The benefits of group practice
Paul Buehrens One day in my first year, the most senior doc in our group of then 9 men asked me to listen to his patient’s heart. She was in her early…
Clinical Stories
Diet and cholesterol: Sometimes, sometimes not so much!
Father Jones was shocked to find out his cholesterol total was 302, back in the day. “Father, you can try going on a low fat low cholesterol diet, but I’m…
The unexpected happens a lot
This 29-year-old school teacher patient of mine was in excellent health. One day she came in for an illness visit and reported that she had lost all feeling and strength…
Be careful what you ask for
D. had brought me his mother for her health, and I guess he learned to trust me, because next he brought himself. I learned that D. was, like a lot…
My response to the earthquake was culturally modified
According to Wikipedia, “at 10:54:32 local time on February 28, 2001” the Nisqually earthquake occurred. My office in Kirkland WA is 45 miles away, but I felt it. At the…
Nurses know tings
When I was a resident, Dena took care of 9 of us, 3 in each year, and every year 3 new ones. I was at her work station and only…
Soccer Doc tells a couple of war stories
Having two sons in club soccer turned me into “soccerdoc”. I considered getting a vanity plate for the car…. A graphic depiction of soccer follows: It was a very competitive…
The N of 1 trial, or the binary patient, part 2
N of 1 means only one patient in a research trial, acting as their own control….for those who care! Hugh appeared in another story with his Parkinson’s. Much later, he…
Diagnosing early Parkinson’s disease
Hugh was a few years older than I, a wonderful, happy, accomplished, kind man I had the privilege to have as a patient. One day he came in with some…
How can someone with dementia give informed consent?
When I had 30 nursing home patients, one of them, Mr. Otto A., fainted several times and proved to have a cardiac dysrhythmia (Atrial flutter) for which the best treatment…