I noticed recently that our pal Dr. Rob just passed 100,000 visits. He made light on this event, with, what else, a Twitter post. I then took a look at my own Sitemeter stats and saw that I'm getting close to 200,000. YAY! Doing some calculations, I think this will happen this weekend. Help me out (hehe), send your friends and neighbors over here to check out my blog. Hope you're having a great weekend!
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Show 36 Wrap-up
Thanks so much to Dr. Bruce Campbell for joining the show. (See video post above) His blog is called Reflections In A Head Mirror. We talked about how he chose his career as an ear, nose, and throat specialist. He said that he was originally going to be a primary care physician, but then changed to ENT - that's an interesting story.
We then talked about how be started blogging. His hospital asked him (and a few other docs at where he works) to start writing articles for the hospital. This then was moved forward to blogging. Bruce shares an interesting story about how did (and still does) keep a journal of his reflections on life. That's so interesting, because that's a theme that I have found - especially with physician bloggers. I did keep a journal myself for a few years, so I can relate to where he's coming from.
I would like to thank my callers to joining the show as well. Dr. Val asked about the peritonsillar abcess which sometimes can be an emergency situation which needs treated right away. Theresa, who is a new blogger at Rural Doctoring, called in and asked about the diagnosis and treatment of sinus infections. ScanMan also called in later in the show to talk about sinus x-rays. Thanks also to Kb and MediMediMary for calling in and saying hello. Also, in the chat room for the first time was Buckeye Surgeon. Thanks for everyone's support of the show.
I also talked about some news stories at the end of the show: Some Shun Wireless Internet, Warning issued over unlicensed sex drugs, Japan man stalks toll-free line to hear woman's voice. Let me know if you like news stories at the end of the show. I'm debating with myself whether to keep this part in. Don't forget to rate Show number 36 on the BlogTalkRadio site. Have a great weekend everybody!
At the Apple Store
Stopped by the Apple Store this morning. YAY!
Dr. A Show 36: Bruce Campbell
Thursday, May 29th, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time
Join us tonight for The Doctor Anonymous Show number 36 (See video post above). Our guest will be Dr. Bruce Campbell who is an ear, nose, and throat specialist. Check out yesterday's post for a sample of his blog called: Reflections In A Head Mirror.
If you do listen live, you can even take part in the chat room. It is truly "The show within the show." You can even call in and say hello. A great opportunity to interact with medbloggers you've only read about. And, you will be able to see me on the live webcam during the show! See you tonight!
For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.
*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Click to Listen" button. Then, of course, press the "Click to Listen" button.
*You can also participate in the live chat room before, during, and after the show. Look for the "Chat Available" button in the upper right hand corner of the page. If you are registered with the BTR site, your registered name and picture will appear in the chat room.
*You can also call into the show. The number is on my show site. I'll be taking calls beginning at around the bottom of the hour. There is also a "Click To Talk" feature where you do not need a phone to call into the show - only a microphone headset. Hope these tips are helpful!
Physician's Right To Choose?
Can a physician refuse to treat a patient based on religious views? This is a question that is being brought before the California Supreme Court. Oral arguments were presented on May 28th. At the center of the case is a woman who is making the claim that she was refused an intrauterine insemination with donated sperm because of her sexual orientation. (ABC)
Benitez, now 36, is a lesbian. She sued her doctors under California's civil rights laws, charging that they discriminated against her because of her sexual orientation. Today, the state Supreme Court will consider whether a doctor can invoke his faith to refuse a patient treatment.In reading articles from sources like the LA times, AP, and ABC, the press is spinning this into a gay verses religious issue. They always love doing that. Also, take a look at the LA times comment section - definitely no love lost for docs. The press also like to sprinkle in a little racism undertones to add fuel to the fire.
Benitez's lawyer, Pizer, compared their response to the civil rights era: "I don't treat black patients, but I will refer you to someone who will." "It opened our eyes to discrimination," Clark said. "We knew how black people felt and didn't realize how deep it went and how on-guard it makes you."Here's my take on this case. First of all, fertility services are an ELECTIVE procedure - meaning this is not an emergency situation. The rules are entirely different for an elective procedure. The press is playing this off as the docs refusing "the right" of treatment. And, people are asking on "how can doctors refuse treatment?" "Doctors should be required to do these services or have their license taken away." If this was a doc refusing to treat a unstable and dying patient because of religious or any other beliefs, that would be a lot different. But, this is not the case here.
Secondly, when it comes to non-emergency treatment, doctors, nurses, hospitals, dentists, chiropractors, physicians assistants, minute clinics, and anyone else in the medical field - can and have - refused treatment - pretty much on any grounds. Whether it's right or wrong in your opinion, finances are a reason. Some offices don't accept Medicare anymore. Some offices don't accept Medicaid anymore. Most offices do not accept every single insurance out there. If people don't pay their bill, then they are terminated from treatment. Is this discrimination? Some say it is. Some say it's not fair, but it happens every day in this country.
I have the ability to prescribe antibiotics for conditions which I think are appropriate. If a gay person wants antibiotics and I don't think they're appropriate, does that make me a homophobe? If a person of different race and I disagree on a particular treatment course, or if I refer this person to someone I think would be more appropriate for a treatment, does that make me a racist?
The press and the media have engrained in this culture that patients have the ability and "the right" to refuse any treatment that they like. The press and the media have engrained in this culture that patients have the ability and "the right" to sue any and all doctors if they believe they received inappropriate treatment. The press and the media have engrained in this culture that patients have the ability and "the right" to express their religious beliefs to a point where patient care may be compromised. Even soldiers in the war zone can refuse (on religious or any other grounds) to take any role that would support a combatant organization armed forces. Do docs have any rights here?
This California case is NOT about sexual orientation or religion or racism or refusal of treatment. This is about seeking different options with regard to an elective procedure. Are you telling me that physicians cannot decline to treat a non-emergency condition? That's ridiculous. Fast track this case to the US Supreme Court and let's have this settled once and for all.
The Bruce Campbell Interview
The Doctor Anonymous Show is proud to welcome Dr. Bruce Campbell to Show 36 on Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time. He is an ear, nose, and throat specialist (otolaryngologist) and author of the blog called Reflections In A Head Mirror. Here's a quote from his bio:
Bruce Campbell, MD, grew up in the Chicago area, graduating from Purdue University and Rush Medical College. He completed an otolaryngology residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin and a head and neck surgery fellowship at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He has been on the faculty at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin since 1987.Even though this resume is pretty impressive, what really impresses me is the high quality posts that this guy writes. For example, here is one of Bruce's early posts simply entitled "Testimony:"
Several days each year, I teach high school health classes about smoking. The kids, no doubt, understand that a middle-aged physician is going to tell them that smoking is bad. As I begin, they are polite but disengaged. As I run through statistics about teen tobacco use, they look around, stifle yawns, and do their math homework. Then I show them videos I made of some of my patients.I hope you're able to join us for the show, because we're going to have a great time. Following the interview with Bruce, I just be talking about stuff for the last 30 minutes of the show or so. Even feel free to call in, if you like. Check out the blog tomorrow for more details!One woman in her late 40’s had a recurrent cancer. She is lying in a hospital bed, gaunt, pale, and exhausted. She has a feeding tube in her nose. Her voice is hoarse and her movements deliberate. On the video, I ask her if she thinks her smoking had anything to do with her cancer. “Oh, definitely,” she responds. Then, spontaneously, she continues, “Every time I see someone smoking, I’d just like to tell them about me and how much I have suffered.” She takes a deep involuntary breath and begins to cry. I have watched the scene dozens of times and it still affects me.
As she wipes her eyes, the kids in the classroom are transfixed to the screen and absolutely silent. I honestly do not know if this woman, now long dead from her cancer, has had an impact on individual kids’ smoking behavior, but I like to think that her testimony has made a difference in at least a few of their lives.
Show 35 Wrap-up
Thanks so much for Amy Tenderich for being on tonight's show 35. (See video post above) I have admired her for a long time and the work that she has done on Diabetes Mine. She said that their website has just been updated, so I encourage you to check that out. We talked about her story about when and how she was diagnosed. She also mentioned a post called "Dr. Suess Fun with Diabetes Book" which apparently garnered a lot of attention.
We also talked about a new diabetes social networking site called Diabetes Connect. I've checked it out and it looks intriguing. I want to wish her the best of luck in getting Diabetes Connect up and running, and congratulate her on the continued success of Diabetes Mine. Amy said that the diabetes community on the internet has just exploded in the past few years. I know I direct my patients to some of these patient blogs to get first hand knowledge of some of these chronic diseases.
After my conversation with Amy, I tried something different to end the show. I had about half and hour of me just talking about stuff. I talked about various news stories like this one, this one, this one, and this one. I'm not sure if I like doing that, so let me know if you like that format (of me commenting on news stories).
Thanks so much for Peggikaye for calling into the show (at almost the very end of the show). With her son just graduating high school and Pk going back to college, this means that they are going to be on the same college campus. How interesting is that?
Finally, I'm on call this weekend for the Memorial Day three day weekend. Hopefully, things will not be too crazy-busy for me working. Don't forget to rate Show number 35 on the BlogTalkRadio site. Have a great weekend everybody!
Dr. A Show 35: Amy Tenderich
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time
Join us tonight for The Doctor Anonymous Show number 35. Our guest will be Amy Tenderich who is author of the blog Diabetes Mine: A Gold Mine of Straight Talk and Encouragement For People Living With Diabetes.
If you do listen live, you can even take part in the chat room. It is truly "The show within the show." You can even call in and say hello. A great opportunity to interact with medbloggers you've only read about. And, you will be able to see me on the live webcam during the show! See you tonight!
For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.
*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Click to Listen" button. Then, of course, press the "Click to Listen" button.
*You can also participate in the live chat room before, during, and after the show. Look for the "Chat Available" button in the upper right hand corner of the page. If you are registered with the BTR site, your registered name and picture will appear in the chat room.
*You can also call into the show. The number is on my show site. I'll be taking calls beginning at around the bottom of the hour. There is also a "Click To Talk" feature where you do not need a phone to call into the show - only a microphone headset. Hope these tips are helpful!
The Amy Tenderich Interview
The Doctor Anonymous Show is proud to welcome Amy Tenderich to Show 35 on Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time. She is author of the popular blog called Diabetes Mine: A Gold Mine of Straight Talk and Encouragement For People Living With Diabetes.
As I discuss in my video post below, this blog was one of the first that I started reading when I was considering starting my own blog about two years ago (how time flies when you're having fun).
Here's a little excerpt from her most recent post called "On Good Advice and Saving Mantras":
My personal best-advice-received was only a few years ago, post-diagnosis, and surprisingly, came from a woman I barely know and don't even like very much. I was at the gym, apologetically trying to fit myself in to the front a crowded aerobics class, when this rather unfriendly Super-Aerobics-Babe sort smirked at me openly and said, "Be bold."Following Amy's interview, I'm going to be starting a new segment of the show - which will be the last 30 minutes of this week's show. I really learned something from last week's debacle of a show (it wasn't that bad, just a little embarrassing to me). And, I'll talk about it at the end of Show 35. So, you'll just have to find out what it is....At the time I was simply annoyed and a little confused by her words. But since, I've decided that's about the smartest thing anyone ever said to me. No more apologies for being who I am. Having this stupid disease, I'm lucky to be alive. Lucky to be healthy enough to jump around in an aerobics class at all. Lucky to have been able to reach out to so many people via this blog and discover a whole community of like-minded souls.
Twitter Come Back
Saw this link out there on the Twitter a few minutes ago (Thanks Kevin Rose). I think it's pretty self explanatory (You can also check it out here and here). Don't know what Twitter is? Well, why not? Just click here and you'll learn more information.