Most of us have spent some time thinking about our own deaths. We do it with a sense of dreadful curiosity, but then we push it aside with “well, we’ve all got to go sometime.”
Unlike most people, I probably know the how, the why, and maybe even the when of that event. It is profound information that turns the world upside down for us, our families, friends and caregivers.
I have ...
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Years ago I worked as a registered nurse in a busy surgical pre-admission clinic, preparing patients who'd been scheduled for surgery for the upcoming operation and hospital experience.
My workdays were packed with back-to-back, hour-long appointments. Whatever surgery the patient was facing--oral, orthopedic or anything else--every interview followed the same format. I would greet the patient, who'd often bring along a family member, and quickly escort them both into my small ...
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While I am currently a second year medical student, my story is one of a sister.
When I was six years old, my mother asked me a question that would forever change my childhood: “Honey, would you be alright with having a foster child join our family? It would mean a little boy coming to live with us for a while.”
My response did not take much thought; how could I refuse ...
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An excerpt from Pet Goats and Pap Smears.
Phoning isn’t an option. Nor is e-mail. So I write a letter to the head elder, asking that the Amish community meet with me. He agrees.
Today is the day. I accompany Steve, the hospital CEO, to an Upper Midwest town so tiny that the post office is inside the grocery store. On the third floor of a local bank, we ...
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Tuesday morning, eight o'clock, and I have seven things to do. Check vitals, change a dressing, get a patient out of bed, send another to the operating room. Review lab results, give medications, start a blood transfusion.
I have six patients, and they have an average of five morning medications each. I make three trips to the med room for supplies, two trips to the pantry for fresh water.
Mrs. Napoli has ...
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Be empowered. Get informed. Be engaged. Get involved. We’re exhorted to help make our medical decisions, to speak up, to ask questions, to say how we feel. But if we’re going to get the hang of being engaged patients, we could use a way to practice our role in the privacy of our own homes.
Well, read on my fellow patient. I give ...
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A presentation to patients is an excellent tool to communicate your message. However, the material must be presented in an effective and powerful manner. These tips will help you deliver dazzling presentations.
1. Know your audience. Sounds obvious, but unfortunately I have seen many presentations delivered to patient groups that were full of medical jargon and complex slides. Think about how people speak ...
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My phone rang a few weeks ago, the morning of January 26th. It was my brother saying "Mom has cancer in her spine. I'm bringing her to the hospital this afternoon. They're operating Monday."
I threw my stuff in my suitcase, jumped in the car and drove back home from the conference that moments before had seemed so important.
But before I left, I spoke at length with the orthopedist who'd delivered ...
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Another disturbed and disturbing night. It doesn't happen often three years later. Now – when it does happen – I generally know why.
I am preparing to make a presentation of a sentinel event from my daughter's final illness to a group of medical professionals and patient advocates. Last night, I was working on key points. What issues seem most important for hospital staffs to address after these years of reflection?
I ...
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As we embark on our cancer journey, writing can be a way to help us understand, work out issues, and help us accept and come to terms with our fate. The wide variety of blogs and discussion fora, whether religious or secular in outlook, optimistic or pessimistic in tone, medical or emotional in emphasis, all reflect the richness of our individual lives, circumstances and perspectives.
My cancer journey was no different. ...
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"A comprehensive and extremely useful roadmap for doctors."
-Eric Topol, MD, author of The Creative Destruction of Medicine
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Past 6 Months
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