Alexis, 19 y/o, came in for right leg pain this time. A patient of mine.

She has long history of sickled cell when she was a kid. Our nurses on pediatric floor had enough of her for quite a long time. She is no angel. Most of the time she is simply ghetto. The most talked-about rumors was that she and her teenage boyfriend were caught in the act on the bed while Alexis was here, as a patient, in the hospital room.

The whole peds floor was EXHILARATING when Alexis turned 18. That was when she was too old to be treated as a pediatric patient. We started taking Alexis over since and see her every 2 or 3 months.

Alexis, like most other sickled cell patients, is very used to large doses of pain medication. They usually get dilaudid 6 to 8 miligrams every 2 to 4 hours AROUND THE CLOCK. With Alexis, she would request a dose of IV benedryl to go with the pain medication. This cocktail combination is to lengthen the action of dilaudid.

I understand that the rating of pain is a very personal thing. Some people have high tolerance of pain. Like, some pregnant women choose to deliver WITHOUT epidural. Some have low tolerance of pain. They would rate a little boo-boo cut on the finger an 8 out of 10. With Alexis, she requests the pain medication on time no matter what --  either she just wakes up from a nap or she is on her cell phone in the middle of the night -- every 2 hours the call light will be on.

So, same shit different days with Alexis -- annoying drama queen from Detroit ghetto.

Except this time. She is pregnant!! I was simply DISTURBINGLY SHOCKED, SPEECHLESS AND ANNOYED. Having seen so many teenage pregnant girls coming to the hospital with little or no prenatal care prior to showing up at ER when the water breaks, I have to say that I feel bad for the unborn soul in Alexis.

Is Alexis still drinking? Is she done with all the alcohol binges she loves doing from time to time? Is she still smoking? Is she still on some kind of unknown street drugs? Well, she is obviously still on dilaudid. Is dilaudid even safe for pregnancy? This poor unborn soul!

"But my ob-gyn said it's ok to use it," she said. You mean your IMAGINARY ob-gyn? Or some money-crazed doctors like that Californian octomom's would NOT care if that crazy lady already has 6 other children but still insists on getting more via some infertility technology. How much did that ob-gyn make from this octomom anyway? How much did it cost that Californian hospital taking care of these premature octuplets? And what about the social expenses when some of the kids cost because they are disabled due to premature at birth?

REALLY. As a tax payer, why should I be burdened with such foreseen expenses on teenage pregnancy involving substance abuse and some other social problems in her family? I do not think Alexis has any kind of insurance that pays for the care she needs for the whole pregnancy. Who's going to pay for her selfishness and stupidity in addition to her own mother? YOU AND ME. THE TAXPAYERS.

SON OF A B*TCH!

"So, do you have kids?" asked Alexis. Gee, how am I going to have kids when people like you keep reproducing WITHOUT considering the consequences?

"No," I said. If you are aware, Alexis, raising kids involves a lifetime commitment -- emotionally and financially. Of course you do NOT understand this, otherwise you would be ashamed of what you have done to yourself and your unborn child.

"Are you kidding? How old are you, Purr?" said Alexis. ARE YOU KIDDING ME TOO? This is getting too personal and too uncomfortable for me to answer. This kind of chit-chat heads to nowhere. I do NOT even know you to answer you, Alexis. Maybe I should ask you why you are here in the hospital but NOT in college. Are you even done with your high school yet?

"I have bills to pay right now -- the house, the cars and so on," I said. Besides, do I really need to bring another life to the world that is already a mess? I have never been so pessimistic in my whole life till right now. Well, I am becoming too philisophical for Alexis.

Looking at Alexis and her girl friend with a lovely 2y/o boy talking about her baby's daddy, I am not sure what I should or should not think. Nothing makes sense anymore.