Monthly Archives: February, 2012
You shouldn’t have!
patientswewillneverforget ♦ February 29, 2012 ♦ 1 Comment
Patients bestow gifts on me and my staff as a token of their appreciation. Wonderful, thoughtful gifts. One patient hand-crocheted a soft, blue receiving blanket when my son was born. Several have whipped up gourmet meals as a lunch treat (and welcome diversion from my boring carton of yogurt.) I’ve received a hand- designed tote …
Dumber than a Squashed Zucchini (part IV)
patientswewillneverforget ♦ February 27, 2012 ♦ 2 Comments
Two in the morning and my beeper goes off. I grope on my nightstand for my reading glasses, beeper, and a flashlight. I see the number and groan. Bob. Again. I pray this conversation will be less tawdry than the last one I had with his bar pick-up. I dial the number and brace myself …
Dumber than a Zucchini Squash
patientswewillneverforget ♦ February 23, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment
Ever met someone dumber than a zucchini squash? That describes a patient of mine who manages to keep a job but can’t grasp the simplest of medical concepts. When his blood cholesterol came back at 246 mg/dl, (normal is less than 200 mg/dl), my nurse reviewed, in detail, the basics of a low-cholesterol diet: eat …
Dumber than a squashed zucchini (part II)
patientswewillneverforget ♦ February 23, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment
At almost every visit to our office, Bob embarrasses himself or my staff. When he came in for his last physical, he was handed a one-page Review of Systems form to complete while sitting in the waiting room. The Review of Systems form lists dozens of symptoms from headache to ingrown toenails. The patient then …
Dumber than a squashed zucchini (part III)
patientswewillneverforget ♦ February 23, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment
Good ol’ Bob had managed to find himself a girlfriend. Unfortunately, I found out about the relationship in a most tasteless manner. . . I was hosting a dinner party for two other couples at my house and was about to serve the chocolate eclair dessert when my pager went off. I checked the number …
My Little Demons
patientswewillneverforget ♦ February 19, 2012 ♦ 1 Comment
In my first two years of practice, I performed comprehensive medical evaluations on patients in the Psych Ward to uncover medical diseases that might have induced their psychiatric problems. Most were in with severe depression or bi-polar disease but a few were psychotic or schizophrenic. In our psychiatric training, we were taught that the patients …
When God speaks. . .
patientswewillneverforget ♦ February 18, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment
Like most Christian doctors, I pray for my patients and for God to assist me in making proper diagnoses, especially when the case is unclear. I’ll never forget the day God spoke to me directly. A beautiful 24-year old came in claiming she wanted a preventive health visit. She was slim, didn’t smoke or drink, …
Eeewww!!!
patientswewillneverforget ♦ February 15, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment
I had great hopes that my daughter, Eliza, would one day follow me into medical school. As a little girl, she’d boast that when she grew up she’d become a doctor, just like her Mommy. Until the fateful day when she was nine and had to spend a few hours in my office because my …
What a Way to Drum up Business!
patientswewillneverforget ♦ February 15, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment
Patients ask me all the time if my son Steven, age 20, will be following me into medical school. The answer is a resounding “NO!” Not because he isn’t smart or driven and not because of the long hours he witnessed his mother working. The reason is far simpler. And humorous. At age seven, I …
Their Guardian Angel Deserves a Raise!
patientswewillneverforget ♦ February 14, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment
Like most grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. D. enjoyed caring for their three grandchildren. But on April 10, 2009, a powerful tornado twisted its way ever closer toward their home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. When the TV weatherman admonished everyone to seek cover, they dove into the downstairs master bedroom closet with their three grandchildren, two large …
Patients I Will Never Forget 