February 5th, 2010 by Shadowfax in Better Health Network, True Stories
Tags: AED, Call Button, Defibrillator, Delta, Emergency Landing, Emergency Medicine, Flight Attendant, Flights, Heart Attack, In The Air, Is There A Doctor On The Plane, Medical Emergency, Olympic Airways
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Anyone who has flown long-distance flights has heard the call: “If there is a doctor on board, please identify yourself to a flight attendant.” But it’s impossible to understand how that call induces the urge to flee to the lavatory and hide unless you are one of those unfortunate few who are on the hook, which is to say that you are qualified to respond, but you really really don’t want to.
“But Gee,” I can hear you think, “Aren’t you an ER doctor? Isn’t this sort of thing second nature to you? Don’t you revel in the adrenaline and glory?” Well, yes. But. First of all, there is the performance anxiety thing. I’m used to working with a very small audience. In Economy class, there may be 300 people watching me try to do my thing, and I’m just not used to that many people being in the exam room — and I know they are very interested in what’s going on. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Movin' Meat*
February 4th, 2010 by Debra Gordon in Better Health Network, Quackery Exposed, True Stories
Tags: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Clinical Trials, Ignorance, Insulin Potentiation Therapy, Misinformation, Placebo, Quackery
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So my cousin emailed me the other night. She had a breast cancer recurrence about 6 years ago. Before you feel too sorry for her, however, know this: She’s doing great, moving from one targeted treatment/chemotherapy/laser knife procedure to another. Her doctors are fabulous. Her attitude is amazing. And, as she constantly tells us, she feels great and is loving life. No, this isn’t about her. It’s about her friend, the one she emailed me about.
Her friend was diagnosed with an early stage of an aggressive form of non-small cell lung cancer a year ago. After chemotherapy, a CT scan this summer showed her lungs clear of cancer; but a followup CT scan last week showed some spots. This woman had participated in a clinical trial during her first round of treatment and her doctor wanted her to join another clinical trial. But my cousin’s friend is freaked out; she doesn’t want to feel like a “guinea pig.” So when her daughter suggested she see a doctor who specializes in an unproven and experimental therapy called insulin potentiation therapy, she was ready to call for an appointment. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Debra Gordon's Musings on Medicine and Health Care*
February 1st, 2010 by Dr. Val Jones in True Stories
Tags: Asking The Same Questions, Breast Cancer, Cancer, Emergency Medicine, Hospital, Impersonal Care, Nursing, Oncology, Organ Donation, Policy, Quality
4 Comments »
A dear friend of mine (let’s call her Amanda) has metastatic breast cancer. She’s far outlived her life expectancy, thanks to advances in targeted chemotherapy, but is beginning to need more medical care. She’s the divorced mom of two teens, with a loving extended family who keeps a close eye on her.
When Amanda was recently admitted to her local hospital with abdominal pain, a new policy resulted in some unintended consequences. While she was still in the Emergency Department, a nurse came by to ask if Amanda wanted to be an organ donor. The family members – keenly aware of her grave prognosis – assumed that the nurse knew about the cancer, and was asking this question because it had been determined that Amanda was about to die.
Tearful sobs ensued. Amanda’s sister called me the next day to tell me the news. Read more »
January 31st, 2010 by Stanley Feld, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, True Stories
Tags: Bullies, Bullying, Childhood Development, Parenting, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Psychology, What To Teach Your Kids
1 Comment »
Brad asked how I think I influenced his development as a child. I think I taught him about leadership, perseverance, patience, problem solving, pattern recognition, innovative thinking, and compassion for others. The irony is I believe he taught me more than I taught him.
Mutual trust and respect must go hand and hand with the love for a child. Kids are people too. They have the same emotional responses to perceived events as we do as adults.
One of many incidents of mutual respect comes to mind. Brad was 11 years old in the 6th grade.
My accountant, at that time, was an avid stamp collector. I thought learning about the sub culture of stamp collecting would be a terrific intellectual experience for both of us. My accountant took us to several stamp shows and taught us how to value stamps. We started collecting. We accumulated a nice stamp collection. The collection had great potential to increase in value. We both learned a lot and grew together in the stamp collecting business. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Repairing the Healthcare System*
January 31st, 2010 by KerriSparling in Better Health Network, True Stories
Tags: Blood Clot, Compression Stockings, Deep Vein Thrombosis, Diabetes, Factor V Leiden Deficiency, Hematology, High Risk Pregnancy, Obstetrics And Gynecology, Pulmonary Embolism
1 Comment »
Thanks to the happy combination of Factor V Leiden and being pregnant, I’m rocking a higher chance than average for a blood clot while traveling. Back in October, when I was just a few months along, a lot of my travel was on the Acela, cruising back and forth between Boston and Philly, in addition to some flights. So I needed to take these clotting risks into account.
“You’re telling me I should pick up some compression stockings, then?” I asked my obstetrician, after we had discussed my upcoming travel plans. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Six Until Me.*
Anyone who has flown long-distance flights has heard the call: “If there is a doctor on board, please identify yourself to a flight attendant.” But it’s impossible to understand how that call induces the urge to flee to the lavatory and hide unless you are one of those unfortunate few who are on the hook, which is to say that you are qualified to respond, but you really really don’t want to.
