Super Bowl Sunday is the unofficial day when New Year’s resolutions end. After 30 days, these prospects generally become an effective way of living, or go by the wayside. Once the pizza, chicken wings and Nachos Grande are served along with the Margaritas and draft beer, who dare to uphold resolutions that call for withholding alcohol and junk … [Read more...] about Happy Super Bowl Sunday!
Advance Care Planning a la David Bowie
While death is a mystery, David Bowie’s timely passage with the release of his the new videos from his album Blackstar left his sympathetic fans wondering and fearful. The graphic shock waves that permeate the characters in the video reflect those of us who shake our boots at the prospect of confronting our own mortality – our own nothingness and … [Read more...] about Advance Care Planning a la David Bowie
Presidential Term Limits for VIP Patients
Are term limits for U.S. presidents necessarily good? After listening to Lindsey Graham bemoan the loss of President Bush during a Republican debate and feeling remorse for President Obama as he delivered his final State of the Union address, we can certainly agree that asking too much of one person is unhealthy for society overall. There needs to … [Read more...] about Presidential Term Limits for VIP Patients
A Spiritual Legacy for 2016
This New Year is the appropriate time to make a resolution; the occasion to link advance care planning with a spiritual legacy. People all have deep-seated values and determinations of what they are willing to pay for, live for and die for, but few actually document these for caregivers or posterity. Beginning in 2016, Medicare will begin to … [Read more...] about A Spiritual Legacy for 2016
Seasons of Love and Moments of Reflection
The wrap-up of Christmas with my family occurs the weekend before the actual holiday. We have established Saturday before Christmas as our time to celebrate the season, exchange gifts, break bread and share a glass of cheer. I return from St Louis and anticipate working the actual holiday in the Emergency Department. Some people feel sorry for me … [Read more...] about Seasons of Love and Moments of Reflection
The Palliative Caregiver
I never realized the true meaning of palliative care amidst the harried practice of emergency medicine. The pressure being placed on me to do more often becomes the same expectation I place on patients to receive more treatment. Gloria, the wife of my patient with terminal mesothelioma shed a light on palliative care for me with the insightful … [Read more...] about The Palliative Caregiver
Doctor Recommended, Patient and Sister Approved
Finding balance between over-treating and withholding medical intervention at the end of life remains problematic when patients are not afforded palliative care. John was one of my patients - another victim of this predicament. He had recently retired and been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. While never really liking doctors, he had his share … [Read more...] about Doctor Recommended, Patient and Sister Approved
THE DISCOVERY PERIOD REGARDING THE EXISTENCE OF LIFE
What do I need to know as I age? While scientists ponder the questions of water existing on Mars and if it can essentially sustain life, my duty it to assess if there is life left in Oliver - a nursing home patient transferred to the ER. Oliver was not oxygenating well, but appeared to be resting comfortably. Reportedly, Oliver had fallen that day … [Read more...] about THE DISCOVERY PERIOD REGARDING THE EXISTENCE OF LIFE