“The blood test shows a genetic mutation at MLH1. You have Lynch.” The words were spoken by my genetic counselor the minute I sat in my chair should have hit me harder, but I only felt numb. I glanced at my closest friend, the person they h…
Category: Conditions
Doctor, am I going to make it?
Never have I ever had to rely on my communication skills as much as I have as a physician in the pandemic of 2020. My eyes, however, were not taught those skills. There are pillars in medicine, communication guidelines, and lessons in empathy — a…
Does pain change your brain?
I consult on many patients because they are suffering from pain. In fact, their pain is so severe that they are considering spinal surgery. More than 100,000 Americans decide to undergo surgery, and millions more have invasive procedures for low back p…
The overlooked factors driving weight gain in the pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic represents the single most disruptive health crisis of the past 100 years. It has disrupted basic, taken-for-granted societal routines, which subsequently has prompted dynamic changes in our behavior. The ramifications of these di…
A death in the work family
At an early age, Tasha remembered looking up to her mama dressed in a crisp white uniform and a nursing cap placed perfectly upon her head — one bobby pin at a time. Tasha learned what sacrifice, responsibility, and dedication were all about. She also …
Our little family in Tennessee does COVID
On the nights he is home for dinner, the boys sit next to him (if it’s an even day of the month), and on odd days, it’s the girls’ turn. I sit far away. Happily. Because I had over 15 years with him before we had these children. And m…
You’re not alone: Clinicians and the need to address grief
Health care workers pride themselves on their ability to be empathetic but professional. Many of us calmly deliver news of adverse outcomes and prognoses to patients and family members every day, then go home to a family or personal life, and try to co…
A year into the pandemic, nurses are exhausted and angry
As the anniversary for March 11 anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic has come and gone, nurses across Canada are at their breaking point. We are exhausted, burned out – and angry. Nurses are on the frontline…
When the teen with depression and anxiety is yours
Every week, I see a teen with depression and/or anxiety. Sometimes that teen is mine. And while I can certainly opine over the lack of mental health resources for our children and teens — you have to be a certain age, you have to have certain insurance…
Reflections on a year of COVID
One year ago, on March 14, I worked my first of many COVID shifts as a hospitalist at a large academic teaching institution in Chicago. In the beginning, I think most of us on the front lines felt a strange combination of duty, fear, and exhilaration….
