A New Therapy for Asthma
I first met Carol* (name and identifying details have been changed) when she came to my clinic after a severe asthma attack had sent her to the Intensive Care Unit. After a few days, she had been extubated and had acquired a new diagnosis, asthma. When she saw me in clinic, she felt better than … Continue reading
Pre-existing Condition
“I didn’t have the sleep study that you recommended,” he says. I wait. “I went for the consultation. She said that looking at me (30 year young fit man), I don’t fit the stereotype for sleep apnea, but talking to me, she thinks I have it and I should have the study.” I tell him … Continue reading
Gorilla Glue and Heartbreak
“My friend said to tell you everything when I come,” she says as she opens a little zippered bag full of flakes. “My teeth are falling out and I can’t afford a dentist, so I use Gorilla Glue to glue back the pieces,” she says. She was referred to me for severe asthma, but she … Continue reading
Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc
We understand very little about the human body. Sometimes I think that the more we learn, the more we learn how much we don’t know. Occasionally, our patients show us. Take Jim*, for example. He came to me complaining of wheezing and shortness of breath. He had been newly diagnosed and treated for asthma over … Continue reading
The Stories We Tell
Stories are at the heart of who we are as people. In medicine, patients tell their doctors the story of how their symptoms started and how they have progressed. They tell the story of how they feel now. We document this story in a note from the encounter that we call the “history and physical.” … Continue reading
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