Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

I sometimes need to be reminded I’m not just a doctor, I’m human too

April Edwards, MD
Physician
April 13, 2017
Share
Tweet
Share

I took my dog to the vet today. You’d think this would be a straightforward sort of thing for a medical professional. You’d be wrong.

When I woke my dog up at 5:15 a.m. (my new daily start time, as it’s apparently the only way I can find time to do board questions and is also the excuse I use when I miss the majority of said questions), he seemed sleepy.

He’s a super hyper, ADHD-type dog, so slowly slinking about was not his usual MO. Despite my rational patient-assessing abilities, I naturally assumed he had cancer and checked his lymph nodes and examined his poop. I stuck my stubby “people” otoscope in his ears desperately looking for otitis. No dice. He was still sluggish even after being more awake, so I took him into the vet’s office at their earliest appointment today. Where I proceeded to be the worst patient ever.

Nurse: “What seems to be wrong?”

Me: “He’s just not right.”

Nurse: “Why do you think that?”

Me: “I mean, he’s peeing and pooping fine, and can still walk and chase balls and stuff. He just seems not right.”

Nurse: “…” (*uncomfortable eye contact*)

Nurse: “OK. Well, what medicine does he take?”

Me: “Just the regular stuff.”

Nurse: “Flea, tick and heartworm protection?”

Me: “Yeah, the regular stuff.”

Nurse: “Which brand?”

ADVERTISEMENT

Me: “You know. The kind in the red box. The red box from PetCo. I mean PetSmart. Or is it PetCo?”

Nurse: (*protracted sigh*)

I consider how I must sound to her, and I laugh out loud. The nurse continues to stare. But now that I’m laughing at myself, I think I’m funny, and I decide to continue my roll …

Nurse: “What kind of food does he eat?”

Me: “It’s in a blue bag.”

Nurse: (*staring*)

Me: “You know — it’s little brown pieces.” (*bursts into giggles*) “Sorry, couldn’t help myself. “

Anyway, after getting through the triage questionnaire, the vet checked out my dog, rectal temp and all. He’s fine. Completely and totally fine. But I’ve become one of the patients I sometimes see in my clinic. And I know, without a doubt, that the ICD-10 code is Z71.1: Worried well.

I need these moments. These times of transposition where I am reminded what it feels like on the receiving end of a stethoscope. How, despite having a smartwatch, I am not adhering to a diet and exercise plan of which anyone would be proud. And even though Zyrtec reliably helps my seasonal allergies, I can’t seem to be bothered to remember to take it every day. And then I tell colleagues how my allergies aren’t well controlled. How the morning after I eat beets, I temporarily think I have renal failure. Every time. And there are a thousand other example some scary and serious, others mundane — all very human.

My patients remind me of my own humanity.

April Edwards is an internal medicine-pediatrics chief resident who blogs at Insights on Residency Training, a part of NEJM Journal Watch.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Please stop asking about my wife

April 13, 2017 Kevin 15
…
Next

Why did the GOP health plan fail? Maybe because of medical Darwinism.

April 13, 2017 Kevin 2
…

Tagged as: Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Please stop asking about my wife
Next Post >
Why did the GOP health plan fail? Maybe because of medical Darwinism.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

  • Be a human first and a doctor second

    Sarah Murad
  • I’m sorry that we couldn’t save you

    Evan Schauer
  • How to get the doctor to really see you

    Michael L. Millenson
  • Osler and the doctor-patient relationship

    Leonard Wang
  • Doctor-patient relationships would die without this one thing

    David Penner
  • The medical student who had a genuine human profile

    DrizzleMD

More in Physician

  • Why don’t women in medicine support each other?

    Jessie Mahoney, MD
  • IMGs are the future of U.S. primary care

    Adam Brandon Bondoc, MD
  • The high cost of gender inequity in medicine

    Kolleen Dougherty, MD
  • Women physicians: How can they survive and thrive in academic medicine?

    Elina Maymind, MD
  • How transplant recipients can pay it forward through organ donation

    Deepak Gupta, MD
  • A surgeon’s testimony, probation, and resignation from a professional society

    Stephen M. Cohen, MD, MBA
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why your clinic waiting room may affect patient outcomes

      Ziya Altug, PT, DPT and Shirish Sachdeva, PT, DPT | Conditions
    • The human case for preserving the nipple after mastectomy

      Thomas Amburn, MD | Conditions
    • Nuclear verdicts and rising costs: How inflation is reshaping medical malpractice claims

      Robert E. White, Jr. & The Doctors Company | Policy
    • How new loan caps could destroy diversity in medical education

      Caleb Andrus-Gazyeva | Policy
    • The ethical crossroads of medicine and legislation

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
    • How community and buses saved my retirement

      Raymond Abbott | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Health equity in Inland Southern California requires urgent action

      Vishruth Nagam | Policy
    • Why transgender health care needs urgent reform and inclusive practices

      Angela Rodriguez, MD | Conditions
    • How restrictive opioid policies worsen the crisis

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Why primary care needs better dermatology training

      Alex Siauw | Conditions
    • New student loan caps could shut low-income students out of medicine

      Tom Phan, MD | Physician
    • Why pain doctors face unfair scrutiny and harsh penalties in California

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why U.S. universities should adopt a standard pre-med major [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Ancient health secrets for modern life

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • How the internet broke the doctor-parent trust

      Wendy L. Hunter, MD | Conditions
    • Why don’t women in medicine support each other?

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors need emotional literacy training

      Vineet Vishwanath | Education
    • IMGs are the future of U.S. primary care

      Adam Brandon Bondoc, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why your clinic waiting room may affect patient outcomes

      Ziya Altug, PT, DPT and Shirish Sachdeva, PT, DPT | Conditions
    • The human case for preserving the nipple after mastectomy

      Thomas Amburn, MD | Conditions
    • Nuclear verdicts and rising costs: How inflation is reshaping medical malpractice claims

      Robert E. White, Jr. & The Doctors Company | Policy
    • How new loan caps could destroy diversity in medical education

      Caleb Andrus-Gazyeva | Policy
    • The ethical crossroads of medicine and legislation

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
    • How community and buses saved my retirement

      Raymond Abbott | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Health equity in Inland Southern California requires urgent action

      Vishruth Nagam | Policy
    • Why transgender health care needs urgent reform and inclusive practices

      Angela Rodriguez, MD | Conditions
    • How restrictive opioid policies worsen the crisis

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Why primary care needs better dermatology training

      Alex Siauw | Conditions
    • New student loan caps could shut low-income students out of medicine

      Tom Phan, MD | Physician
    • Why pain doctors face unfair scrutiny and harsh penalties in California

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why U.S. universities should adopt a standard pre-med major [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Ancient health secrets for modern life

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • How the internet broke the doctor-parent trust

      Wendy L. Hunter, MD | Conditions
    • Why don’t women in medicine support each other?

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors need emotional literacy training

      Vineet Vishwanath | Education
    • IMGs are the future of U.S. primary care

      Adam Brandon Bondoc, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

I sometimes need to be reminded I’m not just a doctor, I’m human too
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...