The surgery was totally painless -- can't say the same for the conversation

[MindPilot]

I had a little lump removed from the front of my neck yesterday. About ten minutes, three sutures and quite literally it didn't hurt a bit.

Within a few seconds of being the room, the doc is telling everyone how Obama is taking all his money and giving it to people who don't work. Now, I'm not the least bit interested in a political argument with someone who is holding a knife to my throat. In fact I'm not much interested in conversation at all because this situation--like the dentist--tends to give the person with the sharp tools a bit of an unfair advantage.

At some point after the "how ugly is that bitch Hillary?!" comments I'm desperately hoping for a change of subject. I mean it can't get any worse, right? Yeah. dumb question.

"So, Mindpilot, what kind of work do you do?"

I hesitate because I just KNOW what's coming next. But I'm lying there in a corporate logo polo shirt and my chart is open on the counter so the truth seems about the only option.

"I'm a computer guy". 5...4...I start the countdown in my mind. After the requisite comments about how IT people can never get anything to work right, my countdown hits zero at about the same moment the doc hits the reason I loathe working in IT and I hate the end-losers even more.

He starts to tell me all about his home network, a subject I find about as interesting as he might find my Bic lighter collection. Then he asks if I know anyone who sets up home networks--the inference clearly being me--and I tell him "no but there's always Geek Squad."

Then he proceeds to demonstrate exactly why he probably has a tough time getting things fixed and why I simply will not and cannot work on anyone's computer outside of work. He constructs this scenario surrounding somebody coming to his house to fix something and stealing something. "I wouldn't call the police" he said, "I will hunt them down and kill them myself."

OK, right off I don't like it when people toss around the word "kill" when what they really mean is "very minor injury", but when a medical person uses the word (second time in my life that has happened) it is REALLY disturbing.

This guy has already decided that whoever does something for him is a thief until proven otherwise, and I suspect he has alienated all the IT people at the hospital.

Anybody who fixes things for a living knows what I'm talking about; after a lifetime of taking this kind of crap, I'm certainly glad I can see retirement from here.

[bamademo]

1. The only person I will fix computer problems for outside of work is my Dad

I got sick of computer conversations years ago and only have them when some new equipment comes around that I have to know how to configure and fix.

[Mika]

2. Yikes!

I put on Thom Hartmann for my patients. :evilgrin: They all seem to enjoy it. :eyes:

[T Wolf]

3. After you are safely away from this asshole's medical "care" - write a letter to the medical

ethics board of your county and the hospital he "works at" and file a formal complaint. A letter to the editor of your local paper would also be appropriate. And be specific, naming names and citing quotes.

There is absolutely no reason a patient should ever have to put up with shit like this.

Every time that this kind of abuse is not confronted, they are only reinforced for spewing their filth.

Take him down, if you can.

[Rashel]

4. He will hunt them down and kill them himself? You may have been operated on by a Freeper!

[sinkingfeeling]

5. For heaven's sake, find another doctor.

[Orsino]

11. +18

Then be sure to tell his staff why.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

6. This kind of shithead is what "rm -rf /" was made for. -nt

[mikeytherat]

9. Sweet Unix death. He has earned it.

mikey_the_rat

[Greyhound]

12. LOL! Shades of the BOFH.

Good times...

[tjwash]

7. The only thing worse than saying that you work in IT, is saying that you are a minister.

I'm a network engineer, and just because I set up spanning trees, vlans and port trunking for datacenters, people seem to think that I will come over to their houses, and fix their nightmare of a virus infected-extremofragged-never maintained-fucked up so bad no one can do anything with it-personal computer that is still running windows 2000. Oh-and I would REALLY owe you one if you could do it buddy! :puke:

If anyone asks me what I do for a living, I tell them I'm a tree sap collector.

[foo_bar]

10. I'm sure surgeons have the same problem, "hey Bob, can you diagnose this lump on my scrotum?"

As though Bob wants to see your nasty ass without getting paid, especially since Bob is a neurosurgeon. I guess it's a nonspecific occupational hazard, speaking as a programmer whose conversations with strangers tend to drift into "what's ntoskrnl.exe and why is it missing?" territory; I can't take offense at being lumped in with IT since we're discussing a realm "indistinguishable from magic" to most people, so I just tell them they're fucked.

[MindPilot]

13. Actually it's being an auto mechanic.

That's what I did with the first half of my working life. Knowing how to make an air conditioner produce cold air seems to also impart magical qualities of knowledge about what design engineers are thinking and the ability to effect a diagnosis by listening to someone imitate that odd noise their transmission makes.

"nightmare of a virus infected-extremofragged-never maintained-fucked up so bad no one can do anything with it-personal computer that is still running windows 2000" :rofl: Man, you nailed it!

[Ilsa]

8. What a totally unprofessional asshole that doctor is! And please don't

center your complaint just around the political message -- make sure his employers knows how he was slamming your profession with a scalpel at your throat.

Good luck with your surgery healing and the followup. Sounds like you handled it the best you could have, given the circumstances. I feel for you, having too listen to his rantings.