherent sentence together. “How much have you had to drink tonight?” “Two beers.” Ok buddy.
2) “Do you have high blood pressure?” “No.” “Take any medications?” Lists off 27 anti-hypertensives. “You take a bunch of medications for high blood pressure.” “Yah I know. That’s why I don’t have it.”