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Never say "hopeless"
I can’t tell you the number of people who complain to me about having their hope taken away. Exactly what this means, though, isn’t always clear. Sometimes an oncologist will tell them (so they say)...
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Thanks, Doc
I was one of those crazy folks who loved medical school—not just the clinical years, but the pre-clinical sciences as well. The transition from pre-clinical to clinical can be rather unnerving (picture...
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"Nobody knows, the trouble I’ve seen…"
The great Dr. Sandy Templeton once asked his pathology class, “Why do people go to the doctor?” People came up with all sorts of responses, but to each he gave his best British, “No, no, no, no!” Then...
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In memoriam
According to my family’s recollection, none of our relatives has died fighting for the United States. My grandmother was from a small town in what is now Belarus and most people in the family were...
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Time well spent
This was first published April 26th, 2010. While I’m Up North, I’ll be reprising some of my favorite pieces. Thanks for your patience. –PalMD. A few years ago I was walking through a local mall with...
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Making mistakes
Yesterday’s sunrise brought for me a mix of melancholy and ecstasy. It rose over my favorite setting on the last day of my trip to the Ontario woods. After finishing up my duties as camp doctor, my...
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Every patient is an experiment
Mrs. Charbin’s blood pressure just kept going up. She felt fine—no chest pain, no shortness of breath, no headaches—but the numbers put her at risk. At 55, her risk of developing heart disease at...
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When did you really feel like a doctor?
The Doctor, Samuel Luke Fildes (1843-1927) Yesterday on Twitter, my friend and colleague Dr. Isis noted that she still gets a sense of surprise when she sees “Dr” next to her name in an email. She,...
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Journeys
I met this beautiful woman the other day. She had a sad, glowing smile, was dressed impeccably, and had this wonderful accent. I imagined her voice would be at home in some small corner of Europe where...
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Painfully aware
She didn’t look well. No one “looks well” sitting in an crowded ER, but she really didn’t look good. At first glance from across the room I assumed her to be fairly old, how old I wasn’t sure....
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Postscript
“I’m so sorry to hear about your father.” “Thank you doctor. He really liked you,” she said, smoothing her skirt. She always sat like a coiled spring. In a small exam room it’s hard not to share...
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Blind
I have the room to myself. I really like the breakfast bar and the high-backed leather benches my wife found at Value City. We set up the Mac down here where we can see kiddo using it and where I can...
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Death smells like vanilla
She lay in bed, her breathing erratic; she would breathe in deep and fast, then exhale slowly, as if she’d just hit her first cigarette of the day. In place of a cigarette was a tube, about a quarter...
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The lot of man
It’s pretty cold out there. It’s the wind, really; the sun is warm but the wind is brisk out of the north. I’m wearing shorts and a sweatshirt. Today is supposed to be a run day, but I’m not up to...
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Sunday morning musings
13th century Song funerary jar, from Indianapolis Museum of Art I’m guessing I’ve got about fifteen minutes before all hell breaks loose. There are three little girls sleeping upstairs, but once one...
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