June 17th, 2011 by John Mandrola, M.D. in Opinion, True Stories
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I walked around the office today with a little extra spring in my step. It felt really good to be a doctor this day.
So when good sensations come, I always look back on why they happened. (Like cyclists do when they have really good legs. Maybe it was that bee pollen?)
But like having good legs on the bike, good sensations in the office come from more than one thing.
Eight hours of sleep?
A morning hug from my best friend, my wife Staci?
Two coffees?
A really good blueberry muffin?
No arrhythmia overnight in the AF ablation patients?
Good thresholds on yesterday’s (evidenced-based) ICD?
Perhaps.
But I felt really springy after being greeted by this… Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr John M*
January 3rd, 2010 by CodeBlog in Better Health Network, True Stories
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I took care of an elderly man recently. He’d been dealing with multiple medical problems for almost 30 years. Despite being in some very significant pain, he still made eye contact, still said “please” and “thank you.”
He wasn’t faking the pain. He was very stoic, but I could tell he was hurting. That tight-lipped grimace, the tachycardia, not moving a muscle unless it was absolutely necessary. Still, manners prevailed.
My colleagues and I went above and beyond for him and his family. There’s just something about being polite to others that makes those others want to help you and help you and help you some more.
I’m not saying that we don’t want to help those that aren’t overly polite. It was just nice to be treated, well, so nicely. I wouldn’t expect everyone in severe pain to maintain such decorum. Every once in awhile you just click with a patient and it makes being a nurse so enjoyable. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at code blog - tales of a nurse*
