Context: South Africa mainly
I had an interesting experience at Dis-Chem yesterday; no I didn’t buy anything, nor will I buy anything from those racists. I was interested in having my blood pressure tested and not having an allopathic doctor and being certain that I will never approach one of those again I was speaking to a friend about which blood pressure home tester I should buy.
No she said, that’s not necessary, just go to Dis-Chem, they have an in store clinic and they test your blood pressure for a nominal fee.
Great, I thought and so there I was in the Dis-Chem clinic waiting cubicle with two 30 something women and an older man, I judged to be older than me; I’m 66. He wasn’t he was in his late 50’s I found out later.
The women were jabbering away about their various ailments and conditions while constantly checking their mobiles with the old guy chipping in uninvited from time to time while chewing on something or other?
I was invited by the prettier of the women to join the conversation by her looking at me, smiling and inclining her head. Polite I thought, and so I smiled back, took out my well-read paperback of Plato’s The Republic and started to read. I had anticipated some waiting time. That sort of put an end to the “join us” invitation for which I was grateful.
The trio went through the Dis-Chem clinic machine quite quickly and then it was my turn. Being a new “patient” (how presumptuous!) the nursing sister had to record my details…. “No, I’m not “with” Discovery or any other medical aid”. Then I’ll have to charge you she said to which I answered yes, but no fee was mentioned. “And who his your family doctor?” “I don’t have a family doctor, that’s why I’m here….” There was no place on the form for “no family doctor” and so she wrote in in the margin, huffing and puffing.
“You’re 66 years old, and so what medication are you one”. “Nothing, I said, “I don’t take drugs.” “No, not DRUGS and it’s good that you don’t take DRUGS, but what MEDICATION has doctor put you on”, she managed a smile. “No” I said again; “I don’t take drugs…. I don’t take any MEDICATION”. Again she had to write in the margin and was getting slightly annoyed.
“Now, because you’re a new “patient”, I have to take certain measurements”. “Sure I said; “I can tell you….” “No, I have to do it myself, to be professional, get on the scale!” So I did, 74 kg with shoes. And my height 1.80 m, but without shoes! So why the weight with shoes? I didn’t ask … She measured my waist with a metric tape. I know I’m a size 32 jean, just look on my Levi 501s. I haven’t a clue what that is in metric nor did I dare ask. I could see her using her BMI table to record my BMI … of which she did not inform me, and now she was clearly getting more irritated….
So finally it was time for her to check my blood pressure which is what I came in for: “Sit in the chair, Roll up your right sleeve!” I asked her to use my left arm. “Why?” she demanded. I explained that about a half ago I’d been mugged by a knife wielding assailant, well he attempted to mug me and relieve me of my stuff but it didn’t go well for him; he should have picked a different “helpless old man”. However knife attacks are not pretty and and I had taken a few knife slash wounds in my right arm while defending myself and my property… which I retained, well mostly.
The slash wounds had been stitched and were now fully healed but one was a quite severe, deep minor arterial slash wound just above my wrist which meant my right arm vascular system and not yet fully repaired itself. I showed her my two hands, my right hand is noticeably pinker than the left, but much less than before. She bought that explanation, nodded her head professionally, and moved the chair so that she could test my left arm… how difficulty was that?
It was an automatic system which pumped out the reading, the cuff inflating and deflating. I couldn’t see the reading because she had inclined the monitor to herself. “What was it?” I asked “I have to take three readings”, and no because you are a new patient this time, I could see she was now REALLY annoyed… And so she took three readings.
“Your average blood pressure is 120 over 78 and that’s IMPOSSIBLE for a man of you age on no medication. You have the blood pressure of a fit 20 year old man and you are 66”, staring at me intently and never mentioning my BMI which I know to be in the “excellent range” even for a 20 year old man…. “There must be something wrong with the machine, I’ll have to have it checked”.
She added that she would not charge me, because she was not going to “put me on the system” because the machine has to be faulty, and I was free to go, no fee, which I did. I got what I came for and what I what I had expected.
There’s nothing wrong with the blood pressure machine, but there’s a LOT wrong with the medical industrial complex machine. They didn’t want me “on the system” because I’m fit, healthy and not medicated.
Eric, like me also 66. I don't go near Dis-Chem after their vaccine stance towards their staff. They were going to roll it out to customers as no vax no entry, I am sure. Gave my card back to Dis-Chem. Clicks also have clinic as do some smaller pharmacies.
Thank you for this very TRUE article,Eric.