One day, I admit a 60-year-old man who comes in with haemoptysis (coughing up blood) for several days. I see him at admissions.

"When did you start coughing up blood?"

"Well, I started getting short of breath for a while. Last month, I started feeling just a bit off--"

"When did you start coughing up blood?" I ask again. It is time for me to attend outpatient clinic and I haven't finished my rounding yet and I need this admission to be quick and snappy.

Luckily for me, as usual when I'm in a hurry, this patient doesn't answer my question.

"I don't usually get ill, but I started getting this heaviness in my chest--"

"When did you start coughing up blood?" I ask a third time. He stops, irritated.

"Will you let me finish talking?"

My interruptions were probably rude, but time was short, I had far too much to do (as with every resident in this place), and this guy doesn't answer my questions.

Eventually, I wangle this out of him: he coughed up blood starting two days ago. He had been short of breath a few days prior to that. He doesn't smoke and is otherwise in good health. I isolate him, suspecting tuberculosis, and start antibiotics for a suspected chest infection.

The next day at 6pm, he is hammering on the door of his isolation room. I have five cases to admit as the on-call resident and he had already been seen by another doctor during morning rounds. The nurse tells me the patient has been breathing down their necks all day with various complaints. He has been given oral tranexamic acid to help reduce the amount of blood he coughs up, which he has been refusing because he feels the oral meds are "just to placate him and are actually useless" and has been demanding IV tranexamic acid.

They are actually equally effective oral and IV and there is no indication for them to be IV.

I shrug; during on-call, I see sick cases and I admit new cases. Complaints of inpatients who are otherwise well can be seen by the house officer or wait until the morning when I (inevitably) will round again.

The nurse urges me to speak to him to placate him. She says he says he has been ignored by the doctor (even though every single patients get one round per day unless they are exceedingly sick. He is not.) and he is likely to file a complaint as a result.

I shrug again. Not my problem. He can complain if he wants; he has that right. Threatening to complain is just a control tactic. He gets the same treatment as every other patient if he is well, which is one physician round per day, during which he can voice his concerns, new symptoms, and questions. You don't get to demand your case doctor to see you outside of those hours.

Then the charge nurse asks me to see him. I sigh. Five admissions still and likely more on the way and I have to placate a guy just because he is threatening to complain. I see him with the charge nurse.

"I have issues with the way the nursing staff have treated me," are the first words out of the guy's mouth.

"OK," says the charge nurse. "Which nurses?"

"I won't mention names." (What.) "But I feel discriminated against. Their tone is unpleasant. I feel like they have some kind of disdain towards me."

I wonder if it's because he's been endlessly kicking up a fuss from day 1 and is exceedingly patronising and long-winded (and therefore takes up precious time) or if it's genuine. Nevertheless, the charge nurse assures him this will be investigated.

"I also have issues about my medical treatment."

"Oh, in what way?" I say.

"I feel like I'm not getting adequate treatment."

"In what way?"

"All this--" He gestures around. (The isolation room?) "And you're not telling me anything. You know, I'm an old guy and I have various life experiences. This isn't my first--"

"Inadequate in what way? We already--"

"That tone." He points at me. "That tone. And your pose--" (I'm standing with my arms crossed and weight on one leg) "And that gaze--" (My eyes are wide with disbelief and trying very hard not to roll) "I'm no doctor, but I have family who are doctors--" (I'm thinking, wtf has this to do with anything? I'm his case doctor. If he's got such great family members who are doctors, he can consult them, then, not me. Also, folks who pull out the 'I have family who are medical' usually exude the worst Dunning-Kruger effect; that is, they actually know exactly the same little bit of medical knowledge as the average Joe, but think they know more just because they are related to, but are not, medical folks.) "--and I know things, OK? And I'm not telling you how to be a doctor, but I feel like I'm not getting adequate management. You're not addressing my concerns and your tone is not nice."

If he actually knew things, he'd know IV Tranexamic acid has the same effect and onset time as oral. And that he's on IV antibiotics. And we want to rule out tuberculosis. Guess not.

"Thanks, but I don't need you to teach me how to be a doctor." My tone was brusque but his condescending, long-winded attitude and my ever-growing list of admissions make my patience short.

"Look, I'm older than you--" (**Condescension intensifies**) "--and I have to teach you about morals, OK? Being a human, you need morals."

What. The. Fudge.

"Look, I don't need you to teach me about morals, sir. I have parents." My tone grows icy. "You have questions about your medical treatment. I can answer them. You're on antibiotics for a presumed chest infection that is causing you to cough up blood. We're awaiting the tests to rule out tuberculosis. We're monitoring how much and how frequently you're coughing up blood. We might consider a CT scan or a bronchoscopy (camera test to the lungs) later if you're still coughing blood. What else would you like us to do for now?"

"That's all I ask, you know? I mean, I work in trades. I've lived many years." (He's literally 60 years old, not an octogenarian.) "I have many friends who are medical folks..." Again, not relevant to the topic at hand. I'm trying very hard not to roll my eyes and watching the seconds go by as my acute admissions are still not tended to because this guy wouldn't shut the hell up. I seriously don't care if he complains; I have done nothing wrong. In fact, listening to him lecture at me about my medical practice and my morals is going above and beyond what I'm contractually and morally responsible for.

"Look, mister," I interrupt him again, trying to downplay my irritation and probably failing, "I have acute admissions to see to. Seeing as I have answered your question about your plan of care up to this point, I have to leave and tend to other patients. Excuse me."

"If you've nothing else to ask the doctor, then we can continue this later," said the poor charge nurse, who has remained calm and collected throughout this.

I literally cannot believe the guy's gall. How dare he lecture me on my medical practice and my morals?