Reader feedback and a lesson in assumptions.
myplaygroundmind replied to your post: TSK: I say "Potato", you say "Witchcraft"
These Filipinos and their voodoo. I’m studying Nursing here in the Philippines and I hear about this kind of stuff all the time. They are so superstitious. This made ma laugh. Thanks :-)
katisconfused replied to your post: TSK: I say "Potato", you say "Witchcraft"
You should always take your full course of antibiotics for your vengeance curse. Wait, if she thinks it is a curse why is she seeing you and not a voodoo medicine person?
imaginaryhowlings replied to your post: TSK: I say "Potato", you say "Witchcraft"
Yeah, it’s just MRSA… *eyeroll* it’s not like it’s highly contagious and potentially lethal in some cases…
anjj replied to your post: TSK: I say "Potato", you say "Witchcraft"
I saw the comment of another user. Not all Filipinos are superstitious. And I’m a Filipino, that’s why I’m probably a little defensive. But still!
russellhammond replied to your post: TSK: I say "Potato", you say "Witchcraft"
Instead of laughing at people with these beliefs, or rolling your eyes at them, why don’t you find ways to relate to them and explain the issue (and how to resolve it) in ways that they will understand and believe?
Just a couple comments about all the comments:
Nowhere in that post do I say the patient IS Filipino, only that the boils started "when she was in the Philippines".
The patient is actually a 40-something Caucasian female.
I did explain MRSA to this patient, and there was no eye-rolling by me in her presence. By the end of the visit, she still felt that the boils were a curse, but she understood that a bacteria was carrying out the effects of the curse.
At the end of the visit, the patient did mention something about "You seem so smart, much smarter than those healer people". I didn't pursue this intriguing conversational tidbit, but I shudder to think what it implies.
So, two lessons to learn from this, readers:
Be careful what assumptions you make, in the process of accusing me of making assumptions or acting in a stereotypical manner. My stories are written to emphasize the humor, not to provide a complete retelling of the entire visit.
I reserve the right to eye-roll online at ANYTHING my patients do which is funny, silly, dumb, or downright dangerous. If you are someone who doesn't enjoy this perspective on medicine, perhaps this blog is not for you. :)