Month: June 2016

0.88 Miles

0.88 Miles

Friday morning, 6:20 a.m. I was standing on the train in my favorite spot, leaning against the back wall while holding my coffee mug and staring at my smartphone. At Park Street, one stop away from the hospital station, the train lurched and halted and 

Doctor Parties*

Doctor Parties*

And I’m not only talking about cocktail parties. Recently, a small group of us primary care docs were talking politics. The Orlando shooting has our hackles up through the roof. It boggles our collective physician minds that such an obvious and proven public health hazard 

I Want My Kids To Be The Guys On The Bikes

I Want My Kids To Be The Guys On The Bikes

I used to keep the car radio tuned to the local news station all the time. Then, the kids started hearing and understanding the inevitable grim reports about mass shootings and terror attacks etc. and they’d ask, “Mom, did the announcer just say that people 

Hate: What Can We Do About It?

Hate: What Can We Do About It?

We can talk about it, write about it, pray about it. But what can we do about it? A mentally imbalanced and violent man bought a semiautomatic assault rifle (as you do here in the United States) and brutally massacred scores of happy, innocent young 

This Is What Strong Looks Like

This Is What Strong Looks Like

I’m searching for the words that can adequately describe the unbelievable resilience of our family in upstate New York. It was 2011 when our niece was killed in a domestic violence homicide. She was an ICU nurse, incredibly bright and passionate about her work and 

Twelve Phone Calls, Six Faxes and Three Hours for One CPAP Machine… Welcome to Primary Care

Twelve Phone Calls, Six Faxes and Three Hours for One CPAP Machine… Welcome to Primary Care

This is a rant about the hours and effort wasted to get ONE patient’s broken CPAP machine* replaced. My patient had disruptive nighttime snoring, restless sleep, and daytime fatigue back in 2011, so we ordered a sleep study, which showed OSA (obstructive sleep apnea). She had been using 

Intolerance Will Not Be Tolerated

Intolerance Will Not Be Tolerated

“Those people… the problems of this country start with those people. Send ’em all away is what I say! Round ’em up and get ’em outta here!” Her face was scrunched up, cheeks aflame, and she was practically spitting. My patient’s demeanor had transformed from