A Physician Assistant’s Journey of sharing God’s love one patient at a time
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
My husband practices Dermatology, a field that most medical professionals are weak in and are weary of. Why? Because it’s hard! So many rashes look alike. But my favorite rash of all time presents mostly in young women, on their back, and in a Christmas tree pattern. Yep, you heard me. This rash is spread …
I'm Kristina Polley, a Physician Assistant that practices Family Medicine. I'm referred by most of my patients as their "family doc". Typically, that means that I take care of their high blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid problems, weight issues, high cholesterol, anxiety, depression, and a few other chronic conditions. I'm the one they see for their …
I LOVE algorithms! When presented with a symptom from a patient, I will always use an algorithm to figure out what's going on in order to properly treat the symptom. For example, I get a lot of complaints from patients about chronic headaches. So, I use a series of questions in order to go down …
Finding Faith In Medicine 