It took me four years to convince my wife, Dr. Staci Mandrola, to join Twitter. Like many (previously) analog docs, Staci was resistant. “I don’t need another distraction,” went one of the arguments. Yet I knew if she tried Twitter, she would love the medium. If you care about a topic, if you are curious, […]
My ICD presentation to a Hospice and Palliative Care Group
Last night I gave a twenty-minute presentation on ICDs to a group of hospice and palliative care professionals. It was a real honor to speak to such an enlightened and dedicated group of caregivers. These are people who really get it. I wasn’t restricted in what to say about ICDs. They kindly gave me plenty […]
Going gently…
…is how doctors die. Few essays written by doctors are more relevant to today’s crisis in end of life care than Dr Ken Murray’s now famous, Why Doctors Die Differently. It made it to the WSJ today, thank goodness. It’s available for free in its original (and longer) form at Zocala Public Square. We discussed […]
When will Palliative Care and Hospice discussions be considered normal?
The patient greeted me with a smile that belied his horrible luck. He was my age, but looked far older. It was a slowly progressive neurological disorder that left his mind intact while his body stopped working. He was now imprisoned in a bed. Various family members fed him, changed his diaper, and freshened the […]
A simple phone call…
His wife said, “I couldn’t wake him from his nap.” The coroner told her he died in his sleep without moving a muscle. His family doctor told me that Parkinson’s had slowed him greatly in the past year. He was 81, and the day before, he had enjoyed the usual lunch with friends. His multi-lead […]
A Mom takes the Medical Board
Staci takes the Internal Medicine board exam tomorrow; in a cubicle, with a computer. No pencils. No ovals. It has been 12 years since she last took the exam. For 10 years, she stopped doctoring and simply took care of Cat, Will and me. A mom. Moms do that stuff. They are a different species […]
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