Monday, November 08, 2010

Do that voodoo that you do

One of newFNP's struggles is to work within a culture that is so utterly different from that of her own. Generally that manifests in requests for disability paperwork or in the dramatic vocalization of pain.


However, this struggle became uniquely salient today as newFNP was completing a physical on a 41-year old man. While he has a partner and family in his home country, he has been in the U.S. for twelve years and has a partner here as well. Apparently, his original partner was none too pleased because, as he told newFNP, she put a curse on him in order to make him impotent.

And dammit, it worked.

Now, newFNP might have taken an educational trip to a forbidden island in which voodoo is practiced and she might have entered an apartment which was protected from the evil eye by a special red fabric and was receiving some kind of power from a chicken with its legs bound by a red cloth, but that is as much as newFNP knows about witchcraft and black magic and voodoo -- which is to say she knows nothing. At her fancy nursing school, they wanted to teach the students frigging Reiki, but not even an elective on traditional/cultural medical practices/voodoo? Way to be culturally competent.

NewFNP could find no physical health concern that would explain this young, fit man's ED. From his perspective, his health was non-contributory.

NewFNP probed for a psychological explanation. Was he perhaps feeling guilty for having another partner here? He stated without equivocation that he was not.

(Hell, who can blame a dude for finding another lady after twelve long years? NewFNP is having a dry spell that nowhere near approximates that - thank god - and she's considering some recidivism.)

She asked him if he would like to try Viagra. He did not, because as he explained, the problem rested in the curse.

Not sure where to take this encounter, newFNP asked him if he believed that her curse was the only cause of his erectile dysfunction. He was certain that it was. In that case, newFNP told him, it seems as though you need to find someone to reverse that spell.

And for that, newFNP is hard pressed to recommend a single practitioner.

7 comments:

NPO said...

What do you Google for that?
How to lift or reverse a Voodoo curse?

Actually, I had to check it out and of course there are quacktitioners out there. This guy had a good price.
http://www.doktorsnake.com/spells/elite-voodoo-spells/extreme-voodoo-curse-removal-spell/

Fonzie said...

How about self help? Suggest that it's his mind holding him back. Forget the curse and maybe the ED will fade away... Although that's probably like asking him to forget the first partner ever existed. Ain't gunna work either way until he believes. :)

sara said...

It is interesting that he came to see you at all -- considering that he doesn't see it as a health problem. But I guess people are complicated.

Beth said...

Very interesting blog, I like the voice of it and being a nurse practitioner as well love to see to what is out there.

Aaron N said...

This sounds more like a holistic nurse job description than a family nurse practitioner. Voodoo, snakes, etc would definitely fall under the category of holistic medicine and natural remedies in my book.

indeazgirl said...

So well it's a spell, hell, makes me wanna shoop shoop shoop.....
totally crazy!!

Anonymous said...

See, you gotta tell him that Viagra is the antidote for the curse you put on him.