You really can’t be good at your job

if you’re lazy. That’s what it boils down to.

I had my neurologist appointment today; it’s a yearly gig. Generally, it goes down something like this:

“How are your medicines?” (for migraines)

“Swell.”

“Great. Do these odd tests (somewhat like a drunk driving test) so I can be sure you don’t have a brain tumor. You don’t.”

“Swell.”

“See you next year.”

“Swell.”

Only this year, it was more like this:

“Well, last month, the pharmacy changed me to a generic, and my migraines have been really bad since.”

“How bad?”

“Mmm, 4 a week.”

“Yeah, that’s bad.”

“So, I was thinking that you could inform the insurance company that the generic wasn’t working for me and get me back to the original drug.”

“That’s a lot of paperwork.”

“And?”

“And they’ll probably say no.”

“Well, my G.P. has done it before.”

“That’s a lot of paperwork. Let’s just increase your dosage and see how that works. How’s the rx for when you get a migraine.”

“Well, it’s great when I only use it once a month, but 4x a week and I can’t function. I need to function.”

“We’ll switch that too.”

Seriously? It’s too much paperwork for him to bother with so I am not immobilized by migraines? Really? When was the last time he had a migraine you think? When was the last time he filled out paperwork you think? I know, I never went to medical school but how many of us really believe that taking more of a medicine that isn’t working is going to work? A showing of hands for how many of us think I’ll be at my GP’s office asking her to do the paperwork because apparently her staff aren’t lazy asses?

How’s this work in Canada anyway?