#1
Which is very bad. I managed to calmly recommend the ambulance telling my sister it would just be easier.
Then I got an update from the hospital that she was moved into a “recess” room for more treatment.
Struggled very hard again not to flip out. Managed to avoid correcting her and telling her the term is “resus” which is short for resuscitation.
Amazingly grandma had a terrible pneumonia but pulled through and is doing fantastic.
Iris Gorfinkel, M.D. is a general practitioner, medical researcher, and the founder of PrimeHealth Family Practice and Clinical Research in Toronto, Ontario.
She told Bored Panda that no doctor can know what another doctor's inner circle looks like, but she suspects it's not much different than that of the general population.
However, "true doctors who see patients all day on most days during the week are, in a sense, professional socializers and training us prepares us to be an 'ideal' friend," Gorfinkel explained.
"Someone who listens intently and empathetically with a heart and who gives a sense of continuity, conveying that we're going to be there when we're needed."
#2
Edit: I forgot to add that he was sad and cried about not wanting to take anyone's kidney because he didn't want someone to give up his kidney in order to give him one. He was so empathetic child.
Sadly, he died 3 years later due to complications with the transplant surgery. We had many hard talks during all that time, and his passing is one of the hardest loses in my life, especially because I was more like a mother to him than a cousin (age gap between us is 13 years only).
#3
But the patients often don't realize it's a one-way street.
"Ideally, patients are never friends—even though we are the keepers of their secrets," Gorfinkel said.
"Medicine's long hours make having and keeping friends a lot harder. And I suspect that physicians are probably more likely to have friends who are also healthcare workers."
As Gorfinkel highlighted, everyone needs somebody who can relate to their personal challenges, and physicians are no exception.
#4
#5
As a GP in Canada, Gorfinkel often gets medical questions from her friends. And while some of the more ridiculous ones might seem amusing, there's likely a more serious problem behind them.
"One out of six Canadians does not have access to a family doctor or a nurse practitioner, even though we are the only people who can access medical services here. So yeah, I want to help, but the part of me that needs to take a break from work gets pushed aside each time I get asked," she explained.
#6
#7
At a Christmas party for a charity that my ex used to work with I got chatting to the charity's founder, naturally we got round to "Oh, you're X's partner? You're not in education too? Oh cool, uh, if you don't mind taking a look at something for me..."
He'd slipped on the stairs a few days earlier, bit of an ache in his upper arm, wasn't sure it was worth going to a doctor. I took a look for him because why not, I'm accommodating.
Reddit, his humerus was broken. Midway, by the feel of it clear through the bone. Not displaced but it was grinding a bit when he moved his arm. That was a fun one to explain.
In the U.S., around 45.2% of physicians report experiencing symptoms of burnout. While the situation has improved since the pandemic, doctors remain at higher risk of wearing themselves down compared to other workers in the country.
This is especially concerning given that the Association of American Medical Colleges predicts the United States will face a shortage of 86,000 physicians by 2036.
#8
I asked him why he was wondering, he said he was just curious. Sure Bert, sure, we‘re all curious. But if you think you NEED to know if you have Syphilis, the chances are high you have been engaging in Syphilis-enhancing behavior and should get yourself and your downstairs area checked out.
He went to the doctor. He had Syphilis.
#9
My mom was mad at me for pretending to be dumb. I made it clear that under no circumstances would I be giving any ad hoc medical advice to her friends moving on.
Gorfinkel said, "There've been a few situations that I'd hope would turn into real friendships, but they just turned out to be people asking me for medical advice and/or wanting me to take them on as patients."
"It's really sad because it feels as though I don't count as much as a person."
However, the doctor believes it would be naive for her to think that things could be otherwise when there's such a severe shortage of family doctors accepting patients in Canada.
#10
#11
During one of the waves of COVID, one of our lab techs mom was admitted and was on a BiPAP with COVID. One night, while we were both working, she asked me how her mom was doing.
I told her I didn't want to tell her because I was not going to lie to her. She told me she wanted to know.
"Everyone I have had on this high of settings on the BiPAP has died. That's not to say we aren't going to keep trying, but i want to be realistic with you."
She started crying. She had just lost her grandmother a week prior, so this was pretty rough. Up until that point, apparently no one had been honest enough to tell her just how serious her mom's COVID was.
As you can tell from scrolling through this list, doctors wouldn't be bothered in everyday life as much if the rest of us had a sliver more knowledge in medicine, health, and biology... but a shallower understanding of these areas might also be a symptom of a systemic issue—an increasing specialization of treatment.
"In the past, medicine had no choice but to view the body, mind, and spirit as interconnected," Gorfinkel said. "It's what we now call holistic medicine. And this is something that a lot of physicians are unfortunately looking down on."
"True, it doesn't save lives, at least not in the same way as an antibiotic might, but it is fundamental to having human connectivity and giving care that makes a person feel truly looked after."
#12
#13
Gorfinkel said holistic care is becoming hard to come by these days. "Artificial intelligence can even take a patient's history so doctors don't have to. That loses such a fundamental connection."
"Patients are now referred to artificial intelligence for treating their mental health problems, and it's profoundly sad that personal human attention has become a luxury item increasingly reserved for the very few."
#14
#15
#16
I took one look and immediately could tell that this woman should have been on a couple of very important medications. (Some chronic conditions are obvious to the trained eye). I asked her if she was on them, and she very breezily answered that she had “negotiated “ with her doctor to only take them occasionally. This was obviously a barefaced lie.
My friend was shocked, she had no idea her mother was being noncompliant with meds, which led to a very emotionally fraught conversation about how to ensure her health if she couldn’t/wouldn’t look after herself.
I ended up recommending a geriatric assessment, because legally I’m not permitted to diagnose, but there was a lot more going on than a leg wound.
#17
#18
#19
#20
