I had planned to take care of my dad at the end of his life. In 2009, Dad retired at 75 because of Parkinson’s disease. Over the next couple of years, he lived in his own home. My younger brother Mark, who lived nearby, faced the first difficult …
Category: Neurology
Traumatic brain injury, race, and economics: the unpleasant reality
I have observed with impunity, a silent form of racism that exists in our society and in just about every American health care delivery system against people of color. If you are on Medicaid, without health care coverage, or have a low cost/low premium…
A physician’s DIY rehabilitation miracle
My head used to be my greatest asset, and back in 2012, I had my life on track because of it. With a medical education and a few years of work experience on my back, I felt that I had options in life. I had even saved up to be able to buy a home. [R…
A terminal diagnosis for my baby [PODCAST]
“Eventually, this thankfully passed. Now, almost three years later, I know that this loss will always be with us. Miriam was beautiful, she was our only girl, she was perfect for our family, and she’s always missing. Still, my memories of being i…
How the pandemic affects children and teens with headaches and migraines
Children and teens with headaches and migraines have been affected in a variety of ways by these pandemic times. Thinking back, there has been a difference between last spring and this fall and the effect on my patients, particularly in the school envi…
Uninsured and undocumented: a resident perspective
A middle-aged man lies on a gurney. Anxious. Work boots. Blue jeans. Stained white shirt. Rough hands. “Hi! I’m your doctor. What brings you to the emergency room?” The patient looks at me, puzzled. He’s Spanish speaking. It’s the mi…
My mother has Alzheimer’s: a caregiver’s story [PODCAST]
What is caregiver burnout? How can you recognize the symptoms? What are tips for new caregivers? What can caregivers teach clinicians? R. Lynn Barnett is the author of What Patients Want: Anecdotes and Advice and My Mother has Alzheimer’s and My Dog Ha…
A welcome to new residents
Twenty-five years have passed since I finished my residency, and a lot has changed. Back then, we hand wrote all our notes, and the only time we looked at a computer screen was to obtain laboratory results. Now, residents spend more time in front of a …
A palliative care physician’s brain bleed [PODCAST]
“As a runner, my pulse rests around fifty, but the ICU team had worried when it dipped to thirty-five, and my blood pressure hovered around ninety over fifty. Understandably, bags of saline were hung, and steroids were added. My headache improved…
Reflecting on the challenges of patient advocacy
The third week of September is Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week: a time to fundraise, light up buildings in green, and hold events that highlight mitochondrial disease research and awareness. My family has never heard of mitochondrial disease until…
