Sharing Personal Medical Information at the Office

[albionmoonlight]

Why do so many office workers enjoy talking in graphic detail about medical procedures that they, their family members, and their co-workers have undergone?

I can't be alone in my general sense of "I hope you are OK and wish you well. I do not, however, want to know the details of your surgery." But I feel alone sometimes.

Too Much Information seems to be one of the minor hazzards of every place where I have worked.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I agree. We actually had a guy at our firm send an email around following a medical procedure where he went on for pages and pages about what was wrong with him, the procedure, the recovery, everything. He even included pictures and charts to help with the explanation. It was unbelievable.

He sent this email to everyone in the firm. Very odd.

[wade moore]

As a manager this is especially true. When an employee calls out sick I'd be perfectly happy with a "I'm taking a sick day." But noooooooo... I get intimate details of their unhealthy evening/morning...

But, that is often better than the "TMI about their sexual escapades" guy I used to work with..

[Dr. Sak]

The guy that sat in the cube next to me (until he got fired) spent hours on the telephone explaining the shape and consistancy of his fecal matter to doctors on the phone. So nasty!

[NoMyths]

We've become more comfortable sharing personal information with others as a culture, largely due to televisionand other media.

[Pumpy Tudors]

bitch i pissed out a gallstone one time that shaped like the fuckin cote d'ivoire or ivory soap or some shit. i bring that shit to my wife and show her and she say to take that shit to work. so i take it to work and show it to fat man and he be all like daaaaaaamn and he go and eat it. man this brotha musta thought it was like a "tater skins" or some shit and then we had to go to the bathroom together and wait for it to come out so i could have my gallstone back. so we in there and he be passing all kinds of stuff like fecal matter shaped like the burger king logo and he piss out grape kool-aid and i ask him if he aight and he just go "yea its wednesday so you know"

bottom line i aint even get my gallstone back cuz it turn out the fuckin dog ate it

that shit is bananas

speaking of bananas...

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

bitch i pissed out a gallstone one time that shaped like the fuckin cote d'ivoire or ivory soap or some shit. i bring that shit to my wife and show her and she say to take that shit to work. so i take it to work and show it to fat man and he be all like daaaaaaamn and he go and eat it. man this brotha musta thought it was like a "tater skins" or some shit and then we had to go to the bathroom together and wait for it to come out so i could have my gallstone back. so we in there and he be passing all kinds of stuff like fecal matter shaped like the burger king logo and he piss out grape kool-aid and i ask him if he aight and he just go "yea its wednesday so you know"

bottom line i aint even get my gallstone back cuz it turn out the fuckin dog ate it

that shit is bananas

speaking of bananas...

Yeah I hate when that happens.

[Critch]

Mine was like peanut butter last night (smooth, not crunchy).

[lurker]

Originally Posted by wade moore

As a manager this is especially true. When an employee calls out sick I'd be perfectly happy with a "I'm taking a sick day." But noooooooo... I get intimate details of their unhealthy evening/morning...

But, that is often better than the "TMI about their sexual escapades" guy I used to work with..

That reminds me of how my stupid manager always makes snide little remarks whenever any of us take sick days (which is ridiculous, because we all have our own projects, deadlines, and billable hours goals). One time he asked my co-worker why she called in sick, and if she was hungover, and she answered that she had female problems. He of course got all awkward and said "well, you didn't have to tell me!" Then don't ask! Of course, he still hasn't stopped making comments when we're sick.

[StarBuck]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Why do so many office workers enjoy talking in graphic detail about medical procedures that they, their family members, and their co-workers have undergone?

I can't be alone in my general sense of "I hope you are OK and wish you well. I do not, however, want to know the details of your surgery." But I feel alone sometimes.

Too Much Information seems to be one of the minor hazzards of every place where I have worked.

Those are the same people that when you say "How are you?" they actually start telling you. It's a figure of speech, a greeting, I don't really want to know about your aches and pains and the latest antics of your dysfunctional family/marriage.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by StarBuck

Those are the same people that when you say "How are you?" they actually start telling you. It's a figure of speech, a greeting, I don't really want to know about your aches and pains and the latest antics of your dysfunctional family/marriage.

Sorry man, that's on you. You can say "good morning" "hello" or "nice weather, isn't it?" instead of "how are you?" How are you opens yourself up to pretty much anything they want to say.

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by TroyF

Sorry man, that's on you. You can say "good morning" "hello" or "nice weather, isn't it?" instead of "how are you?" How are you opens yourself up to pretty much anything they want to say.

I think "how's it going" or "how are you" are pretty much universally recognized as a generic greeting by anyone with a social life and an IQ over 100.

[lighthousekeeper]

god forbid you people actually take a little time out of your day to care about your fellow man - especially those who went through what was probably to them a scary medical situation.








*gets off high horse*

[Desnudo]

I'm glad God had enough foresight to realize how annoying it can be.

[Young Drachma]

It's like when our administrative assistant brought in pictures of her adult son's x-rays a few weeks ago and implored everyone to look. I just told her I can barely stand to look at my own. She seemed annoyed, but then everyone else came to look and so it was okay.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by StarBuck

Those are the same people that when you say "How are you?" they actually start telling you. It's a figure of speech, a greeting, I don't really want to know about your aches and pains and the latest antics of your dysfunctional family/marriage.

Or about the "new hot babe" you met at the bar over the weekend. Or about your latest injury or how you can't eat lunch because you're broke.

[StarBuck]

Originally Posted by TroyF

Sorry man, that's on you. You can say "good morning" "hello" or "nice weather, isn't it?" instead of "how are you?" How are you opens yourself up to pretty much anything they want to say.

Your one of them aren't you?

Originally Posted by Desnudo

I think "how's it going" or "how are you" are pretty much universally recognized as a generic greeting by anyone with a social life and an IQ over 100.

What he said.

[st.cronin]

Why does it hurt when I pee?

[MikeVic]

What would you say if you really did want to do how it's going with someone?

[StarBuck]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

Why does it hurt when I pee?

Have you ever attended Fleet Week?

IRT MikeVic: I say "Tell me what's been going on with you?" or something similar. "Tell me what life has been like since I last saw you"?

[terpkristin]

I'm actually more creeped out by the people that WANT the details of my surgeries...
Me: I'll be out Tuesday, I'm having hand sugery
Them: Oh really? What are they going to do?
Me: Um. Well, I have a bone spur, so they'll remove that, and then they'll fix anything else they find wrong.
Them: Wow. How do they remove a bone spur?
Me: Well, you see, they basically use a chisel...[etc]

Who WANTS those kinds of details I ask you, who?!? When I had my ankle fusion, the number of people who wanted to know "how" it gets fused was astounding...and disturbing.

/tk

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

Who WANTS those kinds of details I ask you, who?!? When I had my ankle fusion, the number of people who wanted to know "how" it gets fused was astounding...and disturbing.

"Ankle fusion" just sounds really cool, and if I were allowed to have children, I would probably name the first three "Ankle Fusion" because it's just so awesome.

[StarBuck]

What about those people that want details on the lancing or popping of cysts, boils or huge pimples?

[Karlifornia]

Originally Posted by StarBuck

What about those people that want details on the lancing or popping of cysts, boils or huge pimples?

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Desnudo

I think "how's it going" or "how are you" are pretty much universally recognized as a generic greeting by anyone with a social life and an IQ over 100.

That's true, but you damned well know there are some people you work with who have no social life and an IQ less than 100.

If you want to make the assumption the person you are speaking to has those two qualities, you should prepared to deal with the long story presented if you assumed wrong.

My opinion stands.


And no, I'm not one of those people. They are idiots. But they exist. . .

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by wade moore

But, that is often better than the "TMI about their sexual escapades" guy I used to work with..

Posted this in another thread within the last month or two...

I've only been in my current position about a year, so i am pretty comfortable with my team, but still don't know too many people in the surrounding groups other than to say what's up.

My son turned 1 last week...he was born one week after I started the new position. So, people sort of remember that about me. One guy in particular, will ask everytime. His son is about 3-4 months now I guess. He uses kids as common ground to strike up conversations.

A little while back, he's stop by my desk just as I'm ready to leave, and starts with his questions about his wife still feeling tired etc, is that normal.
Then drops the bombshell--first, that they recently had sex for the first time since the baby's birth (bad enough) and then that they are concerned that "she may have been ovulating".

One guy should NEVER use 'ovulating' when talking to another guy. EVER.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

"Ankle fusion" just sounds really cool, and if I were allowed to have children, I would probably name the first three "Ankle Fusion" because it's just so awesome.

If you were to do that, you should instead name them each "Arthrodesis" so that when the 3 are together, you have "Triple Arthrodesis," which is the technical name for that particular surgery.

And even if you did that, those names would still be infinitely better than what my brother named his first-born son.

/tk

[Lorena]

I have a co-worker like that too. Give the girl an opening and she'll tell you her whole life story. I made a small comment about this girl that quit and ended up staying in her cubicle for about half an hour. I even started walking away and she kept going! Some people can't take a hint. Never again.

To avoid situations like this in the future, I'm just gonna say "Good Morning" and leave it at that. If I really wanna know how a co-worker's weekend went, I'll ask.

[Ironhead]

Originally Posted by Dodgerchick

I have a co-worker like that too. Give the girl an opening and she'll tell you her whole life story. I made a small comment about this girl that quit and ended up staying in her cubicle for about half an hour. I even started walking away and she kept going! Some people can't take a hint.

To avoid situations like this, I usually say "Good Morning" and leave it at that. If I really wanna know how a co-worker's weekend went, I'll ask.

Dear god...I have one of these where I work. Once this lady starts talking she is OBLIVIOUS to anybody's attempt to end a conversation. I don't work in her department anymore but just the other day she called me with a question. Over ten minutes later after I answered her original question I could feel my brain melting as she just wouldn't shut up. I basically had to hang up on her just to end the call.

[Lorena]

Originally Posted by Dodgerchick

I have a co-worker like that too. Give the girl an opening and she'll tell you her whole life story. I made a small comment about this girl that quit and ended up staying in her cubicle for about half an hour. I even started walking away and she kept going! Some people can't take a hint. Never again.

To avoid situations like this in the future, I'm just gonna say "Good Morning" and leave it at that. If I really wanna know how a co-worker's weekend went, I'll ask.

Well shit, I got cornered today. I was having a pleasant conversation with a co-worker about the World Series and the girl I mentioned above comes up to us and asks for donations (her daughter is raising money for Type 1 Diabetes) which I'm completely fine with. She goes to her cubicle and starts talking about other stuff... plans on her career, her husband's mental illness, getting social security for her daughter (her daughter has Type 1 Diabetes)... all kinds of stuff. There was a gap in conversation so I chimed in on something and she rudely interrupted and started talking about HER stuff. Wow, this really pissed me off... I mean I got so mad I felt my insides boiling. It actually happened more than once.

Her cubicle is next to the guy who I was having a conversation with so it's not like I could go back and continue our World Series conversation. But yeah, I just wanted to vent. People are so consumed with THEIR things that they have no interest in what others have to say. I'm still pretty upset... then I think how much of a bitch I am for being upset... the girl clearly has issues at home so I kinda just bit my tongue and started walking away.

Should I have said something? If I did, I would positively say something totally out of line and really hurt her feelings... tact really isn't in my vocabulary, especially when I'm upset.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Dodgerchick, in all seriousness, what you just described is one of the few things that really bugs me. I generally dislike one-way casual conversations. If you want to talk to me about your stuff, then at least pretend to listen if I want to talk about my stuff. Really, that's all the courtesy I'd want. I don't really expect people at work to care about what I'm saying, but at least be fair about it. You talk to me, so let me talk to you.

Sadly, I've run across so many people in an office who can't extend that kind of courtesy, so I've just given up. People think I'm antisocial because I never approach anyone to start conversation, but I don't ever expect to get two sentences out of my mouth before getting interrupted anyway. So it's their loss. They don't get to talk to the hottest FOFCer according to terpkristin and MattJones4Heisman.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

Why does it hurt when I pee?

Awesome.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by lurker

That reminds me of how my stupid manager always makes snide little remarks whenever any of us take sick days (which is ridiculous, because we all have our own projects, deadlines, and billable hours goals). One time he asked my co-worker why she called in sick, and if she was hungover, and she answered that she had female problems. He of course got all awkward and said "well, you didn't have to tell me!" Then don't ask! Of course, he still hasn't stopped making comments when we're sick.

Funny that lurker mentioned this guy, because I was already thinking of him as I was reading the thread -- this is the same guy who said he couldn't go to some meeting because his wife was ovulating.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

People think I'm antisocial because I never approach anyone to start conversation, but I don't ever expect to get two sentences out of my mouth before getting interrupted anyway. So it's their loss. They don't get to talk to the hottest FOFCer according to terpkristin and MattJones4Heisman.

No they actually found out how you set up meetings via Outlook. They are pissed off at you but don't want to tell you to your face!

[Suburban Rhythm]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Funny that lurker mentioned this guy, because I was already thinking of him as I was reading the thread -- this is the same guy who said he couldn't go to some meeting because his wife was ovulating.

Please see my post above about using ovulating!