It’s good to have your medical history on a piece of paper!

Conversation happening between a patient and a nurse in the bed next to me in the pre-Op area:

Nurse: did you have breakfast this morning?

Patient: No

Nurse: Okay, good. Did you take any medications this morning?

Patient: No

Nurse: Do you normally take medications in the morning?

Patient: yes.

Nurse: Which ones?

Patient: Lots. I have lots of pills.

Nurse: Okay–which ones?

Patient: They’re all different kinds.

Nurse: Names? Does these medications have names?

Patient: Oh, yes yes. [rattles of lots of different drug names]

Nurse: any heart problems?

Patient: No, no heart attack.

Nurse: I see in your history you’ve had a pace maker put in place.

Patient: Oh ya…

Nurse: When was it put in?

Patient: Awhile ago.

Nurse: like, do you have a date?

Patient: a few years ago.