Funny, when asked why they became doctor, most would probably say something along the lines of “to help people.” But the implied ending is “get better.” I would be surprised to learn that anyone became a doctor “to give bad news” or “to help people die.” Yet I find this is much of what I do in my clinical practice as a nephrologist taking care of patients with chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease.
i told you so
In my office looking at the computer screen, I saw her name on the schedule for clinic that day and wondered how she was doing since the last time I saw her when I could hear the crackling sounds of fluid beginning to collect in her left lung. It was the second time I had seen her and my words still sounded like a stranger’s advice.
defining success
a stranger's advice
She was nearly a year from her 50th birthday, but her brown Samoan skin was smooth like her hair, coiffed just so. A low pompadour was slicked into place with gel. I walked into the clinic exam room to find her face was clenched like she was silently counting down the seconds until she would get up and leave because she didn’t want to be there in the first place.