Wednesday, November 3, 2010

The Power of a (Threatened) Curse


About twelve years ago I had a ruptured disk and was in really severe pain. The local clinic, thinking that I had a muscle spasm, had given me the most powerful painkiller they could and it allowed me to sleep some but certainly didn’t take away all the pain. I mean, I’m usually pretty stoic but I was lying in bed moaning!
Finally I had an appointment the next afternoon with a surgeon (the one who eventually fixed the disk) and looking at my pills, I realized that I was one short. 

That meant horrible pain while I waited for the doctor.  I called the clinic and explained the situation. Either they had miscounted or I had dropped and lost a pill. Could I get just one more to see me through?

The woman on the phone went and asked the doctor. Sorry, no way. I’d just have to tough it out.  I explained myself all over again, emphasizing that I just wanted One Pill. (This, by the way, was a clinic my family and I’d been patients at for about twenty years. I felt they should have known I wasn’t someone scamming drugs.) 

Our conversation went on, back and forth for about twenty minutes with me getting increasingly upset (it was near time for my next pill and I was really hurting.) The woman on the phone went and asked the doctor again: same negative reply.        


   
 And then (and I have no idea where this came from), I heard myself saying, “I don’t want to have to do this but I am going to be forced to wish that this doctor feel that same sort of pain that I’m feeling right now.”

There was a startled silence and then the women on the other end said. “Don’t do that! Just wait a minute and I’ll be right back.”  

When she returned it was to say that three pills would be waiting if my husband could come pick them up.
             
“I only need one,” I told her.

“That’s all right," she said, speaking in soothing tones. "The doctor wants to be sure you have enough.”

 I’m still trying to sort out the message of this story. But I promise only to use my powers for good.

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26 comments:

Marilyn & Jeff said...

Oh this is wonderful(not your pain of course - I do hope that all is well healed now) but the fear your doctor had of what he thought of as a possible curse.
I am reading and thoroughly enjoying The day Of Small Things.

Unknown said...

Oh ho! I promise always to be good!

Martin said...

Do you think the doctor was a little nervous about the prospect of a curse?

Pat in east TN said...

I got a good laugh over that story .. guess the doctor deserved it, especially when he'd known you for so long. Keep'm on their toes Vicki!

Elora said...

Oh, Vicki...First the pain! It must have been excruciating! My heart goes out to you! With respect to curses...that ability is a very powerful gift. It's an extension of telepathy. I have it, too. One doesn't want to fling these "gifts" around "willy-nilly! The power of deeply focused thought is definitely real. I've experienced it several times.

Elora

Brian Miller said...

so can you wish some good things on me...smiles.

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

The next time I desperately need something from the doctor, will you please make the call for me?

In desperate time, we have to take desperate measures. Good for you Vicki.

I hope your disc is better and that you don't need those pills. I suffer from chronic back pain and it's no fun.
Sam

Tess Kincaid said...

Curses and blessings can be equally strong. I'm glad you put the fear of God in that doctor!

Helen T said...

LOLOLOLOL!

Jules said...

Three more little pills...you really put the fear of God into him! I really needed this laugh right now so thank you.

Folkways Note Book said...

What a great story about the doctor's reaction. Be careful with your power. I too had a similar incident involving a voodo doll that a friend had jokingly sent me. Only the repercussions were not so good and ever since then I am careful with my words. -- barbara

Vicki Lane said...

I perch precariously on the cusp of belief and non-belief. But I've never consciously ill-wished anyone, no matter how tempted.

My ruptured disc was repaired surgically, thank goodness and, apart from a warning not to lift weight over thirty pounds (I used to haul about fifty pound bags of feed.)had been just fine so far.

Carol Murdock said...

That's good Vicki! LOL! It reminds me of how they say a VooDoo curse won't work unless the "cursed one" believes in VooDoo.

Tammy said...

Oh wow, this made me laugh. In hindsight of course it's so funny. I'm sure at the time it wasn't of course. Maybe since this doctor's office knew you well, they decided if you had come to the point of 'cursing' them, that you were indeed out of your mind with pain (and I must say that was a very polite curse)! Silly doctor, not to give it to you to start with. Great story.
Tammy

BB said...

Oh Vicki...I so know what you mean. I'll write a post about it one of these days. I actually did wish for my doctor to feel my pain because I almost died (not from back issues but gastro issues). Good for you for not taking no for an answer. There are very few people in the world I would ever wish ill on but this jerk was one of them.

Reader Wil said...

You must have suffered such excruciating pains, that you said to convince the doctor of it. I do hope that your suffering is over now!
Thanks for your visit! So you were in Hiroshima! I've never been there. My father was there shortly after the war was over and was shocked by what he saw. In a way he was grateful that we were alive due to that bomb, but at the cost of so many lives made this very difficult to understand why innocent people always have to be killed.

Stella Jones said...

Oh you poor thing. That sounds awful. I have had severe pain a few times and wouldn't wish it on anyone but the doctor obviously didn't want a hex put on him ha ha ha.
I hope you are pain free now.
Worst pain I've had so far includes the following:
cystitis a few times
toothache a few times
birth pain (3 times)
back pain ongoing, have to watch that.
migraine frequently
sinusitis occasionally

makes you wince just thinking about it, doesn't it!

Suz said...

Oh this was delicious
..don't we wish
golly i just love your land

Miss_Yves said...

So...as you wrote in another story ( that of the poor baby left in a car by his ( or her) mother)you are really a witch!(Lol)

Vicki Lane said...

Shhh, Miss Yves!

Witch of Stitches said...

Oh ho! You know what I think!!! XO

Margaret said...

It leaves me speechless! Maybe we should all bring voodoo dolls into the waiting rooms with us! LOL

Anonymous said...

I can share the situation you were in, except I dropped the ENTIRE bottle of pills in the sink. The pharmacist knew me well enough to know I wasn't trying to pull a scam...but HE was the one that had to convince my doctor of the same thing.

Luckily this was 20 years ago and my entire bottle was refilled.

Times have changed so drastically.

Tipper said...

That is hilarious! Although if that was today-I'd be afraid they'd have you arrested for making threats : )

Beth said...

So very very glad the Doctor came to his senses and provided the meds you needed to cope. I have to share, though, that the "old-timers" here in the mountains of WNC see crows as a bad omen or an upcoming curse. They tend to show up along about the time bad news arrives. SOooo, if you see them, you might want to shoo them off. Old-timey Christians rebuke them and make them flee. It works, too. They never are harbingers of good news or omens. Hawks, however, are a good sign. As are doves and songbirds. :)

Vicki Lane said...

I've heard that but as we have crows around ALL the time, I'm just going to ignore it. The only time I try to shoo them of is when I'm planting corn. Actually, I really like crows.