A Tough Pill to Swallow - Part 2

We lived through the cosmic shift in healthcare.  

We saw healthcare change from a primary care physician being in charge to Hospitalist, Nurse Practitioners, Physician’s Assistants, Fellows, Interns, etc... multiple people writing prescriptions and changing the course of treatment along the way.

Here is what I learned from the healthcare shift... 

For me, our pharmacist became the absolute most important person on this journey.  I cannot underscore that enough.  As doctors and medical professionals from multiple locations weaved in-and-out on this road, and wrote and altered prescriptions, Rajen Thanki, our pharmacist at Sam’s Club in Town & Country, Missouri, remained an absolute constant.  He caught errors.  He kept track.  He stayed in communication.  He saved my husband’s life.  

Medicine was all new to me.  I have been so fortunate to have been able to cure every ailment I have ever had with a Band-Aid and Neosporin.  To be completely honest, I never gave much thought to the extraordinary role the pharmacist plays in the healthcare circle.

It wasn’t too long into our journey that I realized the conflicting information one receives in the medical world can be overwhelming.  The multiple names that one prescription can have is dizzying.  The number of people writing/changing prescriptions is exhausting.  Eventually, I waved the white flag and surrendered. I learned to rely on Raj.  Raj gave (gives) me great peace and comfort.

A few years ago my husband was released from the hospital following surgery. He had a boatload of medicine. Within a few days he became ill with a run-of-the-mill chest cold.  (Had we been smarter, we would have realized nothing was run-of-the-mill for my husband.)  He went to an Internist within his network of providers and one recommended by his surgeon.  At that visit, he was unable to see the Internist and saw an assistant. A prescription was written.  When I went to pick the prescription up, Raj said, ‘If Richard takes this, he will die.’ Later that evening, two additional doctors called to tell us not to take that prescription.  The prescription was written in error and would interact with another prescription my husband was taking post-surgery.  

Having Raj oversee my husband’s medicine has been a lifesaver for me.  I wish everyone was fortunate enough to have a pharmacist as diligent and skilled as Raj.  I will never be able to thank Raj enough for what he has done for my family.

My parents are not fortunate enough to live close enough to have Raj as their pharmacist.  They use a large pharmacy provider.  As recommended by his doctor, my dad gets automatic refills on a few of his medications.  After a recent hospital stay, my elderly dad’s prescriptions were changed. My mom picked up the new prescriptions and he began taking them.  A few days later, that automated voice called my dad and said he had prescriptions waiting to be picked up.  Of course, he picked them up and began taking them as noted on the bottle.  He started to not feel well.  My dad had doubled-up on his medications as he was taking the hospital prescribed medication and the auto filled prescription. Medicine can certainly cure - and cause - many ills. I cannot fathom why with all the technology available in the medical world, automatic refills would not be halted when prescriptions are altered.  That is a tough pill to swallow!  Having said that, that goes back to the absolute importance of knowing and completely trusting your pharmacist.  They are the gatekeepers!  

In the past few years, I have seen so many doctors, nurses, technicians, aides...more than I will ever remember.  But, I will forever remember our extraordinary pharmacist - Raj!

(I am grateful to all the future pharmacist out there...the field you are in is truly lifesaving!)

Terri McEachern, 2016