Notes on life, philosophy, and medicine

it's not about our plans, it's about attuning ourselves to god's already great plan so that we can live out a great life for His glory. a life that is unsurpassable, unimaginable by any human standard.

i just spent one week in guatemala and four of those days creating and supporting the smooth running of a medical clinic with a team of dedicated god fearing people and a 7 year-old. and now that i'm back home sick from some uri (upper respiratory infection) most likely caused by a guatemalan virus (if there is such a thing), i think that i'm blessed despite some very loud complaints. i don't think i've been this sick for quite some time if ever. i'm experiencing all flu like symptoms including awful sore throat (hurts to swallow), burning eyes, throbbing headache(that's improved), fever, chills, rapid heart rate, muscle ache. i'm pretty sure it's not more serious than a virus that my body, god's temple, can conquer. my point is being ill connects me to the people i tried to help heal in guatemala. it is a nice reminder that a sore throat feels this crappy. although i think i gave some sound advice (warm wash cloth in case of a fever, warm salt water

So here's the problem: how long does it take a leg to heal naturally from a fracture or a twisted ankle. Say, 7 - 14 days. How long would it take for that same leg to heal when a doctor puts a cast on that leg? ooh gotta help my daddy shave but let me finish this thought. it might take 4-5 weeks for that leg to heal after the cast and then that leg would need to go through some therapy because of atrophy. That's not always the case, but I think medicine needs to be more considerate of our body's natural healing processes before putting us on medications and other forms of "therapies." I am convinced that the switch back to vancomycin (an antibiotic for gram + bacteria) is a part of the reason why my dad is still in the hospital with a low grade fever and why he continued to have fever spikes. Live and learn. We are still alive.

because doctors and healthcare professionals have the trust of the general public, they should not lie (i.e. not even to say that you can move into a different room without clarifying that it will most likely not happen for another five hours) and we should be able to provide the best standard of care despite a possible lack of monies for technology etc. Simple procedures (that do not have added costs) such as not using a trach during surgery and "bathing" a patient a day post surgery should be standard to not cause unnecessary pain to the patient and to maximize comfort. hospitals should not be a breeding ground for disease.

We are not limited by space and time. We are only as incapable as our beliefs.

it's like an apprenticeship; we have to pass our information from one person to the next somehow. ain't too shabby. Addendum: 4/3/2021  except it cost a bucket load of money  and you are thrown into a system full of not only goodness but sharks  blessed enough to care for individuals  serve them with our medical knowledge  or too fatigued to do more  shut down from public discussions and public health  because time and emotion is drained working within a system  complicated by bureaucratic ideas  policy upon policy  financial stake of unrelated third parties  so there's that too.

so today a non certified, not great vietnamese speaker was asked to be my dad's translator and the result of the evaluation utilizing said interpreter was that my father would not be able to have an awake craniotomy. and because he can't speak english very well right now (however much very well means - no one actually tested his ability), he won't be able to get a functional mri. okay so i understand that not everyone meets the criteria for every therapies or treatments, but language??? Shouldn't we be beyond that? healthcare system, i feel let down.

happiness, hopefulness, joy, content, peace...makes a difference in your health. god is the intellectual creator of our bodies and nothing man-made has come close to the intricate detail that was put into the creation/design/functionality/cooperativity that our body exhibits.

i've started my second blog. I just wanted a place to keep all these little pithy statements or life lessons that i glean from others or from my own experiences. so first lesson, remember that your patient will know things about his or her body that you do not know and that they have an ability to know what medicines/treatments are working for them and what isn't. as a physician, or a care provider, you can help guide and direct and the more you know, the more you are able to share the information and perhaps "understand" more than your patients but never belittle someone's understanding of their own body.