I hate cigarettes

I hate cigarettes. Hate the smoke they make, hate the stink they cause, hate how addictive they are and the diseases that they cause.

Every time I find out that a patient smokes, I ask them “What can I do today to help you quit smoking?”. It shows I care, that I think smoking is a really bad thing and is non confrontational.

Talking with a couple yesterday, I found out that they smoked. They were joking around that she had told her partner that if he continued to smoke with his Crohn’s disease. I told them that there was something to that since smoking causes damage to our smallest blood vessels like the ones in our retinas.

I then pointed to him and said, it’s the reason you guys get erectile dysfunction when you smoke.

Without missing a beat, he responded, "Ok, when I get erectile dysfunction, I'll get my eyes checked."

I almost fell off my chair I was laughing so hard. Not what I had in mind but really funny.

**unlike all my other stories, this is one that I've asked permission from my patient to share this story with you and was given verbal permission so this is a true, unadulterated story!**