In last week’s blog post, I wrote a line that’s been stuck in my mind: “Shame, the ever-present companion of medical culture, once again getting in the way of an honest conversation.” Shame wasn’t the main topic of that piece, but I think my subconscious was telling me I needed to write more on it. I…
2 CommentsA memory from before the pandemic came to me the other day of a time when we gathered in clinic to witness patients’ bell-ringing ceremonies, signifying the end of their cancer treatment. I didn’t always make it to these. Often, I’d be with another patient already. But there was one, in particular, I’d set aside…
Comments closed**update March 27, 2022: Runner-up for the 2021 Doximity Op-Med Pathos Award** In April 2021, I came across a Twitter thread started by Dr. Mark Reid (@medicalaxioms), which began as follows: “One thing we don’t teach you in med school or residency is how to call in sick.” Dr. Reid shared a story from his past about…
Comments closedRecently, one of my clinic patients asked me to administer his intramuscular medication injection. I appreciated the vote of confidence but had to tell him he was mistaken in thinking that my skill would surpass that of our nurses’. “Trust me,” I told him. “You’re in better hands with them.” It reminded me of the…
Comments closed**update March 27, 2022: Awarded the 2021 Doximity Op-Med Editor’s Pick** originally published on Doximity’s Op-Med under the title When a Patient Wants to ‘Try Everything,’ Including Pseudoscience My patient* wanted to “do everything.” To her, this meant flying to another state and paying out-of-pocket for I.V. alternative therapy. Her cancer was rare, and the…
Comments closed**update 12/31/21 – This essay was the most read Op-Ed on Doximity of 2021! (originally published in Doximity’s Op-Med on 2/22/21 under the title I Left Medicine For a Year. Here’s What I Learned, and Why I’m Coming Back) Before COVID-19, I left the practice of medicine for what would turn out to become an…
8 Comments*originally published online 12/24/20 in the International Journal of Academic Medicine as part of The women in medicine summit: An evolution of empowerment in Chicago, Illinois, October 9 and 10, 2020. (Perspective #4). “She didn’t even smile.” This was the startling reply to my open-ended question with which I had learned to start all second-opinion…
Comments closedIt’s April, which means it’s early in the pandemic, although we don’t know that yet. We’re all hunkering down because we hope it might be over soon. One night, I pull up an interview on the small screen of my smartphone. A woman reporter is interviewing a woman physician about COVID-19 — each in their own homes,…
Comments closedTL;DR: Vulnerability as a Superpower Last year, I had to renew my state medical license, a routine task. I completed the requisite online forms, paid the fees, clicked “submit,” and didn’t think about it again. Until the renewal didn’t come. As the deadline loomed nearer, and after several unreturned emails and phone calls, I finally…
Comments closedMedical oncologists often find ourselves needing to advise people who do not look or feel sick to take chemotherapy. This concept, of course, is what we call adjuvant therapy — using chemotherapy in healthy people as an adjunct to surgery to increase the cure rate from surgery alone. I’ve been thinking about the concept of…
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