The secret to staying alert during night shifts: coffee naps and more

Conditions
April 17, 2023

Working night shifts in health care, particularly emergency medicine, requires maintaining alertness and focus during extended hours. I’ve experienced firsthand the challenges and risks associated with sleep deprivation, including a frightening incident when I fell asleep while driving after a long stretch of night shifts. Fortunately, nothing serious occurred, but it highlighted the importance of staying alert. One potential solution gaining popularity …

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The secret to staying alert during night shifts: coffee naps and more

Surviving infidelity: a story of strength and hope

Conditions
April 16, 2023

I was sitting alone in a rundown trailer in the woods, surrounded by five acres of trees that crowded the blue sky. I had 60 aminophylline pills in my hand, hoping they would end my life. As an asthmatic, I believed that this was the best way to escape my problems, and no one would ever find me in this remote location.

My husband and I had moved to this place …

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Surviving infidelity: a story of strength and hope

Fighting for life: inside an emergency room during a medical crisis

Conditions
April 16, 2023

The emergency room was bustling with activity as the medical staff worked to stabilize the patient, who was lying unconscious on a hospital bed. His wife sat anxiously by his side, tears streaming down her face.

It wasn’t the first time 70-year-old Mr. Smith had been to the emergency room. His past medical history included high blood pressure and cholesterol, but his non-compliant attitude towards medication had put him at risk. …

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Fighting for life: inside an emergency room during a medical crisis

Why weight loss drugs are not the answer to obesity

Conditions
April 15, 2023

Drugs that cause weight to melt away sound more tempting than chocolate cake, but weight loss drugs won’t cure obesity. And that’s OK, because obesity isn’t a disease to be cured. Obesity is just a risk factor for more important risk factors. Fat people are more likely to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, conditions that can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes – but it’s …

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Why weight loss drugs are not the answer to obesity

The true value and power of respect is too often undervalued

Conditions
April 15, 2023

Everyone recognizes that respect is essential in critical relationships with colleagues, patients, their families, and others. So why should the topic deserve closer scrutiny?

Seven Ways to Fix Policing NOW: Building Trust, Authentic Partnerships, and Safe Communities was authored by Kathleen O’Toole and my colleague Robert Peirce. They describe why a Chicago detective had such an exceptional gift for handling even the most fraught situations.

He explained that “everyone was born a …

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The true value and power of respect is too often undervalued

Jimmy Carter’s end-of-life decision: Respecting patient autonomy and the importance of hospice care

Conditions
April 12, 2023

A KevinMD article about Jimmy Carter’s end-of-life care decision, “The heartbreaking story of Jimmy Carter: a call for Medicare reform in end-of-life care,” indicated that the former president’s decision was heartbreaking. However, I have a different view. In my opinion, the 39th president, at age 98, made an autonomous and well-informed decision.

On February 18, The Carter Center announced in a statement that “after a series of short hospital stays, …

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Jimmy Carter’s end-of-life decision: Respecting patient autonomy and the importance of hospice care

Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome: Understanding a rare disorder and supporting patients and families

Conditions
April 11, 2023

Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RTS) is a rare congenital disorder characterized by a broad spectrum of clinical features, including intellectual disability, growth retardation, and distinct craniofacial and limb abnormalities. Named after Dr. Jack Rubinstein and Dr. Hooshang Taybi, who first described the syndrome in 1963, RTS remains an area in which the medical community has limited understanding, diagnosis, and treatment options. Improved awareness and research efforts are needed …

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Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome: Understanding a rare disorder and supporting patients and families

Transforming birth: How advocacy and sharing stories can shape policy and empower families

Conditions
April 11, 2023

Musical genius and mogul Rihanna recently graced the Oscars stage for her second performance after the birth of her son, with a baby bump indicating her second pregnancy. She described her first birth as “blessed” and “beautiful.” While many expecting parents long to describe their birthing process similarly, there are realities within the medical system that complicate this narrative for those who are not celebrities. When my partner and I …

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Transforming birth: How advocacy and sharing stories can shape policy and empower families

Finding hope in the face of cancer

Conditions
April 9, 2023

“My best friend’s mother arrived at our oncology outpatient department. She had recently been diagnosed with locally advanced breast cancer and was understandably apprehensive, filled with numerous questions. I took her medical history and performed an examination. She didn’t have any relatives with cancer, so all the treatments and terminology were completely unfamiliar to her. Her medical workup was completed, and she began neoadjuvant chemotherapy, with surgery planned for a …

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Finding hope in the face of cancer

How do we reduce hypertension in Black Americans?

Conditions
April 8, 2023

Nearly half of all Americans have high blood pressure, but hypertension disproportionately affects Black Americans, with 56 percent of this population affected. The disparity is especially stark for stage II hypertension, which affects 42.1 percent of Black Americans compared with 28.7 percent of white Americans. “In the United States, at any decade of life, blacks have a higher prevalence of hypertension than that of …

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How do we reduce hypertension in Black Americans?

Proud dental school patient shows off a rare gold foil filling

Conditions
April 6, 2023

I treat at the dental school in my community, Louisville, Kentucky. I have been a patient there for more than 30 years, so I have had many soon-to-be licensed dentists and dental hygienists look at my teeth. I have never had a bad experience or a clunker as a student in all those years.

Students come from everywhere in America and beyond. Recently, I had one from Afghanistan, another from Syria, …

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Proud dental school patient shows off a rare gold foil filling

Why an apology matters in medicine

Conditions
April 5, 2023

March was Endometriosis Awareness Month, and my journey with the disease involved a medical error. The apology I received restored trust in my care, a pivotal moment I hope can occur between more patients and physicians.

Medical error disclosure to patients, where a medical professional reports and explains a medical mistake to a patient, is encouraged by the Joint Commission …

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Why an apology matters in medicine

The heartbreaking story of Jimmy Carter: a call for Medicare reform in end-of-life care

Conditions
April 4, 2023

The purpose of the serious illness conversation is to offer patients a clear choice between treating and not treating an incurable disease like liver cancer. The goal is to give the person permission to alleviate pain and suffering. The individual might decide to be treated as a patient or honored as a person if given this option near the end of life.

A non-serious illness conversation ends with the patient wishing …

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The heartbreaking story of Jimmy Carter: a call for Medicare reform in end-of-life care

From hope to heartbreak: a story of loss in the ICU

Conditions
March 31, 2023

Ms. Laura was a vibrant and feisty lady with a personality that filled the room. She had been my patient two months ago when she was admitted for an irregular heartbeat and COPD exacerbation. She was a smoker, and despite her heart issues, she had a strong will to live. I had advised her to quit smoking, but it was a habit that was hard to break.

When I saw her …

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From hope to heartbreak: a story of loss in the ICU

The beauty of a patient’s gratitude

Conditions
March 30, 2023

This is not an ordinary 1000 Rupee note. It’s a happy memory for me.

For those who say I always share depressing stories, this one is for you, for a change.

We performed concurrent chemotherapy and radiation on a 70-year-old lady with nasopharyngeal carcinoma a few months back. She was elderly and frail, and she experienced a lot of mucositis and skin radiation …

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The beauty of a patient’s gratitude

From clocking in to clocking out: the transition to retirement

Conditions
March 30, 2023

I now understand. As soon as I clocked out for the last time, I started to breathe again. The race, the rat race, everything is fast-paced and there’s no time to breathe when you’re in it.

But now I have time, and I don’t know what to do with it. I sleep, I wake up, I make some coffee, walk the dogs, and the rest of the day is empty. I …

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From clocking in to clocking out: the transition to retirement

Overcoming Parkinson’s: a journey of laughter and resilience

Conditions
March 28, 2023

In 2017 at the age of 62, I retired from my position as a family nurse practitioner when the small, independently owned private practice where I had been employed for 20 years was sold to the local hospital. I had been having some odd motor symptoms that were diagnosed as akinetic-rigid Parkinson’s disease in 2015.

The stiffness and reduced fine motor coordination on my dominant left side made many common tasks, …

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Overcoming Parkinson’s: a journey of laughter and resilience

The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

Conditions
March 28, 2023

They’re very easy to spot. Sometimes it’s the crisp, brand-new lab coat or the shadows under their eyes. Often it’s announced in large letters on their ID badge. Or the badge is hidden, which is also a tell. If they’re trying to avoid being spotted, they’ll usually say they’re “working with” my doctor, as though I can’t figure out what that means.

Well, hello, resident doctor.

I see a lot of you …

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The untold struggles patients face with resident doctors

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