Monday Medical Note

I was going to post some profound medical quote today, but it got derailed by my last week at work.

So, today's tidbit is related to personal experience over almost 6 years in practice...

"It never pays to lie to your medical provider...they have smelled rats before."

Over the past 3 clinic days, I have had 3 patients lie to me. While there is no class in "Smeling Rats 101" in medical training, we do figure this out over time. The problem with lying to one's medical provider is that it breaks the trust. While it is true that patients need to trust their providers, the relationship has to go both ways.

The patient needs to believe that the medical team is providing the best treatment for their case, but the medical team has to trust that the patient is doing their part, too. What is the patients responsibility? following advice, attending physical therapy and taking medicine AS DIRECTED.

So, if you tell me that: your friend stole your medicine, your pain doctor won't see you for ever, you didn't realize that the bottle said take AS NEEDED, you've had to go to multiple ER's for pain meds, or nothing is touching your pain (while you sit comfortably in your wheelchair)...I will smell a rat.

I done!

Kate has become increasingly aware of human physiology and bodily functions. This escalated to epic proportions this past week when her dear brother threw-up after breakfast.

I commented in passing that Sam threw-up after he coughed. She heard, "Sam ALWAYS throws up after he coughs..." Thus, she is paranoid that he will cough and blow chow while eating. Each time he coughs or sneezes, she looks alarmed, starts to cry and yells, "I done!"

Tonight she was reticent to even look at him during our meal...for fear of "the throw-ups." (Please keep in mind he did loose his breakfast only once the past week while he was getting over a virus.)

Taking a peek at the camera...without looking at Sam...



Awww, come on Sissy, look at me...I won't throw up...promise!



She studied her plate, the placemat, the floor, daddy's plate, the table, the cheerios on the floor left over from breakfast...



Sissy, please look at me! Sam tried sticking his fingers in his ears and making faces at her...does this kid look like he's about to throw up? I think not!



But to no avail...she was too worried that if she looked at him, he would puke.


So, brother made it through supper with only a burp of satisfaction, Kate avoided looking at him through the meal, and the parents are convinced this is just a preschool phobia.

Fieldtrip...

Today we headed out for a little field trip. We were loaded up with goldfish crackers, juice and the camera...

Apparently the zoo is cutting down on staff, so here was our welcome committee. Kate wanted to feed them and was pretty brave about it.

Sam took a few minutes to introduce himself to a few new friends.

Kate begged to visit all the monkeys, gorillas, and orangutans...she was pretty impressed by their antics.

She's already planning the next trip...

I cannot resist this smile. Maybe because like me, Sam doesn't just flash his smile at the drop of his hat. In fact, he is usually contemplating life with his brows knit together, eyes intently studying his world and lower lip propped out.

I frequently have people stop to "chat" with him, only to look up at me and say, "he's a serious one isn't he?"

"Uhh, yeah," I reply. (...if they only knew...) "Yeah, he's serious as a heart attack."

So, his smiles are like sparkling diamonds and I melt when I see them.

new sunglasses...

I think Kate has almost all of the styles of Hello*Kitty sun glasses. Here is her latest pair...

This shot of her modeling her new glasses reminds me of the photos of professors seen in the halls of many colleges. Doesn't she look academic and professional? You may see this portrait hanging in the hallowed halls of Harvard in years to come.

Then there's Sam...

He got a hold of "Sissy's" glasses and turned on the charm...this photo is likely to be shown in less professional settings.

Monday Medical Note

There are many pearls in medicine that we learn over time...it pays to revisit them once and a while.

Pearl of the Week:

"You can't cure dumb." as stated by a well-seasoned surgeon.

It's worth a tri...

I did it. I signed up for my first sprint triathlon. I needed a goal, something to point to...and I found it. I will be spending my July birthday churning through a local lake, pedaling through the countryside and pounding 5k's worth of pavement.

It's a short triathlon, but it's something worth climbing out of bed in the morning and heading to the gym.

One of my biggest problems is that I put off doing things that I'm not comfortable with. In this case, the swim looms large and long. But, it's not just swimming...it's anything that I dread, am not good at, may involve conflict or has an unknown outcome. This "defect" causes alot of stress in my life at times and it's something that I am working on.

With my typical avoidance pattern in mind, I started swimming this week. As I started paddling along in the pool, I was filled with despair over my endurance and irregular breathing. This time, however, I have started months in advance instead of 2 weeks before the event.

I have since been in pool twice. (Instead of drowning in my despair and quitting) And, it's already better than I would have hoped. Today, I did a 1/2 mile swim and survived. I still have 10 weeks to train and the relief of facing my weakness is great.

Now, if I can just translate this across many aspects of my life, I'll have found a way to decrease some of the stress in life that I can control.

As Dory said in "Finding Nemo", I'll "just keep swimmin..."