OP, in my lifetime have have drawn blood donors. I have tested that blood to make sure if was safe for use. I have crossmatched that blood. I have identified antibodies so that I could find blood safe for a patient. I have had to provide blood products for a patient who is bleeding out. That is the worst part.

I have found leukemias, flu, strep, mononucleosis, UTI's. I help the doctor identify patients who are septic who need treatment or they will die. I have to identify the organism on the gram stain that is causing the positive blood culture. I have called the organism causing the pneumonia from the gram stain. I provide results for diabetics and those with electrolyte imbalances. Again, life threatening. I do the frigging damn drug tests and alcohol levels. I see the shot livers on the alcoholics. I had a man in an alcoholic psychosis tell me just what he would like to do to me with his wife sitting at his bedside while I am drawing his blood. I have been called to codes where the doctor draws the blood from the femoral and hands it to me.

I have heard the stories of the women who have come into the ER that have suffered from sexual abuse. I have looked at their wet preps and processed their pregnancy tests, done their HIV and Hepatitis tests, at one time I was doing the GC and Chlamydia. I look for trichomonas in their urine. I look for clue cells trich and yeast on the wet preps. I have had to look at liquid stools for amoebas. I check for blood in stools and plate them for salmonella and shigella. I look for white cells in stools. I do a helluva lot more than just look at pee. Because I do what some see as demeaning I am treated like that shit I process.

I have had to decipher doctors orders to figure out what they want because they wrote it down wrong. I have had to call my pathologist to clarify blood orders because the doctor wrote the order wrong.

I have work weekends, nights, holidays. My child suffered because I had to work. I am working tonight and right now I have a splitting headache, but, no drugs for me. I have none spurs in my neck and shoulder. I slept wrong and it pinched a nerve. Hopefully with some food, acetaminophen - my drug of choice, and a quick nap, maybe it will go away.

Yes, I smoke pot to relax when it is available and I am done with my responsibilities for the day.

I work to save the lives of people like you who for one reason or another can't cope with life. My tax dollars pay for people like you.

So go ahead, keep telling me how damn sorry I am. I dont drink, I dont have sex. I dont smoke fags (cigs:)), but, I do like to smoke the herb to escape the filth of humanity at times. Do you want to deny me even that one small pleasure in life?

Do you see why I get so upset by your posts telling me how worthless I am because I have one bad habit that I try to manage?