Dr. Lisa's Bountiful Life

By My Side

The day began early, and it's not over yet.

My youngest daughter and I are at the regional YMCA, awaiting the end of her sister's swim meet. Prior to this, my almost-eleven-year-old accompanied me on errands and sat quietly in my office as I taught a Qigong class.

Sophie is nothing if not portable.

Having two siblings 5 and 7 years older has necessitated this. Sophie hit the ground running and has never looked back. She began learning to ski as soon as she could walk--she even traversed the trails in utero, as I followed my older kids slowly down the bunny slopes, my belly straining at its temporarily insufficient winter garb.

Sophie has witnessed myriad games, meets and matches; has attended innumerable events and functions not her own.

Tonight, Sophie alternates homework with Hulu-watching, snack-eating and recreational reading.

She is tired--we both are--but her complaints are few and far between.

For this I am eternally grateful, and probably not as vocal about that fact as I should be.

She offers me a quick hug and requests a time check before taking in the boys' relay event and returning to her chair.

The day is not over yet. There are miles to go before we sleep.

But the journey's load is lighter with Sophie by my side.

Friends We Never Knew We Had

It is uniquely concerning to receive a text from one's child describing potentially life-threatening illness symptoms.

Headache, stiff neck, fever, lethargy, vomiting.

These are not a good constellation of descriptors.

Especially when one is a physician who has both treated and seen the aftermath of meningitis--the illness often associated with the constellation of aforementioned descriptors.

Now, add in the fact that one's child is roughly 2, 334 miles away, in a third world Central American country.

And, that one's child is barely eighteen years old.

As you might have guessed, I received just such a text. The past forty-eight hours have been interesting, to say the least.

My child is currently in a Guatemalan hospital awaiting the final results of his spinal tap. Fortunately, preliminary results were negative for meningitis, and he is scheduled to be released today.

The presumed diagnosis (sinusitis) is much less severe and more easily treatable than the one I had feared.

To know that my baby was far away, and I was completely unable to help him, certainly gave me pause.

What also gave me pause was that both his roommate's mother (Jan) and his roommate (Nico) contacted me via Facebook to give me updates on my son's condition.

Both offered up Nico's contact phone number. 

Nico told me that he was taking time off from work to make sure that my son was ok.

Keep in mind that I've never met Jan, and spent only brief amounts of time with Nico during my visit to Guatemala last Thanksgiving.

But these kind souls became, in my moments of parental concern, the friends I needed.

They were friends that I didn't realize I had.

We should all be so fortunate as to be loved by those who owe us nothing.

Our lives, even when seemingly threatened, often reveal themselves to be suprisingly, powerfully blessed.

Campbell & Nico

Guatemala 2011

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Dr. Lisa's Bountiful Blog is read weekly on the Dr. Lisa Radio Hour. Show summaries are available on the Dr. Lisa website. Subscribe to podcasts of the show through iTunes and let us know what you think!

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Patients/Care

At the end of each day I spend with patients I ask myself, "What did I learn today?"

Ok, so I actually ask myself this every day.

But patient days tend to be special. These are the days that I have one-on-one interactions with a series of individuals who have agreed to let me into their lives in a particularly intimate manner.

In the almost-sixteen years since I earned my medical degree from the University of Vermont, I have learned much from individuals such as these.

What I am learning lately is that we, as physicians, are failing our patients.

This is a harsh statement, I realize.

And one I do not put out there without much forethought.

I have a great deal of respect for my fellow physicians. Obtaining a medical degree, and working in a medical practice, is no easy feat.

I've done it--am doing it. I know.

Yet there has become an enormous disconnect between physicians and patients--one that can't help but have a negative impact on medical care.

Many physicians no longer have the time to spend dealing with complex patient issues. They are trapped in an inefficient, antiquated system that distances them from the very people they had once hoped to treat. 

They spend numerous hours battling with insurance companies, digging out from under paperwork and tedium, and working with restrictions ad nauseum.

Even the best doctors (of which I know many) are finding themselves overwhelmed by the situation at hand.

Physicians are so discouraged by the demands of the profession that when potential medical students approach them looking for counsel, they tell these would-be doctors not to bother.

They suggest that anything other than medicine might be a more worthwhile career.

I've seen this happen, repeatedly.

I've also seen the ramifications of this on patient care. My own patients, who tend to be a healthy and motivated group, have shared endless stories reflecting the complete brokenness of the medical establishment.

Who can solve this problem? No one person, clearly.

It will take the efforts of many.

And I hope that leading the charge will be the group of which I proudly am a part.

We physicians are a smart, motivated, hard-working and caring bunch.

Patients trust us with the most intimate aspects of their lives.

We must trust, and value, the insights our patients offer in return.