I am scheduled for a biopsy today at noon. The hospital did a preregister on me yesterday over the phone.
Normal questions, answered them with a rather bored tone, until .. ..
Do you have a religious preference?

Oh my mind danced! Oh the answers that came to mind -
Is there one that is true? then that one
I AM Activity, you got one of those?
What are my choices? Can you review them for me?
Santa, whoops, wrong time of year
Mine and I have a card to prove it
Black hole worship, send me an atheist
Send me a DRUNK!

Care to add to my list?

hehe, I am under stress today so I showed up here :)
Listening to "Losing my Religion" REM, loud
*Smiles

Mindlight, I hope your biopsy goes well!

Sending good juju your way :)

I checked in to a hospital many years ago and I was asked that "religious preference" question. DH has a well known TBM name in my small community and when I answered NONE she looked up and in a shocked voice said, "Are you SURE?" I simply repeated none but all the time I'm thinking, "Tell her you are Wiccan and she what she does!" Also, one time I was buying a gift for a baby shower and I wrote a check out to pay for it (looong time ago). The clerk saw my name and asked me what ward I was in. I replied, "WARD?" She was so flustered and saying never mind and trying to back peddle that I got a big kick out of it. Heh heh, love to do that whenever I have the chance. Have fun with this one. Pick a religion that's not on their list or ask if you can flip a coin and choose one that way.

The purpose of it is so they can notify your religious leader that you are in the hospital. I've seen the missionaries show up to people who identify as LDS in hospitals - YUCK - just what I want when they are cutting me open to fix my heart!!!

Good luck to you and remember to return and report.

Carol

I said none when I was in front of my dad at the hospital. He never said anything about it.

You could write:

I am a Ronald Reagan, Carl Sagan, San Diegan pagan
who meets with frieds just twice a month to worship Israel's Begin.

lol

Now, I am thinking of saying Mormon, lol. When and if I do get hospitalized I think a visit from my Bishop would brighten me up. If the tumor is benign I still have to get it removed and will have to spend a very few days in a nursing home.
I would love to get excommunicated in that setting! After a mere one year out of the church, a bishop sounds like just the thing to brighten up my stay ... lol. For my pleasure and entertainment :)
As I know to my core he has no authority over me, I would love to share the details of the wedding I performed on Valentine's Day. And yes, I am still on the books.. lol

that's good michael :)

Good point Cheryl. I do see your point ... interesting, I have to think about that one
Luckily it is not the Catholic Hospital

I always say Unitarian is my preference since I used to attend for seven years. Strangely enough, I feel I'm more respected as a patient if the staff thinks I have religion. I used to assume that healthcare workers were scientific and too professional to care about a patient's religion. Not true. They try to badger me to go to a spiritual counselor to help with adjusting to being partially blind for a year and dealing with cancer. This kind of religious high pressure in healthcare was a disappointment to me.

They know enough to take care of your PHYSICAL ailments. I believe that introspective study of psychology/mental processes is more likely to turn you into an enlightened and unbiased person.

But have little if any meaning in this context. You're saying sick people need to be put on the spot to learn to be more exalted and high minded than healthy people in society?

So that MAY be where the pressure you report originated from.

I suspect, however, from what I've read that it's not a spiritual or religious benefit but more of a matter of having a social net to give you support.

So as long as you've got support you should still reap the same benefits that other folks find in church membership and the like.

:)

(By the way, the "turn you into an enlightened and unbiased person" crap was out of line and sounds like a frightened religionista.)

Well stated. I'm sure you're right.

Trouble is that although statistically, people tend to do well in faith groups, not everyone is the same. "Statistics" don't cover all individuals or anywhere near 100% of the people in a society.

"none." It's already programmed into their computer and every time I check in for surgery or something, the clerk just skips over that one because it's pre-filled.

I'm thinking of having it changed to Presbyterian, since technically, once I left the Cult, I reverted to Calvinism. When you are sick and hurting and miserable, post-op or otherwise in the hospital, the LAST people you want hovering around you are Mormons. At least, I LIKE the local Presbyterians. They are a lot easier on the nerves.

I always choose "Jedi" in these situations.

MTFBWYA

Cheryl, your comments are very interesting. Do you think most people who try to convince you to seek spiritual advice are mormon? If they are, I do believe they have a "holier than thou" attitude that I don't approve of.

I'm a physician and I rarely mention religion to my patients, I'm usually not comfortable with that. But when I see someone in a really tough spot, I try at least to encourage them to look for some kind of spiritual help... any kind. I don't proselytize on behalf of my religion, ever. Most of them tell me they are already doing it, so I leave it at that. I agree with you that maybe I could offend and atheist or an ex-mormon or ex-jw, or anyone that has been abused by any religion. But I still take a chance, hoping to at least give some kind of support, apart from my medical knowledge. It's usually not a problem here in Brazil, where people are very religious, but I guess I would never do that if I worked in the US.

Your observations were new to me, and very useful. I'll watch out even more carefully when and how I talk about such a sensitive matter. Thanks for bringing this up.

They're just people who profit from cancer patients and have to come up with counsel and advice if the patient wants it or not. Instead of dealing with an individual's questions or concerns or skipping unwanted appointments they have a list of people to refer including dream therapists, acupuncturists, religious counsel, massage and I think they get points for referring patients to as many nutcase-types and semi-sincere "specialists" as possible. If I'm sick, I want time to rest and heal and don't want to spend every day sitting in waiting rooms run by money grubbers and religion pushers.

If anyone's tried to pressure me as far as spirituality goes I never noticed -- but I DO miss social cues all the time. :)

But there have been times I was completely oblivious when I shouldn't have been!

... where even HAVING a Little Factory disqualifies you from membership.

There are many reasons for asking it, and they do NOT call your religious leaders -- who the hell has time for that?
Reasons:
1. The hospital chaplain will be better able to appropriately serve you if necessary
2. Many religions have restrictions regarding food or medical treatment allowed.
3. Some religions only allow same-sex providers to see the patient.
4. If the patient is close to death, some religions have certain death rites they would want performed.

What's the big deal? No one cares if you say "none," and no one cares if you say Mormon, Presbyterian or Catholic.

Mindlight, my sweet friend, my thoughts are with you. Please keep us posted. Maybe I will plan another business trip out your way so I can bring cookies/tuna noodle casserole/green jello salad with carrots and raisins to your bedside. Or maybe just my sweet spirit with hugs. Let me know. Love you, girl!

lalalalala, I have been legally drugged and am enjoying it.

The guy with the microscope was right in the room.
First my Doc used the ultra sound to look at the matching tumor in my left leg and confirmed it was there.
He then took 3 samples from my right leg and mentioned it seemed there are now 2 tumors in my right calf. He would not elaborate despite my pleading, lol. To my knowledge Nerve Sheath tumors that are aggressive are usually cancer. Always wondered what my end would be like, quite an adventure.

I so enjoy the tangents this board goes on .. although rather predictable. But no one touched my reference to black hole worship and atheists or Santa..... hehehe. I was sure my thinly veiled reference to AA as a religion would not be passed by by Deco ... :)

Jong, I would love seeing you again, and to show you my neck of the woods, where mormons dare not tread :) and exactly where I told my Bish I had a higher calling than his to be at.

My official hospital record says NO next to Religion.

Ron Burr

pastafarian