It was sometime during the course of last year that I became aware of a blog being written by Mr Dispenser. Over the course of a few weeks it became apparent that Mr Dispenser has like many of his pharmacy colleagues a sense of humour and can laugh with his colleagues over the day to day life of our professional existence.
It was therefore almost a natural progression that Mr Dispenser made the move to record some of the comments left on his blog, Face Book page and tweeter account. He then called for more, and collated them into the book which has the wonderful title of Pills, Thrills and Methadone Spills.
My preview copy arrived before Christmas, just in time for me to while away a few hours, exhausted on the settee as I delved into the pages.
Laid out into a series of chapters, Mr Dispenser has recorded what, is regular life to us in the trade, with a humour and smile that is refreshing in modern pharmacy.
The medications that patients often mispronounce, the tablets that have a smell, lovely or otherwise, the thrill of a hot cup of tea, comments from patients, the ones that we have all heard, “it’s only a tube……”, the sudden influx of medications that have been on maker’s delay for months.
As I read the book I could recall moments of patients mispronouncing drug names. The odd requests we are presented with. Patient’s advising they do not taking any medication, apart from the heart tablet in the morning conversations. The patient who advises they have run out of a little white tablet. The patients who have bought a smile to our face with their humour, conversation or a packet of biscuits, the ones that you hope you won’t see because you have to shout because they are deaf and you have a sore throat!
It seemed ironic that as Mr Dispenser called for submissions and inclusions into his book, I was too busy, working in the profession to contribute much, although I did note a reference to a comment I made on the blog being included, which was wonderful! I do hope that there will be another book as I have a few bits to contribute.
If you have left the profession read this book it will take your mind back to the world of pharmacy, the humour, smiles and the frustrations.
For me, this was a catalyst for a trip down memory lane. The recollection of when I spilt a new pot of Temazepam 10mg capsules all over the dispensary, in the days when they were capsules and recalling the day I absorbed Heminevrin Syrup after a spillage, I slept for 17 hours!
I loved this book, it made me smile, and remember the many, many people both colleagues and some patients, the prescriber’s, pre-reg’s students, locums and trainees. It reminded me of times when pharmacy was pharmacy and not the script factory we have become. It enabled me to recall the journey the profession has been on over the last 25 years and all the things I had forgotten about.
Tweet – @mrdispenser
5% of sales are going to Pharmacist Support Charity
Disclaimer – I was provided with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Julie Goucher ~ Anglers Rest 