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Impaired Physician

by Rob on October 10, 2007 · Comments

in Being a Doctor

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I have a bit of a stomach bug today. I am mainly nauseated and not hungry, but it is overall hard to work at times.

“Should you be working?” some friends asked me.

“Tell me if you need to go home” was the word from my staff.

I have no idea. When does sick turn into too sick to work? I use hand sanitizer generously and avoid unnecessary contact. As long as I can focus on the problems at hand, I should be OK.

I do shake hands with some of the drug reps.  The ones I don’t like.

This does remind me of a time when I was truly impaired. I had a bad head cold and had taken Nyquil, forgetting that I was on call. Sure enough, the phone call came from Labor and Delivery that they were doing a stat C-Section on a mom and needed a pediatrician there. I live close enough that I posed no major threat as I drove there, but my head was spinning to some extent.

When I got to the OR where the C-Section was being done, I whispered to the pediatric nurse, “I forgot I was on call and took Nyquil. If I say anything really stupid, just ignore me and do what is right.” She laughed loudly. They would do that if I hadn’t taken Nyquil anyway.

Fortunately, the C-Section produced a screaming pink child. I had no neurons to call into action. The rest of the night was thankfully quiet.

Life is complicated sometimes.

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  • Hope you're feeling better now.:)
  • jmb
    Get well soon, as Hallmark says. Just don't give it to anyone else. That's the bottom line, assuming you don't feel too bad yourself, isn't it ?

    I don't really mind the spam protector, glad it's working, and today the site remembers me. Maybe it just forgot yesterday.
  • Rob
    I am with you, Smak, that we do over-estimate our value. The problem also comes down to the fact that I am out a tidy sum of cash if I don't work. I am paid entirely on production and so cannot afford to miss too many days.

    I did fine yesterday and am better today, but it is a real internal conflict to know when it is best to hang it up. I went for many days without missing time for being sick, but then broke my shoulder and missed a couple of weeks. This year I had my Gallbladder out and missed a few days as well. I am getting better at it, but there are lots of gray zones.
  • Hmmm...perhaps there is something going around the medical blogosphere? I'm going to lysol my internet connection.

    I have no trouble calling in sick. If I were the only doc in town, it would be a different story. I humbly suggest that most of us overestimate our importance. When I'm too ill to think clearly, I consider it good judgement to give it a day before I continue making medical decisions for other sick folks. I call my office manager, review my schedule to see if there is anything on it that has to be managed, and show up early the next day to do my clean up. Somehow, everyone holds it together until I get back.

    Feel better soon. And don't forget your flu shot!
  • It is extremely difficult to be ill when you have a schedule full of patients to see or when you are trying to convince a patient that there is no reason for them not to work.

    I called in sick for the first time in 18 years three weeks ago and it was the hardest thing to do because of knowing how much it would inconvenience my colleagues and patients. But, it was amazing - -- I felt better instantly after I hung up the phone - something about just knowing I could lay on the couch the rest of the day.
  • Ellie
    My old GP had a bad hip and would refuse to get anything done about it. It got so bad that it would hurt ME to see him hobble around, because you could tell he was in pain. You know, it's pretty bad when your patients nag you to go to the doctor.
  • sometimes doctors don't know when to call it a day. i have been dripped on a call when i collapsed from dehydration. after a good 2 liters ringers i was up again.

    i once saw an orthopod operate with a drip running. he had diarrhea and vomiting. the anaesthetist put a drip up and he went on.
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