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You really never do know what is about to come out of someone’s mouth. I was on a consult month and had just gotten a new patient. Now, I will admit that the feisty patients are some of my favorites- … Continue reading →
You can tell I’m my mother‘s daughter because of my ability to mishear words. I was about five years old at the time and spring had finally arrived in Michigan. Along with the warm weather, we loved seeing the flowers … Continue reading →
St. Patrick’s Day can be a wild holiday. Especially with pride on the line. Back in college, I made the *wise* decision of coming to Chicago with my on-again, off-again boyfriend (we were off-again at the time). It was St. … Continue reading →
When one decides to make a scene, it’s best to do it in front of the neighbors. It was another epic neighborhood block party (and this time, one without any performances on my part). This time, we had all brought … Continue reading →
As a kid, you always have dreams. It takes acknowledging those dreams in front of others to make you realize that they might not be the wisest idea. My elementary and middle school years were filled with boy bands and … Continue reading →
Sometimes commitment can come too quickly, especially if it’s unwanted. I was seeing a guy that seemed quite nice. However, if anything, he was a little bit too nice. Not that I have anything against nice guys- I certainly don’t … Continue reading →
Over a decade later, I still have issues with flowers. It all started a few weeks fore Valentine’s Day, when my boyfriend and I had a chat over dinner about how neither one normally does much for Valentine’s Day. I … Continue reading →
My father can get you to agree to anything. It was my first Valentine’s Day in high school where I had a boyfriend. Now, Valentine’s Day was a bit different for my family- it’s both my dad’s and my brother’s … Continue reading →
Sometimes, patient’s don’t understand what isn’t allowed in the hospital. Back in med school, I was on the medicine inpatient wards. In medicine, you always have some patients who have been in the hospital for a while. And those patients … Continue reading →
To children, some decisions seem far more important than they really are. I’m legendary in my house for how great my vision was as a small child. According to my mother, I used to be able to identify the different … Continue reading →
Some behavior is hospital appropriate. Other behavior is not. When you’re in the hospital, I expect you to be physically sick. You’re coughing. You’re vomiting, You’re in a ton of pain. You’re having high fevers. You’re having a heart attack. … Continue reading →
I realize that my last name is complicated. However, there are still unacceptable things to call me. I was born with a Polish last name that isn’t quite pronounced the way it’s spelled. It actually used to be far more … Continue reading →
Few people are as old-fashioned as old men. I was flying across the country to give a talk. Unfortunately, it wasn’t really anywhere that I could fly direct to, and thus I was stuck with a connecting flight on the … Continue reading →
Sometimes, patients have ulterior motives. I was trying very hard to discharge my patient, an up-to-this-point very pleasant, easygoing Thai woman. It just wasn’t working. We told her at 6am (I was, after all on a surgery month, where rounds … Continue reading →
Not everyone views an injury as an injury. Growing up, I had the coolest aunt. Technically, she was my great aunt, but since it was far too complicated for us to say “Great Aunt Marie,” we just called her Grammarie … Continue reading →
Persistence can be a virtue. Other times, not so much. Remember the guy with the awkward voice? Yeah, the story didn’t end there. When we had left off, I knew that I didn’t want to see said gentleman again for … Continue reading →
There’s telling stories about your family, and then there’s just excessive complaining to a complete stranger. I was on yet another date from online dating. To start, I should have know that this date would be awkward, purely based on … Continue reading →
While as a doctor I don’t find hearing loss funny, it can lead to some hilarious stories. My mother is deaf in one ear from having her eardrum blown out when I was a kid (she’ll tell you that it’s … Continue reading →
…I’ve been nominated in the 2012 FriendsEat Best Blogger Awards in the Best Recipe Blog category! Please visit the website and vote for me before December 17th! You can log into FriendsEat using your Facebook account. Much love and happy … Continue reading →
Sometimes my patients don’t exactly hear what I’m trying to tell them. I had a patient that the previous night had been having a difficult time breathing, and thus I was in his room discussing his care with his nurse. … Continue reading →
I don’t care if you think someone is old- you never say it to their face. It was last year and I was doing some holiday shopping in my favorite shoe department. Now, I’m a big fan of holiday music. … Continue reading →
If you’re going to date me, you at least have to think my job is needed. I was on a date with another guy from my online dating stint. The first date had gone quite well- met up for coffee … Continue reading →
People can be fairly attractive…until they start talking. I had a first date with a guy that looked very good on paper and in pictures. (Yes people, I resorted to online dating. I work far too much to meet guys … Continue reading →
Things that your family find normal may be weird to others. My mom’s cousin has schizophrenia. For those of you that don’t know, people with schizophrenia can have visual, auditory, and paranoid hallucinations. In his case, he regularly had intellectual … Continue reading →
I’m not just afraid of rabbits. I’m also afraid of lighthouse steps. This is quite problematic when you a) grow up near large bodies of water and b) have a mother who loves lighthouses. I didn’t used to be afraid … Continue reading →
As a doctor, I understand your phobias. I even have some of my own. I have a fear of rabbits. Now, it didn’t help that my childhood friend’s family (yup, the same ones from the graveyard story) had an evil … Continue reading →
There is such a thing as a stupid request. I was casually dating a guy. He was the sort of guy that was nice enough, but not really my type overall as I was quickly realizing. You know the guys … Continue reading →
No one can scream louder than a preteen girl. I was in fourth grade at a slumber party for a friend’s birthday. Now, as I said in my last post, I’m not the biggest fan of scary movies since I … Continue reading →
Little brothers can get the best of you. Growing up, my dad and I would have our Sunday night tradition- watching Alfred Hitchcock movies on the classic movie channel on Sunday nights. There was nothing like a big bowl of … Continue reading →
And now, for a slight departure from my usual blog posts…the most romantic story I ever saw in medical school. I was on a consult month at the time, and every day we would round on a particularly sick patient … Continue reading →
Sometimes, patients can express anger quite simply. In medicine, you get quite used to dealing with angry patients. Sometimes patients are angry because they’re frustrated with care they received in the past. Other times, patients think that by yelling, they … Continue reading →
You can never make assumptions in medicine. I once walked into my elderly patient’s room, where she was accompanied by a gentleman sitting there caressing her hand. I went through the general questions of the admission: what brought her here, … Continue reading →
Sometimes my patients have interesting requests. I can’t always grant them. On the oncology wards, we often have patients admitted for pain control. It’s not that these patients are drug seeking- their pain might be worse because of their treatments … Continue reading →
