firing patients

[Guest guest]

you know, I once had a very loyal patient. he had come to me when I

was an intern then followed me through my practice. All I can say

is, though he never did anything, I always had a creepy feeling

about him. I imagined him following me home at night after I left

clinic, even that he was a covert serial killer. Now I know this

sounds over-active but he had some qualifying points about his

lifestyle: good looking, 40's, single, couldn't hold a job, computer

guy, always asking personal questions then storing up the answers to

use against me (I would get caught off guard in the asking and then

kick myself). He also insisted on hugging me every time. I know he

gave another intern a valentine card after I left, so I wasn't too

off on his personality. anyway, I really wanted him not to keep

coming but he did, regularly.

eventually he got some very odd almost gangrenous reaction to a

spider bite. I prescibed some herbs to drink and use as a poultice,

which held it at bay, but I also referred him back to the yo san

clinic to see one of the chinese docs who was particularly skilled

at dermatology. this referral eventually kept him at bay.

now I moved to another state so don't have to worry, but really, it

is hard keeping bounderies with flagrant boundary breakers. I can

hold my own, but do have a hard time with this type of situation.

I'm taking karate again so maybe I'll have the internal kahunas to

put this type of patient at bay in the future... any comments welcome

sami