Caught a patient smoking

[AegisPrime]

A long time ago I used to catch a train into work every day and on the platform would be two guys standing next to each other.

One of them looked in his late twenties/early thirties, the other slightly older. Every day, around 5 minutes before the train was due the older guy would pull out a cigarette, pop it in the younger guy's mouth and light it for him. The young guy would then proceed to smoke it down to the filter without ever touching it or taking it out of his mouth

The younger guy was, I guessed autistic (I used to work with autistics so I have some experience) and the man travelling with him was (I guessed) his carer - it always made me smile to see their 'ritual' and obviously the young chap enjoyed his smokes

Wonder if he's vaping now?

 

[DC2]

He should have done this in the bathroom, to allow the exhaust to remove the smoke and keep the remaining smoke isolated in the bathroom space. He probably could have gotten away with it. It does seem cruel to keep people who are imbalanced without some means of smoking. Do they get NRTs?

It's extremely cruel, in a whole bunch of ways.

 

[navigator2011]

you could not get him one and kinda sneek it in. you know like a secret santa thing. not let him know you left it for him. I could not imagine having to be in the hospital. My wife had surgery last year and they gave her the patch and she hated it. She was told when she went in that if she left to go smoke that she would be deemed non compliant and not be allowed to return. I was blow away. What happened to the days that you could at least walk outside to a smoking area?

Seriously, I just hate to hear of people being treated this way. Welcome to the 'new world order.' Smokers today must be the most mistreated population group in America. Not only is tobacco ridiculously addictive, but it's also perfectly legal and on sale pretty much everywhere we go. And yet, a hospital (and most any other institution these days) cannot paint a lousy 10'x10' square at the edge of the parking lot for smokers to relieve the torture? Oh, and it gets better, because along comes a potential 'silver bullet,' the e-cig which could save millions of lives and end the cigarette problem, and instead of embracing it, society wants to illegalize the e-cig while keeping analogs on sale everywhere. Sure seems like people are just sheep.

 

[Ref Minor]

I had a spinal operation earlier this year, was allowed to vape openly in my bed.

 

[Steamix]

I still smoke, sometimes a full pack, sometimes a 10. I'm under a lot of stress after my dad's illness and death. I'd love a little sympathy, I'm sure sooner or later I'll find the way around to just vape and not vape as a fill in.

You've got enough on your hands and on your heart right now - so do smoke or do vape as you see fit and as it feels it could help you through a tough time. Nunca sin esperanza...

 

[EddardinWinter]

He's definitely real - I'd be dead by now if I smoked all of my cigarettes that he smoked for me

Hello Edd, Happy Christmas

And a Merry Christmas to you and yours, too.



Tapped out

 

[cassandraschild]

Generic mutant: i would tell your friend to be very careful with champix. I dont know the effects on schizophrenics, but people with mood disorders can be very badly effected by it. Ill see if i can find any research when i get home in the morning.

I would totally secret santa my patients with disposables. Small problem though. When i quit analogs the first time last year i told my coworkers about how i did it. Many of them had a lotof questions. If even disposable e-cigs appear on the unit... the finger could very well get pointed at me. Now im starting to wish id kept my big mouth shut.

 

[generic mutant]

Yeah, that hasn't escaped my attention

But he needs to quit - his habit is completely, off the charts insane, and really starting to destroy his health.

I guess they're keeping a very close eye on him...

 

[meanckz]

He should have done this in the bathroom, to allow the exhaust to remove the smoke and keep the remaining smoke isolated in the bathroom space. He probably could have gotten away with it. It does seem cruel to keep people who are imbalanced without some means of smoking. Do they get NRTs?

Cassandra still would have moticed it, maybe not so shockingly, I walk past a cigar shop daily (in the morning, after work) this place closes around midnight or 1am, but I can still smell the cigars at 7:30 am, just walking by it...stuff lingers long and long after the fact

 

[cassandraschild]

Yeah... especially with schizopherics smoking can go to incredible levels. Ive heard that its not uncommon to find them spending up to 25% of their income on cigarettes alone. Thats a TON of smoking!

Edit:yeah he had no chance of getting it past me. We have an ancient building, constructed in the 50's i think. No fans in the bathrooms. Even when i had been smoking i could still smell it when patients smoked in their rooms or in the showers.

 

[Ld3441]

Not all hospitals are created equal..
Just last month my daughter had surgery. I was shocked that the hospital was ok with us vaping. I even had one of the nurses asking about it because her mother is a smoker. I hope the day comes when all hospitals come to the decision vaping is NOT smoking and it is allowed.

 

[Rickajho]

Yeah... especially with schizopherics smoking can go to incredible levels. Ive heard that its not uncommon to find them spending up to 25% of their income on cigarettes alone. Thats a TON of smoking!

Not any more, considering how high taxes have risen on cigarettes, and the typical fixed income most schizophrenics are living on. "Cheap" cigarettes in MA are now about $10.00 a pack. An obnoxiously regressive tax.

The real case of the stupids I can't get past here is the MAOI matter with smoking. There is a reason why those MI patients are smoking like that. And I agree - it's abusive to lasso in their smoking in context of a MI requiring hospitalization, and saying it's all "...for the childern!!!" and all that crap. Let's put them in a locked ward, take away their smoking rights when they have an increased MI based dependence on smoking, and not call that torture. Nurse Ragid got nuthin' on us.

 

[Bunnykiller]

I had an incident back in april ( basically got my head split open from a 2X12 18' long falling from 12 feet up). While in the hospital, the nurse asked me if I smoked ( I guess the short temper and coughing/hacking may have been a clue) I told her yes. Within minutes she arrived with a medium sized cigar "mouthpiece" and a bubble pack of little cylinders. She popped one open and inserted it into the mouthpiece and handed it to me.... I knew exactly what to do with it... no smoke but one heck of a nicotine rush... I was a happy patient for the rest of the stay... Why dont all hospitals offer this????? If I was in the med field in that capacity (nurse etc) I would prefer happy patients!

 

[cassandraschild]

Bunnykiller... what hospital was that and do you know what the name of the product was? If another hospital is using something like that I could suggest it to the patient care director of my unit.

 

[Moedog]

Seriously, I just hate to hear of people being treated this way. Welcome to the 'new world order.' Smokers today must be the most mistreated population group in America. Not only is tobacco ridiculously addictive, but it's also perfectly legal and on sale pretty much everywhere we go. And yet, a hospital (and most any other institution these days) cannot paint a lousy 10'x10' square at the edge of the parking lot for smokers to relieve the torture? Oh, and it gets better, because along comes a potential 'silver bullet,' the e-cig which could save millions of lives and end the cigarette problem, and instead of embracing it, society wants to illegalize the e-cig while keeping analogs on sale everywhere. Sure seems like people are just sheep.

LOL, I don't know what hospital allows smoking, or vaping anywhere on their property. Here in Charlotte all hospitals are huge multi-block affairs, so employees/visitors would have to walk a long distance. Many hospital systems are no longer allowing employees to smoke, even on their own time and are backing up their edit with random nic tests, which of course also means vaping is not allowed.

 

[Anjaffm]

Many hospital systems are no longer allowing employees to smoke, even on their own time and are backing up their edit with random nic tests, which of course also means vaping is not allowed.

Excuse my asking, I am from Europe:

Is that legal in the States, and if yes, on what grounds? After all, tobacco is a legal substance.
Sounds very much like discrimination to me. Like denying employment to.. say.. women with blonde hair.

 

[Moedog]

Excuse my asking, I am from Europe:

Is that legal in the States, and if yes, on what grounds? After all, tobacco is a legal substance.
Sounds very much like discrimination to me. Like denying employment to.. say.. women with blonde hair.

Well, yes. So far the courts have ruled that companies can forbid their employees from using tobacco, even off premises. The courts have said that it is in the companies self interest that their employees be healthy and it saves on insurance costs. But, most certainly it is discriminatory! BTW, in the US, if there is no union involved, companies can pretty much hire and fire any way they choose, no matter how unfair or discriminatory....very sad.

 

[jpargana]

what a rotten lost opportunity for the hospital to educate that patient on e-cigs and getting OFF regular cigarettes,,,

can you imagine?

"Mr Jones,,,,,,,,we see that you smoke,,,,,,,,,the law doesn't allow you to smoke inside the hospital, but here's an e-cigarette to tide you over during your stay,,,,,you may find you enjoy it more! Although there's not enough science to prove it's absolutely SAFE at this point,,,,,,there's more than enough to indicate it's far far better than smoking!"

^^^^^^

This...!

 

[jpargana]

Seriously, I just hate to hear of people being treated this way. Welcome to the 'new world order.' Smokers today must be the most mistreated population group in America. Not only is tobacco ridiculously addictive, but it's also perfectly legal and on sale pretty much everywhere we go. And yet, a hospital (and most any other institution these days) cannot paint a lousy 10'x10' square at the edge of the parking lot for smokers to relieve the torture? Oh, and it gets better, because along comes a potential 'silver bullet,' the e-cig which could save millions of lives and end the cigarette problem, and instead of embracing it, society wants to illegalize the e-cig while keeping analogs on sale everywhere. Sure seems like people are just sheep.

Yes. Sheep governed by greedy, power-hungry wolves.

This is what makes me mad: the same Big Govt that creates laws to demean smokers, is the same Big Govt who is in bed with BT and BP, ripping sin taxes from voters who just happen to smoke! The same Big Govt that pretends that 20 or more percent of voters either does not exist, or should be mistreated.

On top of that, a new tech has arrived that can actually help people quit smoking... what do the "three B's"? Spread lies and misinformation, to keep people buying cigarettes and paying tobacco taxes. Then, some of that money is used again to vilify both smokers and real tobacco alternatives... rinse and repeat...

 

[jpargana]

Excuse my asking, I am from Europe:

Is that legal in the States, and if yes, on what grounds? After all, tobacco is a legal substance.
Sounds very much like discrimination to me. Like denying employment to.. say.. women with blonde hair.

Well, makes perfect sense to me... you know what 'they' say about women with blonde hair...! Having some... uh... 'absent-minded' people working at an hospital can be quite dangerous...


Just out of curiosity: your avatar is not really a picture or you, IS IT ??