Scribbles

I talked to the son of a patient today as a futile - knowingly futile - exercise. I tried to convince him that the patient would be ready for discharge soon and that they would have to start thinking about the end of their stay. He reacted as well as the patient did. How can … Continue reading Re: Assurances

I've figured it out. What's missing from MIS and ACS and Transplant and what was present in Thoracic and to some extent, Nights. Independence. I don't mean just freedom to order whatever I want or make my own decisions and mistakes. That's vital too but to a lesser extent. I mean the freedom to feel, … Continue reading What’s Missing

What's the difference between sharing news and communicating clearly? It's the difference between coming to the hospital thinking you are getting a new kidney and me having to tell you that you will probably get a new kidney. The difference between definitely and probably is one whole kidney. So yes, our words matter.

I truly enjoyed watching 1917 tonight. I left the theater feeling inspired and impressed and just beholden to the images imprinted on me. The graveyard of cannons and shells. The soldiers slowly moving into the farm field. The whitestone of the trenches. The continuity of beginning and end. Roger Deakins is a master of his … Continue reading One Long Continuous Shot

Honestly, I sat there in that Pancreatic review class and just stared at that massive, unyielding, unwieldy table of cysts cross-sectioned with types and imaging features and so on and so forth. And I just wondered how I would ever - how I could ever learn this? How could I commit all this to memory? … Continue reading And It Makes Me Wonder

Instead of listing my New Year's resolutions ( I haven't made a list yet) like I might have in my past, I have decided to just talk about one that I want to start doing. Clearly, I want to get back to writing and creating in this forum but to just say so after a … Continue reading A Resolution of Art Instead of the Art of Resolutions

Comfortable for whom? What does it mean for the family gathered all around the room as they watch the patriarch snoring peacefully, knowing that this sleep might be the penultimate one. CMO is not for them. But how do you comfort them? Is it comfortable for them to wonder if every breathless apnea is the … Continue reading CMO