I had to go to our local pharmacy to pick up a repeat prescription. I knew it was going to probably be a difficult hearing situation as the ladies serving usually talk quite quietly, I guess because people are ordering their drugs and discussing treatments and they try not to broadcast to the whole shop that Bruce has a nasty rash where the sun don't shine.
They do have a private consultation room though, so if Bruce was really worried about that rash he could go in there to discuss it, but anyway....
The usual flow when I'm at the counter is that I say I'm picking up a repeat prescription, the go out the back to where the repeats are, look through them, ask me a question, I say "sorry I can't hear you", they speak up, I pay, job done. In fact, I know they are going to ask me my how many items I'm picking up and what my address is, so I'm ready with that answer.
Was a bit different this time.
Instead of the usual counter staff serving me, the pharmacist came through from the back, he's usually in the rear mixing up tablets and whatnot.
I told him my name and he went off to look through the list of repeats.
He came back through to the counter and said, "waffwafffwafff. Waft. Waff waaaaaff". I said, "My hearing is really bad, I can't hear you, can you speak up a bit?".
He repeated at the exact same volume. I said, "I can't hear what you are saying".
He went for it again at the same volume, because through a divine intervention my hearing had been restored at that very second.
Now I was a bit narked.
"Look mate, I can't hear what you are saying, if you won't speak up there's no point in you saying anything more", says I, in what us Brits would describe as a robust tone.
This time he spoke up and turns out he was confirming my prescription dosage.
The guy looked a bit put out that I'd got upset with him but sometimes you've just got to let them know. I kinda felt bad for him afterwards but sometimes you just ain't in the mood for it, and to be honest, I'd done everything I could to hear him, I'd turned my aids up before I went in, told him, not sure what else I could do.
I paid, turned and left the shop without glancing at the people in the queue behind me.
