Doctors are not unbiased; we do have favorite patients.  There are some people who make you smile when you see them on your schedule.  You try not to treat anyone differently from a medical perspective, but there are just some people you feel glad to know.
One of my favorite patients is dying right now.
She has [...]

Posted in Being a Doctor 27 Comments »

I saw a gentleman in my office for his sciatica.  He was having severe pain radiating from his lower back, down to his calf.
I was about to describe my plan to him when he interrupted me saying, “I know, Doc, I am overweight.  I know that this would just get better if I lost the [...]

Posted in Being a Doctor, Personal Musings, Rants 112 Comments »

A patient left me a message earlier this week: “I was reading the information on the drug that Dr. Rob prescribed, and I am really worried about it.” He went on to say he was faxing me the prescribing information, just in case I didn’t realize the risk of the medication.
I hate it when [...]

Posted in Being a Doctor, Rants 20 Comments »

I got a message last week: Patient’s mother requests a note so she can bring his lunch to daycare.  They say it is federal law that he eat a healthy diet.
OK.  So I have to write a note saying, “Please allow Jonnie to bring his lunch to school?”  It takes MD after your name to [...]

Posted in Being a Doctor 5 Comments »

Risk.
In some ways this one word defines what it is to be a doctor.  We practice applied science.  We look at a patient and take general scientific concepts and personal experience to decide what needs to be done.  We make the decision.  We take the risk.  We put ourselves on the line.
Sometimes it feels [...]

Posted in Being a Doctor 14 Comments »