Strange Situations

Working in London in the NHS I would rarely see patients outside work. One memorable summer evening we chose to eat outside at an Italian restaurant local to my practice. A veritable stream of patients passed the table with a nod and a wink, but no-one approached me with chatter or problems. How different life is in a smalltown. In the summer, not long after we arrived, it would take me at least an hour to walk round 16 stalls at the Farmer's Market in Sechelt. Now I find myself unable to go anywhere without seeing a patient. This week I was at the pool and in the awkward position of trying to change in the open women's changing room. Although patients are usually comfortable removing clothes for examinations, how comfortable would they be seeing me in all my glory. A similar situation arose at the cinema - I go through boxes of tissues weekly in my office listening to stories happy and sad, but would the patient mind seeing me with a red nose and swollen eyes, proving that indeed, doctors are human....I daren't even contemplate having one too many in the Lighthouse Pub.....