Many of you know already that I've retired from family practice after 30 years in essentially one location. Lots of people have, of course, asked why.
The answer is, of course, quite complex. But lately it feels like the average family practice patient arrives at a 20 minute visit with a list of 6 complex problems, 8 of which require lab work, updated x-rays and orders for health-maintenance studies like colonoscopies, with 2 additional that get remembered when I have already said good-bye and have my hand on the doorknob or am halfway down the hall.
And my last night on-call, I took a call from a young mother whose 15-month-old had had 3 consecutive febrile seizures, so she was started on medication to prevent further episodes and referred to a specialist. At 3:30 AM this mother called to ask if she could stop giving the baby the new medication as it was making her hyper, and mommy wasn't getting any sleep..... Well, you can't UN-give the dose that's keeping her awake right now, can you? And I can't reach through the phone and remove your uterus through your nostrils so you don't reproduce again, can I?? Oh, wait, no, can't say that. Yup. Time to get out of family practice LOL.
So now I'm working in Pain and Wellness, which is, oddly, a wonderful change. One problem per person per visit - what a luxury! And our building has a therapy dog, and a weight loss sauna. I can do this!
So now I'm home for dinner every night, and Babygirl and I are catching up on projects here and there. Yesterday we disassembled an antique table to move it to her room, and were naming tools as we went:
Me: "Washers look like nickles with holes in the middle. The male parts are bolts, and the female parts are nuts."
Babygirl: "Seems like THAT should be the other way around....."
O. M. Goodness. That kid is funny.
DeeDee
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