What do people like about your personality? Are you fun-loving or organized? Do you see the glass half-full or half-empty?  Do you tell it like it is or mince words? Do you like to speak on behalf of others or prefer to listen to what they say? Do you know how to act when the physician walks in the room? While Helen was telling the ER doctor about her … [Read more...]

It was no accident that Gwyn had to be her husband’s caregiver. She was a wellness instructor and understood the value of preventive care. The goal of wellness is to prevent illness. Gwyn had just turned 50-years-old and her husband was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Gwyn knew the importance of creating balance in her life. But was she prepared for the … [Read more...]

When the ball drops in New York City on New Year’s Eve, will you be ready?  When the bombshell of a cancer diagnosis hits you in the ER, what will you do?  Listen to the doctor or follow an assessment and plan of your own? Sara was a 68-year-old woman who was not feeling well and had shortness of breath. The doctor thought she might have a blood clot in her … [Read more...]

John was an 88-year-old ranch owner who struck gold when he sold his homestead in Wyoming. His “golden years” in Arizona were spent struggling with back pain and caring for his 80-year-old niece with dementia. He ran out of pain medication and presented to the ER for another “handout” of hydrocodone. He admitted that life was taking its toll and he was … [Read more...]

Once upon a time Martin Simpson was playing little league and had hopes and dreams. At the age of 89 he was falling frequently due to weakness brought on by urinary tract infections. Before his son could arrive at the residential group home, Mr. Simpson had been loaded onto the EMS gurney for the obligatory trip to the emergency department after he fell … [Read more...]

The Number #1 regret of the dying is not having the courage to live a life true to oneself, but instead living a life based on the expectations of others.

Driving Miss Norma is a popular Facebook page, a truly inspiring … [Read more...]

Oftentimes, I encounter patients who are angry when they enter the emergency department because other doctors have not given them proper attention or helped them feel better. I might say to myself, “Who are you being that your health and well-being do not seemingly matter to these doctors?” My impression of these patients is that they portray an air of … [Read more...]

Whereas a terminal condition in its broadest definition leads to death, I underscore and accept that the experience of living will naturally progress to a time to die and my life will end. As defined in the practice of medicine, a terminal condition is an incurable and irreversible illness that leads to death. While treatable medical conditions exist within … [Read more...]

Life lessons include choose your own battles, fight the good fight and never allow others to fight your own battles. As an emergency physician, I often care for patients who are beside themselves rather than on top of their medical conditions. Patients’ capacity to make wise decisions is generally dependent on how well they understand the disease process in … [Read more...]

Perhaps a trip to Cartegena and Bogota, Colombia is not the wisest use of time while preparing to launch my book, WISHES TO DIE FOR. However, I was dying to take this trip when Mark, a travel agent friend, invited me to accompany him and share his travel perks. Why have wishes to travel if there is no intention to follow through and make good on … [Read more...]

This past weekend Brittany Maynard chose to end her life prematurely before a brain tumor destroyed her life completely. Brittany’s death is not the end of the conversation regarding death with dignity; opening up an … [Read more...]