Opinion | Love, Loss, and Loyalty in Palliative Care
“I just can’t. I can’t,” Wendy, an RN, sobbed into my hair. We barely made it out the door when our bodies collapsed together, puddles holding puddles. Our patient’s children, 5 and 7, had just left with their tiny gray backpacks, tiny soldiers off to the abyss. Pastel crayon drawings, with rainbows and stick figures, […]
Opinion | Ode to the Paper Chart
Oh how I miss the feel of your thick spine, so wide I could barely grasp you with my oddly small hands. Wrist cocked, an awkward drag ensued from rack to desk, your heft landing with a thump under fluorescent lights on the laminate desk. I scooted into the low chair and dove in with […]
Opinion | I’m a Doctor and I’ve Been Sober for a Year
My first COVID vacation last year was spectacular, except that I barely remember 3 days of it because I was drinking to the point of amnesia. I am a physician from a multigenerational family of alcoholics, and I never wanted to struggle with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Instead, I discovered that I could avoid feelings […]