NEW AT THIS.

So, I'm not really sure what to do with a "blog". I just found out what one of these was last month when I found out a friend of mine has an award winning blog!!! 

I just wanted a place to document all the craziness my fellow residents and I see in this torn healthcare system, in the richest nation in the world. Time and time again, I'm reminded that Doctors treat, while the Lord, heals.  Basically, anyone in medicine knows that there's only so much that medicine can do. But, lots of time it's not medicine, but someone's social situation, poor education or piss-poor luck, that gets the majority of the influence on one's situation and medicine never really gets a chance to do it's job.  

So these are the patients and their stories that I don't want to forget.  (Disclaimer: The initials and ages of the below patients have been changed to protect HIPPA!) 

1. AA- 18 yo G1P0 @ 19.0 wga, called an AMBULANCE because she had foot pain. HPI: Plantar foot pain after kicking a door in anger the night before. 

2. Fifteen. The number of patients I saw last month who called AMBULANCES for the flu. 

3. Thirty-six. The number of hours the poor Trauma resident had worked before performing the FAST for one of the six kids who had been ejected from a car driven by their drunk uncle. 

4. 2006 or 2007. The 'year' of his child's birth, according to the dad, of one of the kids above because he couldn't remember his birthdate b/c he wasn't present for the birth b/c he was in America working, while sending money back to his family. 

5. AB- The 39 YOM with a blood pressure of 180/124 who wanted me to sign a paper saying his BP was ok so that he could go to work as a truckdriver the next day. 

6. Rock and a hard place. Where AB put me when giving me the story of how if he lost his job because of his blood pressure, he couldn't feed his kids. 

7. AC- 43 YOM with infero-medial patellar pain after having a surgery (in another country to save money) that removed part of his meniscus. All he wants is to get better so he can work again. He lost his insurance because he lost his job because he can't work because of the pain. He can't pay for the leg brace and work around the pain because he has no job and therefore no money. 

8. Four of eight. Number of patients in a recent half-day of clinic that came to see me b/c they had to transfer doctors because their previous free clinic kicked you out if get a job or a house.

9. Zero. Number of the above patients who came with their old records or knew their medical problems or medicines. 

10.