Yesterday I saw a 90 year old woman in consultation. She presented to the emergency room in September with abdominal pain, and in the process of working her up, a chest X-ray was taken which showed an infiltrate in her lingula, part of the left lower lobe of her lung. As it turned out, there… Continue reading How Old is Too Old?
Month: January 2013
I Was Just Checking
WordPress has this little program called “Counterize”, which allows bloggers like me to see how much traffic our sites have, and which “pages” are viewed the most. Every so often, I like to check the stats so I can figure out which of my essays are the most popular. You know—so I can play to… Continue reading I Was Just Checking
What Comes Next?
Multi-tasking has never been my forte and so I like to keep my schedule organized. Mondays, I see all of my on-treatment patients. Tuesdays and Thursdays I see new patients in consultation. Wednesdays are reserved for treatment planning and research projects. But Fridays—well, Fridays are usually the best day of the week. Not only is… Continue reading What Comes Next?
Nurses Talk
I think you all know how I feel about nurses now. If not, go back through the archives of this blog and read my essay “Nurse!” My patients and I have been supported throughout my career by some of the finest people on the planet, my oncology nurses. As a medical student, as an intern… Continue reading Nurses Talk
Really, It’s Not About the Bike
“This is my body, and I can do whatever I want to it. I can push it; study it; tweak it; listen to it. Everybody wants to know what I am on. What am I on? I am on my bike busting my ass six hours a day; what are YOU on?” Lance Armstrong When… Continue reading Really, It’s Not About the Bike
This Be The Verse
“Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes they forgive them.” Oscar Wilde I buried my mother on January tenth. After a long struggle with dementia, she passed away in her sleep. In the end, my father was too ill to attend a funeral service, so my sister… Continue reading This Be The Verse
No Fear of Flying
Written January 6, 2013 The wake-up call this morning came at 3:45 am. Ecuadorian standards dictate that international travelers must arrive at check in three hours before flight time in order that the luggage can be thoroughly searched for illicit drugs. Apparently, from the condition of my suitcase, this involves peeking at my underwear. This… Continue reading No Fear of Flying
My Brother-in-Law
A few weeks ago, my brother-in-law resigned his subscription to my blog. Since I am notified when this happens, I grew immediately concerned that I had said something to offend him. I called my sister in New Jersey to ask her. She said, “No, of course not! He’s been really busy at work catching up… Continue reading My Brother-in-Law
There Comes a Time
Written while returning from my Galapagos trip, posting now. It’s happening—the moment that we all dread as we age, that point in time where we realize that we are becoming our parents. When I was a child, my father was a busy man, completing his residency in plastic surgery, establishing a practice, climbing the academic… Continue reading There Comes a Time