July 11th, 2010 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Better Health Network, Humor, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Bad Language, Beer, Consumer Complaints, Doctors Online, General Medicine, Internet and Medical Practice, kids, Mike Cadogan, Patients, Rules, Social Media, Transparency, Tweeting, Twitter, Work Grievances
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They say transparency is king — the more you share the better you look. But I’ve got rules. Here are a few things you won’t find in my Twitter stream:
Beer. I was recently speaking at a meeting out of town and caught up with some friends at the end of the day to visit and have a beer. I was in a different time zone and noted on Twitter the specific microbrew I was enjoying. The following week in my clinic a parent commented on my social activity. While I’m no stranger to transparency, the realization of my visibility was eye-opening. It reminded me that everyone’s watching and 140 characters doesn’t offer enough space to explain the why, or the time zone, of what I’m doing. So I’ve sworn to keep activities like beer consumption out of my twitter stream.
My kids. I try to keep my children out of my social footprint as much as possible. But as most of you who follow me know, they sneak their cute little selves in on occasion. It’s unfortunate because everybody loves hearing about my kids. This is at the request of my wife who’s a booger about privacy. I do mention the occasional date night with my daughter but, by and large, you won’t hear much. Kids are great jumping-off points for personal digression, but we have to be careful about using them to our own advantage. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
July 10th, 2010 by John Mandrola, M.D. in Better Health Network, Humor, True Stories
Tags: Child's Curiosity, Child's Perspective, Doctor's Life, General Medicine, Inspired By A Nine Year Old, Personal Outlook, Proud To Be A Doctor
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After a long weekend there are procedures to add to an already-busy schedule, colleagues are on summer vacation, and of course there are many “action tags” or “tasks” — or other likewise unreimbursed chores — to check off the to-do list before clicking in the pedals for a pre-dinner ride. And so it was recently.
Today, though, Jack was visiting. It was a good decision to ask Jack, our nine-year-old nephew from Hoosier-ville, to accompany me for some evening errands.
I had forgotten the unabashed curiosity of a nine year old. Nine is indeed a good age for children — a sweet spot, so to speak. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr John M*
July 10th, 2010 by DrCharles in Better Health Network, Health Tips, True Stories
Tags: Another Person's Story, Creating Happiness, Dream Disconnect, Emotional Health, Emotional Well-Being, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Happiness In Life, Inspiration, Life Stories, Lillie Love, Listen, Mapping Out Your Life, Moments In Life, National Public Radio, NPR, Positive Emotions, Psychology, Story Corps, Storytelling, Tips For Being Happy
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On my Friday commute to work I sometimes hear a tale of someone’s life as recorded through Story Corps. NPR plays these short, oral narratives in which an “average” person recounts some significant moments in his life, or reflects on what really mattered in her every day routine. They are short, pithy, genuine, and often inspiring.
Among the laudable characteristics that make humans unique is our ability to tell stories. On this particular Friday I listened to a singularly moving piece, only about 2 minutes long. It was recorded by a woman named Lillie Love who unfortunately passed away two weeks ago at 53 years of age. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Examining Room of Dr. Charles*
July 10th, 2010 by KerriSparling in Better Health Network, Medical Art, True Stories
Tags: Created By Kids, Diabetes, Diabeticons, Endocrinology, Friends For Life Conference, International Children With Diabetes
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Some of the most inspiring moments from the “Friends for Life” International Children With Diabetes conference were found in the expo hall, where kids were creating their own diabeticons. These are two that I absolutely loved:
“Let the sun rise on a cure, let the sun set on diabetes.”
“Love your life with or without diabetes.”
Now I need to figure out how to use that Bamboo so I can doctor up my own diabeticons at home. (Siah has asked for one that says “I love pump tubing!” Because oh, does she. She loves that chewy, Band-Aid taste.)
[Animas disclosure]
*This blog post was originally published at Six Until Me.*
July 10th, 2010 by RamonaBatesMD in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Patient Interviews, True Stories
Tags: Alopecia, Autoimmune Disease, Baldness, Dermatology, Dr. Maria Hordinsky, Hair Follicles, Hair Loss, Karen Barrow, Male-Pattern Baldness, Patient Stories, Patient Voices, Tara Parker-Pope, The New York Times, University of Minnesota
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The New York Times has a series called “Patient Voices” which gives insights from the patients with the disease, physical and emotional changes in their lives, and accommodations made. The most recent series is on patients with alopecia (hair loss).
“The Voices of Alopecia” by Tara Parker-Pope (July 6, 2010):
This week, Patient Voices explores alopecia, an autoimmune disease that leads to a few bald patches to the loss of every hair on a person’s body.
To hear what it’s like to live with alopecia, listen to the Patient Voices audio slideshow that features adults, children and their parents who are coping with the condition.
Listen to these seven people tell what it’s like to live with alopecia:
– Matt Kelly, 43, lost his hair at age 38 over a 6 week time span.
– Jennifer DeFreece, 29, developed alopecia totalis as a child.
– Margaret Staib, 42, an artist with three daughters.
– Rafi Wasselman, 16, says his best medicine is his collection of caps.
– Maureen McGettigan, 47, began losing her hair at age 16.
– Annie Kazmi, 33, tells her daughter Noori’s story. Then Noori tells her own. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
