Dr Rob has been my doctor for 12 years, he is a fantastic person and a great doctor. He sees me , my kids and my grandkids, a true family doctor. We all love Dr Rob.
He has always been there when we needed him. Have a wonderful new year.

Thanks Pat! Your family makes it real easy for me (even that husband of yours). Happy New Year!

Yours was the first blog I ever read religiously, and I just recently started taking out my med school frustrations on a blog of my own. Life is a blessing, but sometimes you need a break from parts of it. Best of luck in your ventures.

You deserve a nice and stress-free rest. Thanks for sharing a whole lot of stuff with us. We learned a lot from you. And hopefully, when you come back there will be more stories and thoughts to share.

You are the best. Happy Holidays.

Fuck, you're being sued, aren't you.
Been there, done that.

No suit, thankfully. Really it is just personal fatigue, both physical and emotional.

Hello Doctor,
i just found your site and now you might be leaving....forever. i hope that's not the case, but i wish you well and will happily read your past posts.

Take best of care and hope to see you back one day,
tracy

OK, to clarify for everyone. I am NOT quitting this blog. I am just taking a break - probably a short one. I actually expect to be back before the end of the year.

Dr. Rob, i agree with 97.83 % of the above comments. Rest, cyber-friend, and we'll be happy to see you whenever you return.

Hi Dr. Rob -
Just found your blog; am looking for people online who are medical providers with ADD. I'll be following you whether you write frequently or not - looks like a lot of the folks I can learn from are reading and commenting here, as well.

Whatever is going on with you, I send my best wishes your way. I know that I find myself writing things like you've written here when I feel overwhelmed, and a lot of that can be symptomatic ADD stuff. I was just formally diagnosed a few weeks ago and am still learning my way around things.

I'm a PA and have had a lot of trouble since my daughter was born 3 years ago. Just trying to figure out ways to keep myself on track and not let my patients down. It's one thing to wear my sweater inside out to work. It's another to forget to order a mammogram! :)

Blog when you can. It's the nature of blogging. I'll be here to read if and when you do.
Thanks for your contributions, Rob - very important to me to know I'm not alone and be able to see the benefits of ADD in practicing medicine.

Rob, whatever life has hit you with, I truly wish a wonderful outcome for you (and family). I read your blog all the time and besides benefitting from your medical knowledge and perspective, I also have a great ol' time laughing at some of the stuff you put into it. There have been quite a number of the dark times/hard times in my own life, esp. recently, so I can empathize. Whatever you need to do/accept/change, etc. I pray for God's grace and blessings for you and those you love. I'll miss you like crazy.

I'm sorry I missed your site until now, but at least I get to review it and enjoy your writing. I hope it is similar to your farewell post.

By all the kind comments, you must be a great guy. Take care of yourself and offer no explanation for putting yourself first, for once.

I hope that real life settles down for you. Take as much time as you need. I know I'll still be around when you come back!

Sending you hugs.
Do whatever's best for you, we appreciate how much you give here, and you deserve to take time out if you need to. Or want to. It's about Rob, here, not about us.

What a loser...
I mean, We'll miss you Rob, like a supernumary nipple, which I had
never heard of til your Blog...
Speaking of Nipples, "Frankies Hideout" will still bring you Top Rate Medical
Blogging, no matter how my Major Affective Disorder progresses.
Check it out, don't cost nuthin,

Frank

Find peace, my friend. We'll be here when you come back.

Back in the dark days after Pearl Harbor days of BBS forums, one of the cardinal sins was a post that said just "I agree" The quality of your writing and quality of the community it has drawn usually leaves only that for comment. (so I don't) But in this case; Do what you need, heal what must, we'll be here. Yep, I agree

Wishing you the best and, with all of your admirers, awaiting future musings. MK

When I first started reading about @doc_rob, you were planning to wear a Santa Suit to Washington. Now it is officially time to wear a Santa Suit and I hope you are very comfortably enjoying a well deserved sabbatical. To the funniest, most delightfully creative and caring physician I know. I wish you the best.

We will miss you, and we will be here when you get back. Rest, restore, renew. Be blessed.

Many of my thoughts and well-wishes have been expressed above. I love that you are a normal guy who happens to have many roles in life. May you find some welcome respite and return to blogging when refreshed and feeling anew. I'm so glad that I got to meet the real DocRob this summer in DC. ;)

Yes, take that well-deserved break...just don't make it permanent for the sake of all your "bloggy" friends. You would be terribly missed!

Besides...you're far too thoughtful (and funny) to be gone for long. Wishing you the best always.

Definitely relate to what you're feeling about writing. A blog break every once in a while, I think, is healthy and part of the social/new media process that we're all going through. All the best to you! We'll be here when you get back.....

Take care and rest up. Taking a break is a good and necessary thing.

Just want you to know that you've opened my eyes to many things about the health care debate.

Plus you're just fun to read. So I'll be here when you feel like writing.

Just another reader who happens to be over here in Alabama =)

Blogging takes a lot of mental energy. Hard to keep up when you've real things in your life that come first. Take care of that, and don't worry, because the internet will still be here when you come back. Good luck with the whole personal thing, whatever it may be.

PS: if you're not using them for a while, can I borrow the Llamas?

Sounds fair. Good luck.

Too

Did you get gonorrhea from a tractor?

along with your other faithful readers, I appreciate the effort you've put into your blog, and thank you for sharing so much of yourself and your time. You have been a brilliant, bright spot in my blog-reading, I am SO thankful I found you, and I will be here when you return. Come back when you have recovered.
Peggy, RN

For what it's worth, please know that reading this blog has been valuable to me. From where I stand, I think that is the most any of us can wish to do. Expectations are sometimes heavy things. In many cases, the expectations that we place on ourselves can be the heaviest.

If you need to take a break or recalibrate, please do. Just know that those of us who you have enriched with this blog will be here. Ready to support you whenever you think the time is right.

From another Georgia Doc.

Rob -you are a terrific guy/doc/blogger/family man/llama fan, Lobster friend and I am sure many wonderful things we don't know about.

And you're *ZANY*... with a marvelous sense of humor as well as filled with compassion, practical ... and so obviously love your family and friends and dare I say patients..in the professional sense of course. I've said it before, but I'd love to have you as our family physician. Any patient is blessed to have you as their doc ..because you really care.

Feelings are transient. I remember Billy graham saying once (forgive me for not being PC either) that nowhere in the Bible does it say to go by our feelings but go on faith. Whatever is going on ..it will pass. Admittedly.. sometimes not fast enough for me.. but things *do* always get better.

Your profession demands that you give a lot of yourself in time, energy, compassion, etc. and yet you have a family and life of your own, etc. i too have wondered how you docs do all that you do and on top of that do consistent blogging, podcasts, twitter, fb oh and *bejeweled* ;) .. and so much more. I have figured that perhaps physicians are driven by nature and just get things done.

But if you are drained ..then you won't have much to give and so it is important to recreate within yourself. I love the scripture Sandi quoted. It's true! :) Of course we don't know whats going on but I agree with everyone and will keep you on reader and look forward to your writing anytime you decide too. You are gifted.

Thank you for all the wonderful posts, laughs, encouragement and being a blogging friend. I agree with Angel..we've made some nice friendships in the blogasphere... and you are at the top of the list.

Oh btw - I heard the adhd podcasts recently and they were great. It's amazing how quickly the med blogasphere has grown on the net. I Love how we can read the latest information and have an informed inside track on med issues.

Embrace this wonderful Christmas season and do the things that bring you the most joy, peace, love and may you experience complete restoration of your mind, body and spirit.

God bless Dr Rob and your loved ones... {{{{Dr Rob}}}} :)

Take all the time you want--your friends will be here when you return. I don't say "if" because I know you will--even if it's in a different form; it's too integral to your personality to share.

Hey, if *I'm* still here and counted among you, you're golden for life. :D haha

Take care and God bless--real life gets in the way, but until web 23.0 catches up, that's where it's at. Have fun.

I hate when your posts require me to speak out from my preferred underground status. "My obsession with keeping enough of you visiting is not strong enough to get me writing things of substantial quality." Um, that might be why you're writing but I don't think "substantial quality" has much to do with why most of us reading, it is usually just a bonus. I click on you quirky shortcut because I like the adventure I find in your words. Some days you make me smile, some days you make me hug my loved ones tighter, some days you make me rethink my values. Some days I laugh, cry, sit quietly at a loss for words, and occasionly blush. Some days I groan at more political prose, I usually still read it though. I come because you are a normal guy, a loving man I am glad I share this temporary existance with- even though we have never met. You sound emptied, my regret is that collectively, we your readers, don't have the words we long to restore you with. May you find a way to fill your cup, perhaps you could shave a llama or spray paint a poodle. Echoing the sentiments of others, when you're ready, I'll be here too.

I have been there alot over the last year hence the spotty blogging... best of luck

Bongi summed it up beautifully! Those who give of themselves so deeply do tend to burn out & that burnout can be devastating. But the good news is, given time to rest & come away, we do recover & are in time able to take up again. Hold onto that hope. Thank you for being honest enough to share your heart with us instead of just dropping off the radar-you deserve a break just like the rest of us, & like so many have said before me, we will be there for you when & if you decide to come back. Now if I might be so politically incorrect as to share a favorite scripture with you as encouragement, Isaiah 40:30-31-"Even the youths shall faint & be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles-they shall run & not be weary-they shall walk & not faint." Sending you a cyber hug & praying you'll soon feel yourself again by God's grace.

Sending you ((hugs)) and wishing you peace.

yes you are just human like the rest of us, but you are so much more. being anything more than human, in my surgical opinion, is related to how much we end up meaning to others and the influence we have on the lives of others. as a doctor you already fall into this catagory, but that’s not actually what i’m talking about. i move in doctors’ circles so the being a doctor bit means little to me. but your writings and what you mean on the truly human level is truly so much more than the human level.

the greatest compliment i ever got for my writing was given to me in a surreal place called vegas by a quirky blogger from georgia. i fear i took it not too well because my type (the cutters) aren't too good with compliments, but that does not mean it did not have a great influence on me. yes, those that positively influence others are truly more than just human and that you will always be to me.

sterkte ou vriend.

yes you are just human like the rest of us, but you are so much more. being anything more than human, in my surgical opinion, is related to how much we end up meaning to others and the influence we have on the lives of others. as a doctor you already fall into this catagory, but that's not actually what i'm talking about. i move in doctors' circles so the being a doctor bit means little to me. but your writings and what you mean on the truly human level is truly so much more than the human level.

the greatest compliment i ever got for my writing was given to me in a surreal place called vegas by a quirky blogger from georgia. i fear i took it not too well because my type (the cutters), but that does not mean it had a great influence on me. yes, those that positively influence others are truly more than just human and that you will always be to me.

sterkte ou vriend.

Been there... wish u the best and we'll be here when u return !!!!

Take care and we will just wait for whenever you decide to post, kind regards Dr Shock

I have enjoyed the stimulation and humor in your blog for only about 4 months now. Thank You!

"...normal guys don’t get to pick how things happen." True, you are a normal guy, but remember the "gifts" that you have. I pray that your "gifts" will lift you up again.

Take it easy, you deserve it.

God Bless.

It is a great comfort to me to know that you are normal. As with all your other friends, I too will be here when/if you decide to return. Have a blessed hiatus.

{{{hugs}}} Take care.

A lesson from my parents on money management was "you can have anything, but you can't have everything." Life is like that all around. You can do anything but you can't do everything. We only get one chance to live this life. I'm glad you know when to let go of the extras and do what needs to be done for you and your family. Llamas are pretty tough. They will take care of themselves and I bet they are easy enough to find if you go looking for them.

Take a well deserved rest..Always wondered how you did it all. What is going to happen to the Llamas? Who will feed them?

You'd better not go anywhere for long, Rob. I read everything you write out there, and I am glad that we've had the chance to connect. I've found some great friends out there since blogging, and you are a special one I'd hate to lose. You have a lot of support out here with all of us. Hang on.

This too will pass. A short sentence, but keeping it in mind has got me through some "dark times" in my life.

Thank you for what you have shared and take care of yourself. And whatever we can do for you will be done.

That's what friends do.

You will be missed, Dr. Rob. I hope that life brings your rest and rejuvenation as well as exhaustion soon.

Thanks for the heads up. You'll stay on my reader. So if you choose to write from time to time people will still be listening.

God bless you, doc!

When you blog, we'll be here.

Hope you are okay.

Hugs...