The word mundane is defined as an occurrence that is very ordinary and, therefore, not interesting. However, what may be mundane for one may be monumental for another, especially if one’s health is in question. An ultrasound provides needed infor…
Category: Conditions
The abusive surgeon and the sleep-deprived intern: a novel
An excerpt from Doctor Zhulik. Christmas Eve “You know, you’re the worst f*cking intern I have ever seen.” How can he make such a declarative judgment when I’m just holding retraction? You coulda used one of those metal retracto…
How to recognize and stop gaslighting in your relationships
An excerpt from The Gaslight Effect Recovery Guide: Your Personal Journey Toward Healing from Emotional Abuse. Gaslighting is insidiously pervasive in today’s culture. We are inundated by an onslaught of news and information that we’re awar…
A couple’s journey with a rare neurodegenerative disorder
It was in 2012 that I started to realize that my wife Jennifer’s memory lapses were a significant sign to be taken seriously. That insight set us on a four-year journey, during which we engaged four neurologists in our quest for an answer. At las…
Lean on me: the power of human connection and the support of a caring doctor
Sometimes in our lives, we all have pain, and we all have sorrow. But if we are wise, we know that there’s always a tomorrow. Lean on me when you’re not strong, and I’ll be your friend; I’ll help you carry on, for it won’t…
Breast cancer surgery: Liking my doctor mitigates the feeling of violation
On waking up from anesthesia-induced unconsciousness, I was dressed in an unfamiliar pink surgical bra with multiple Velcro straps. As if I were a doll, someone had clothed my limp body without my knowledge, and I had no idea who. Even then, I had a va…
The urgent need for widespread CPR and AED access
Damar Hamlin, Buffalo Bills safety, collapsed on the field during the Monday Night NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals with nearly six minutes left in the first quarter. The incident rattled sports fans and left everyone emotionally distraught. The…
The dangerous language of “crazy”: How stigma and judgment affect patient care
“He’s batshit crazy,” fellow physician Karen eagerly confides while describing another colleague, Kevin, in a private office conversation. I laugh, assuming intended hyperbole. “No. Really. He is,” Karen says. “He…
The reality of CPR: a powerful tool with serious consequences
The shocking scene that unfolded during the Bills-Bengals game Monday evening was a play that I’ve seen countless times on a very different stage. Yet as a hospital physician, watching Damar Hamlin’s on-field cardiac arrest was unexpectedly…
The worst illness this physician ever had
An excerpt from Fifty Years a Doctor: The Journey of Sickness and Health, Four Plagues and the Pandemic. Our favorite internist and chairman of the internal medicine department was lecturing us on sensitivity to patients’ suffering when they have…
