Originally written June 2020. Re-posted June 2022, in honor of Juneteenth.
Tag: christianity
The Easy Patient
“Well, Mr. Duval, you made it pretty easy for me today.” His small rounded stomach bounced with each chuckle at my statement. “Your blood pressure is stable, you don’t have any complaints for today, and you don’t even need any refills. I guess I’ll just see you again in about 4 months.” I smiled and …
A Broken Heart
“What brings you in today?” A physician in dark grey scrubs sat in a chair, holding his iPad and stylus, eager to obtain the necessary information. “I’ve been having a lot of chest pain lately.” “I’m sorry to hear that. I know you’ve already been through the initial triage with the nurse and you’ve already …
Happy Valentine’s Day
When I first wrote the title for this blog, I spent a few minutes contemplating the punctuation for the title. Should I do without? Add an exclamation for the obvious excitement that it brings for those in love or for those who spend it with other single friends? Or should I end it with a …
Anxiety
Her pupils dilate. She whips her head side to side, searching for the impending danger. Her chest heaves with each shallow, rapid breath. Her heart suddenly feels too heavy for her body. “I need more air. I can’t breathe.” She told herself. She pushes her chair back, looks around at all of the blurred faces, …
Who Am I?
My bones ache. I sweat at night. I'm steadily losing weight. Who am I? A breast cancer patient. Pins and needles stab my feet. I can't quench my thirst. I gain weight for no reason. Who am I? A diabetes patient. Electric shock travels down my leg. I can't sit. I can't stand. I can't …
The Voice Inside
I order and review a lot of labs. A lot. Every day. Basic labs include a blood count, kidney function, liver function, electrolytes (sodium, potassium, etc), cholesterol, and an A1C (if you're diabetic). These labs will typically help us monitor how meds may be affecting patients, how controlled or uncontrolled their medical conditions, and if …
The Missing Piece
When I say that I practice Family Medicine, what do you think of? Most people say, "Diabetes, high blood pressure, runny noses, and families." Yep, all of that is true haha! But I think of Family Medicine as "finding the missing piece". When you go to the hospital, what do they tell you when you …
The Callous Workplace
"I'm suprised at how much you don't know." "Clearly, you don't know what you're doing." "How old are you anyway? Like 19?" "Well, I read an article about it and you're wrong." "There is a culture here and you need to get with the program and understand that." "Perspective is reality. Accept it." "You're not …
The Angry Man
Angry patients can be difficult. They're angry because they have financial difficulties, because their diabetes is very uncontrolled and they feel miserable, because they suffer from depression (a lot of men hide their depression with anger), or for a number of other reasons. But angry patients don't really bother me because it's hardly ever directed …
Finding Faith In Medicine 