Hi everyone! English isn’t my first language, and I’m not in the US, so please bear with me. 🙂
This morning, I (28F) visited the doctor because I wasn’t feeling well. Turns out, I have angina.
My doctor knows that swallowing pills is extremely hard for me due to a traumatic experience in my past. When I absolutely must, I manage by dissolving them in water or breaking them into tiny pieces. Thankfully, she often finds alternatives. This time, she prescribed a liquid medicine usually made for babies. To make it work, I simply need to take three times the dose.
On my way to work, I stopped at a random pharmacy. It was busy, but eventually, it was my turn. The lady behind the counter seemed new, as she kept asking her colleagues a lot of questions. I didn’t think much of it and handed her my prescription, social security card, and insurance card.
After typing on her computer, she turned to me and said coldly, “It’s for babies.”
“I know,” I replied. “I need to triple the dose. It’s easier for me to take it this way.”
Instead of just giving me the medication, she snorted and said, “Yeah, but you’re an adult. And you’re waaay over the weight limit for pills.”
For context, I weigh around 105 kg (231 pounds). So, yay—free fat-shaming with my prescription!
I tried to stay calm despite being sleep-deprived from the last two nights.
“I know,” I repeated, “but I still want the liquid medicine. Just give me the bottles, please, so I can get to work.”
Reluctantly, she went to look for them but returned empty-handed.
“We don’t have any left. I’ll need to order it. It’ll be here on Thursday,” she said.
While I was debating whether to order it from her or check another pharmacy during my lunch break, she added, loud enough for everyone in the pharmacy to hear:
“Don’t you think it’s childish not to swallow pills at your age?”
Her words hit me like a ton of bricks, and I noticed two other pharmacists and at least a dozen customers staring at me. My face turned red, but for once, I decided to stand my ground.
“I used to be better at swallowing pills before I tried to kill myself in high school by taking sedatives,” I said loudly, making sure everyone heard. “Sorry if nearly dying makes it hard for me to swallow pills.”
The room fell silent. Her face went pale, and she stammered something—maybe an apology, I didn’t care.
I calmly gathered my prescription, cards, and handbag and walked out. By the time I drove past the pharmacy a few minutes later, she was no longer behind the counter.
I hope she learned an important lesson: never ask a question you’re not prepared to hear the answer to.
Edit: Thank you all for your overwhelming support! I felt terrible when I left the pharmacy this morning, but after reading your comments, I’m confident I did the right thing. 😊