StorytellERdoc, MD

“StorytellERdoc” is an emergency physician who blogs at his self-titled site, StorytellERdoc.

Visiting the ER on a day when others needed a heartfelt hug

Physician

March 18, 2013

Sometimes as human beings, despite all the layers we consciously build upon the shell of our souls to shelter us, define us, and project an image to others of what we hope we are, our basic inherent quality of goodness emerges on its own free will. A kind word, a gentle touch, a hint of a smile, an understanding patience–these are all things that escape uncontrollably in moments where our …

I have seen faith present its various faces many times

StorytellERdoc, MD

Physician

October 22, 2012

Faith. A simple word with complicated meaning. It is a seed buried deep within our spiritual cores, ready to be nourished and blossom with the sprinklings of tragedy. It is a belief that things will work out, despite our lack of vision for fate’s secretive reasons of the bumpy journey we must endure. It is an inherent hope that has either sustained us or has failed us miserably. Yes, to …

The obviousness of long waiting times in the emergency department

StorytellERdoc, MD

Physician

April 3, 2012

shutterstock_123325801

Emergency, as per the all-knowing Webster, is defined as an unforeseen combination of circumstances or the resulting state that calls for immediate action. Furthermore, an emergency is also defined as an urgent need for assistance or relief.

These definitions sound pretty spot-on, right? When thinking about emergency room settings, even, one can easily correlate the words of Webster to what one would …

How our resuscitation efforts would be interpreted by fate

StorytellERdoc, MD

Patient

September 17, 2011

I walked up to the closed door and paused , exhaling a deep breath weighted with disappointment, trying to clear my thoughts for the conversation about to come. My clenched fist was briefly suspended, mid-air, ready to knock. Beyond the door, I could hear muffled conversation and movement.

A calm, pretty woman stood beside me. An emergency department case manager. She held a notebook and pen, ready to jot down any …

How a day in the emergency department is a microcosm of real life

StorytellERdoc, MD

Physician

June 25, 2011

I imagine the world as a vast, boundless frontier weathered by our swirling human emotions and complicated energies–hurricanes of intense heartbreak and tornadoes of joyous, unbridled celebrations, with every weather pattern in between. Sunshine and rain included.

If I could gather this world, foolishly believing that I could sweep my arms and hands through the unsuspecting air to collect a smaller, more-contained version of reality, I know with absolute sureness that …

Becoming the official caregiver to your sick parent

StorytellERdoc, MD

Patient

April 8, 2011

I imagine the world as a vast, boundless frontier weathered by our swirling human emotions and complicated energies — hurricanes of intense heartbreak and tornadoes of joyous, unbridled celebrations, with every weather pattern in between. Sunshine and rain included.

If I could gather this world, foolishly believing that I could sweep my arms and hands through the unsuspecting air to collect a smaller, more-contained version of reality, I know with absolute …

Treating a patient in a small town versus a big city

StorytellERdoc, MD

Conditions

February 1, 2011

I usually work two or three shifts a month at a small, rural hospital about two hours from where I live. Why? Mainly, the small hospital is less than ten miles from my childhood home, where my widowed father still resides, and thus provides me an opportunity to catch up with Dad as well as four of my siblings and their families, all who live within five miles of Dad.

I …

Priapism is indicative of spinal cord injury in trauma

StorytellERdoc, MD

Conditions

December 4, 2010

It had been a high-speed motor-vehicle accident. One car. A twenty-something male driver without passengers. No seat belt. And now, this same driver had no movement from his waist down and no sensations below his mid-abdomen.

According to bystanders, he had been driving his sedan dangerously fast, some estimates of nearly 100 m.p.h., before losing control. The car veered off the roadway to the right, flipping mid-air before smacking head-on into …

A sweet and tender moment between a mother and daughter

StorytellERdoc, MD

Patient

October 17, 2010

I had been running late on another busy summer day. The type of day where you gain one step and lose two. Meetings and paperwork had filled up another summer morning. Baseball games, swimming practices, and soccer scrimmages had filled up another summer afternoon. And for this particular summer evening, I was scheduled to work an odd emergency room shift from eight p.m. to four a.m.

While driving to work, I …

Moments of internal struggle in the ER

StorytellERdoc, MD

Patient

September 5, 2010

I walked into Room 22 to find a very interesting patient who presented to our ER with complaints of abdominal pain and associated nausea and vomiting.

The patient sat on her cot with her pant legs rolled up above her knees, refusing, according to her nurse, Gwen, to put on a treatment gown. Her left leg hung in the air, her ankle crossed over the knee of her right leg. Her …

Read more…

Moments of internal struggle in the ER

Metastatic cancer and the matching walkers

StorytellERdoc, MD

Patient

August 5, 2010

They made a regal couple, the elderly man and woman sitting in Room 19. She was the patient, he the supportive husband. She sat in the treatment cot while he sat in a chair pulled near her bedside. Together, they greeted me with their warm smiles as I walked into their room.

They both had full heads of healthy, silvery hair that shimmered from the overhead fluorescent bulbs. Their eyes were …

Kidney stone pain, as experienced by a man and a woman

StorytellERdoc, MD

Conditions

July 5, 2010

shutterstock_128891225

As a typical guy, there are several painful illnesses that can hit our brotherhood in an instant. No warning was given. No “Get out of jail free” pass, either. Just cruising along, having another fine, healthy day, and bam! — suddenly, you are lying on the floor in severe distress.

The most feared? A testicular torsion. It can happen spontaneously. It can …

Treating a child with fever and leukemia

StorytellERdoc, MD

Conditions

June 10, 2010

I walked into Room 35 to find a three year-old lying on the hospital cot. Her father sat alongside her bed, whispering softly to her. The patient appeared quite tired, wiped-out even, and if it weren’t for her complacent eyes tracking my every move, I would have thought she might be sleeping.

She was visiting our ER because, after a few days of cough and congestion, she had developed a fever. …

Father of a patient with a sudden brain hemorrhage

StorytellERdoc, MD

Conditions

May 20, 2010

She was 50. Prior to being transported to our ER, her only complaint had been for non-traumatic elbow pain over the past two weeks. She was on no medications and had no significant medical history.

She was at home, preparing to visit her doctor for a scheduled visit, when she collapsed. Because she didn’t drive, her elderly father had planned on swinging by to pick her up. He had just called …

Cardiac arrest resuscitation, with wife as witness

StorytellERdoc, MD

Physician

April 29, 2010

The patient arrived in cardiac arrest. He had been brought to our emergency department in the middle of the night. Although he had a significant cardiac history, he was only in his late-forties. His transport from his house to our department had been less than ten minutes and, along the way, the pre-hospital team had done an excellent job of intubating this patient and establishing an IV.

His wife was with …

StorytellERdoc, MD

Most Popular

Past Week

Past 6 Months

Recent Posts

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Most Popular

Past Week

Past 6 Months

Recent Posts