So when I am at these AAFP conferences, I always attend the motvational lectures, because, lets face it, we all can use some motivation from time to time. Anway, here are some of my ramblings about what I do.... What excites me about Family Medicine: The People! People are fascinating! I have the opportunity to interact with people in a way that few others can. I can ask the most intimate questions, often questions even the patient’s spouse is not comfortable asking, and people answer with amazing candor. I am excited about going to and talking about places that are hidden away, not to be tampered with, in many different contexts. The following are a few examples: I saw a 17 year old young lady for a wellness exam, and through our discussion, discovered that she was having symptoms of depression. At one point, I asked her if she ever scratches or cuts herself and she looked at me with shock for a few seconds, then she admitted that she had done this at points in her life. She admitted that she had never told anyone about that and was grateful that I had asked. She was somewhat ashamed that she had done it, but no one had ever asked her about it before. I made a connection to her on that day that had never been made before, and both she and I gained knowledge and respect for one another. I only hope and pray that it helped her with coping mechanisms for future difficulties. A 19 year old college student came to see me for episodes of “passing out.” She was the typical underweight 19 year old female that we see too often in the office, at least at first glance. She told me the history, which seemed fairly obvious at first, she had a terrible diet, often skipping meals and exercising frequently. She was in class, started feeling faint and passed out. She recovered within a few minutes and was back to normal. She was the typical hypoglycemic college female, either living on donuts and Mountain Dew, or skipping meals altogether to avoid gaining weight. So I started discussing these issues with the patient and her mother, explaining the pathophysiology of hypoglycemia. When I was almost done explaining the evils of excessive carbohydrate intake, she stood up, walked calmly to the trash can, and began vomiting. At this point, the sirens in my mind went off. I immediately stopped talking and observed the young lady walk, with trash can in hand, back to the exam table to sit back down. I looked at her for a few minutes, silent, processing the new information that I had just received, then explained that we need to get a CT scan of her head, and I want it done right now. My nurse called the hospital and she went directly from my office to the hospital for the scan. She returned to my office after the scan, and as I expected, she had a brain tumor, 6cm meningioma with eminent herniation. I called the Neurosurgeon directly and spoke with him personally about the young lady. He agreed to see her and she was in the OR the very next day for removal of the tumor. Six months later, the patient’s mother sent me a card stating “I don’t know what you saw that day that made you do what you did, but thank God you did! You saved my daughter’s life, and she is doing great! She is back to school and has no problems at all. Thank you for saving her life! I cannot be more grateful for what you did for her.” This story brings me to tears every time I think about it. This is the impact we can make, and it is no small thing. To the people that we touch, it is everything in the world.
Posted on: Thu, 26 Sep 2013 04:26:46 +0000
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