Your Doctor Is Smarter Than You

I know it's hard for you to believe, but 9 times out of 10, it's true. This is why you do not argue with me over what your doctor chose to write on your prescription. I had this conversation with some philistine at my pharmacy today.

Philistine (smiling broadly): Hi. I noticed after getting my prescription earlier that you didn't fill it right. Or my doctor didn't write it right.
Me: Let me check the hard copy.

Her smiled brightened, and I was filled with such hope that I wanted to vote Independent.

Me (viewing the hard copy and viewing her script we filled): This looks fine. What's the problem?
Philistine (a little huffy): My doctor always writes for a 3 month supply with 3 refills. You only gave me a one month supply with 3 refills.
Me (showing Philistine the hard copy): Your doctor wrote for a 1 month supply with 3 refills. See?
Philistine: No, my doctor meant to give me a years supply. See this bottle? (Philistine shows me an old prescription bottle) That's the way she usually does it.

Philistine is smiling even more brightly now, having just shown me the error of my ways.

Me: I see that. However, that is an old prescription bottle that is unrelated to this new prescription.
Philistine: (blank stare)

There is a moral to this story, and it's got a little something to do with the title of this tirade. I could have told the lady without even checking the hard copy that her prescription had been filled correctly, end of story. However, I took the time to produce the actual script her doctor had written and put it side by side with the medication we had filled for her. I'm a bright-eyed optimist that assumes cold hard facts will help people to understand their prescriptions more thoroughly. It's people like this woman that make me wonder whether they're so dumb that they don't understand 1+1 or that they're trying to make me think that they're so dumb that I just give up trying to explain things to them and do what they want. Either way, I'm awful thirsty by the time I get home every day.