A medical diagnostic company recently posted the following tweet: “The best way to beat cancer is early detection. A full-body scan will provide you with a look inside your body and peace of mind.” I wanted to type a reply, but I like to te…
Category: Conditions
When a patient planned to kill a social worker
It all began on Valentine’s Day when I arrived at my office and listened to my messages from the afternoon before. There was only one from a nurse at the state mental hospital. She had just seen, she said, a Mr. Lonnie M. and was calling to alert…
COVID-19 will expose EMTALA and the physician shortage
Coronavirus, a.k.a. COVID-19, is lurking on the edges of the United States. What it will do here has yet to be seen. I was initially very concerned since I work on the front lines in community emergency medicine. For the last week or so, I have felt…
As the coronavirus spreads, should unvaccinated people be allowed to fly?
As the coronavirus spreads, the nation’s leading health official told a Senate committee on Feb. 25 that “we cannot hermetically seal off the United States to a virus.” The comments from Alex Azar II, head of Health and Human Services, heightened conce…
The problems with testing for novel coronavirus
Just weeks into the federal government’s efforts to contain the novel coronavirus, a new California case has exposed weaknesses in the testing procedures that could be masking more widespread reach of the disease. A woman in Solano County, California, …
How businesses are handling COVID-19
Chances are, if you work for a large company, you received an email like one sent to Volkswagen employees Monday: Coronavirus concerns mean some limits on business travel, everyone should remember to “wash your hands frequently” and stay home if sick. …
When an aging parent says no to much needed help
The first signs are often subtle — missed appointments, unpaid bills, or a once immaculate home that now has an unmowed lawn and dirty dishes on the counter. It’s easy for adult children of aging parents to miss these first signs that their parents nee…
When a wife won’t let her husband die
We were told to wear masks before entering this patient’s ICU room. Entering his room, you could smell his rotting flesh. He was 92 years old. His skin would slough off if you dared to bathe him. His decubitus ulcers were raging with infection. As long…
Confessions of a bed-sharing pediatrician mom
I remember lying in my bed after my second delivery in severe pain. With my first delivery, I had already endured a C-section. Four years later, I wanted to experience a “natural” delivery. I opted for a vaginal delivery after C-section (VBAC). The VBA…
The key to happiness is not a mystery
Happiness doesn’t always come easily. Some people seem naturally happy, like they inherited the right gene or were born into the right circumstances. Many other people struggle to find happiness. Perhaps even more people hope to become happier than the…
