I have recently seen the same patient on two occasions in urgent care and refused to give a requested narcotic prescription for their chronic back pain. This patient has a very flat affect and a psychiatric history which makes each communication challenging. Following each visit, where the person eerily had almost no reaction and barely answered my questions while inside […]
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The Perks of Being Married to a Facial Plastic Surgeon: What is the True Cost of My Face? Let’s see. Yes, I enjoy the unique benefits of being married to a facial plastic surgeon. If our spouses are in an industry that benefits us, I think we all agree that it is important to use all of the perks that […]
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You might think that we MDs could teach a class on dealing with health insurers. We are always trying to justify why our patients should get a certain test or medicine through prior authorizations, pre certifications, appeals, elevated appeals, peer to peer calls (that are rarely with an actual peer). But, no, it makes no more sense to us than […]
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Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com He said “thank you for listening to me” before he left for the Emergency Room. I’m still mulling over his appreciation. He did not want to come to the Urgent Care, but he named a few complaints to his nurse daughter and she asked him to please be seen. His symptoms were vague. He […]
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I stopped writing during Covid. Even my journals are empty. I had a strong desire as a physician to “do something” so I worked Urgent Care. There has been some discussion about the 1918 flu pandemic not showing up in much literature of the time, with the exception of Pale Rider, by Laura Spinney. I wonder if most of us […]
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Virus rates are going up, up, up. While the mortality rates are so much better, the number of deaths are going up because more people are contracting the virus. How can we control it? We can wear a mask and we can avoid crowds. This is not a partisan issue. This is not a partisan virus. An attorney came to […]
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My husband and I decided to take an Improv 101 class. We will soon “graduate” from 201. Instead of a diploma, we get to perform a showcase. Does this sound fun or terrifying? For me, it is both. Improv class has gotten in the way of my blog writing, but it has been worth it. There are quite a few […]
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The tick-tock of the clock is painful, all sane and logical. I want to tear it off the wall. Eve 6 “Get More Done” I used to think about time differently. For a while I thought I accomplished more in a day in my youth than I do now, but no, I simply have added more to my to-do list. […]
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I believe that energy vampires are real and unhappiness is contagious. Why do some people drain your energy and others refill your reserves? While most of life is a balancing act, it is important to make sure you are surrounded by enough people, activities and thoughts that refill your tank or you will find yourself walking around on empty. And, […]
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At a recent conference, the palliative care physician and author, Dr. Kathryn Mannix, spoke about death and the process of dying. She asked for those of us having witnessed death to raise our hands. In a typical lecture hall, she might see 10% of hands raised. But, in a room of physicians, 90% of our hands went into the air. […]
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