look for the helpers

Like many Americans, especially those of us who have friends and relatives living in Florida, I have been following the course of Hurricane Irma for the past several days—listening to the data that predict the path of the storm, the projected rainfall amounts, barometric pressure, wind velocity, and expected storm surges. I have been watching the preparations for the storm, the course of evacuations, and the availability of storm shelters.

www.usatoday.com

 



But this is not what interests me the most.

Having this data is like knowing a patient’s vital signs—his pulse, respiratory rate, blood pressure and temperature. It tells us how he is doing, but not how he feels.

More than data from the weather watchers, more than updates on the recovery effort, I’m interested in the human narratives behind Irma.

We were horrified by the images of the nursing home patients in their wheelchairs with flood water up to their waists while they waited to be rescued.

www.fox13now.com



We can only wonder what it must be like for people who lost everything. And had no flood insurance. And now, no job to go back to.

“And so rock bottom became

the solid foundation

on which I rebuilt my life.”

~JK Rowling~

 

What if you were in a shelter at the height of the storm and you started to experience chest pain, or unrelenting RLQ pain indicative of acute appendicitis, or symptoms of a UTI? Where would you turn for help? How did the doctors and nurses manage without electricity, without water, without sleep? How many lives did they save? How many did they lose?

 

 

Like the trees that were uprooted and the homes that were destroyed, the injured and terrified children, and lost pets, unspeakable suffering and deep grief are all remnants of Hurricane Irma.

 

The stories that emerge in the aftermath of the storm will be as powerful as the storm itself. They will fill volumes if people can find the words to tell them.

 

“Dance on broken glass,

build castles with shattered dreams,

and wear your tears like precious pearls.

Proud.

Strong.

Unshakable.”

~Anita Krizzan~

 

 

If it were possible to bring strength, comfort, solace and healing to everyone affected by this storm...and (while we're on the topic) Hurricane Harvey...and the wild fires out West, and the floods, famines, and injustices that devastate Mother Earth, we would all embrace the power of hope, compassion, and inspiration.

jan



the time is now



 

Warning! Op-ed:

When I closed my practice after thirty years in Family Medicine I told my patients and colleagues I was retiring…when I meant I was quitting.

“Quitting is leading, too.”

~Nelson Mandela~

I didn’t put it quite that way, of course. It wasn’t as though I simply got fed up with things, turned in my stethoscope and tongue blades, and slammed the door on my way out of the office. I wasn’t impulsive about it at all. I agonized over my decision for years until I knew the time was right.

“The moment you feel like

you have to prove your worth to someone

is the moment to

absolutely and utterly

walk away.”

~Alyala Harris~

It had nothing whatsoever to do with my patients. Caring for them has always been my passion. Nor was I defeated by the perpetually long hours that became interminable as I grew older. Nor was I discouraged by the fact that I’d been running behind schedule all day, every day for three decades with no chance I’d ever catch up.

No. What finally did me in was the erosion of my authority as a physician by self-proclaimed intermediaries who had neither knowledge of nor concern for my patients’ wellbeing. When I started out in medicine the problem was oppressive paperwork; now-a-days it’s an oppositional defiant electronic medical record system. A baffling coding and reimbursement system. The ever-present threat of litigation. A pharmaceutical industry that invests as heavily in marketing as it does in research. A health insurance industry whose number one priority is corporate profit…not compassionate care. Aggravations that follow physicians through life like a swarm of angry bees.

“Be the change you wish to see

in the world.”

~Mahatma Gandhi~

Isn’t it about time we restored autonomy and authority to physicians and health care providers...the men and women who have dedicated their lives to delivering compassionate and capable health care to their patients? Isn't it time to put patient care first, again? 

What do you think? Is this the time?

“The time is now.

The person is you.”

~Nido R. Qubein~

jan