A Physician Assistant’s Journey of sharing God’s love one patient at a time
“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 …
Monday. Some of you may have squirmed at the sight of that. Some may have sighed. Others may have rolled their eyes. Monday is typically denoted as the start of a new week. We typically think of it as the busiest day, the most stressful day, and the longest day of the week. For me, …
She spent most of her days overwhelmed with fatigue. She spent a lot of days vomiting. She spent a lot of days traveling to her doc’s office for radiation. She spent two years with breast cancer. I spent time with this patient for two years. I spent our visits smiling with her. I spent our …
"Sometimes it's hard to breathe. All these thoughts are shoutin' me. Try to bring me to my knees. And it's overwhelming. Darkness echoes all around. Feels like everything is crashing down." When I discovered a child abuse case a few years back, I found it hard to breathe. The x-ray was shouting at me. The …
Part of practicing family medicine is providing patient education. I have to be able to explain diagnoses and treatments and answer patient questions. A great example is when I diagnose overactive or under-active thyroid disorders (hyper or hypothyroidism). "Will I have to take this medication forever?" I'm often asked. "Yes." "Will the medication work?" Is …
Too often, my patients say, "I feel like everything is falling apart." It usually starts with a discussion on their health. Diabetes can cause fatigue, headaches, abdominal pain, and just an overall description of "not myself". Thyroid disorders can cause weight fluctuations, constipation/diarrhea, depression/anxiety, heart racing, fatigue, and another overall description of "not myself". Chronic …
Finding Faith In Medicine 