When I began practicing surgery, medicine taught me to look outward for the answers: examine the patient, identify the disease, order the appropriate tests, and then use surgery, medication, or another treatment to correct what had gone wrong. I remain … Read More
Years ago, I cared for a man whose medical problems were complicated but whose greatest suffering wasn’t visible on an X-ray or laboratory report. His wife had died, his children lived far away, and after retirement many of the friendships … Read More
Hello, lovely you! Every once in a while, a question finds us at exactly the right time. It lingers in the background while we’re driving to work, washing dishes, or lying awake at night. We try to answer it quickly, … Read More
When I was a young surgeon, I thought I understood healing because I understood curing: find the disease, remove it when possible, repair what could be repaired, and send the patient home to recover. Then my patients began teaching me … Read More
For much of my early medical training, we tended to think about genes almost as though they were instructions carved in stone. You inherited certain genes from your parents, and those genes helped determine the hand you were dealt. Genetics … Read More
Hello, lovely you! A few weeks ago, I was talking with a friend who had been wrestling with a decision for months. We walked through every angle of it together, and as I listened, I noticed something I don’t think … Read More
Hello, lovely you! I’ve often said that a cancer diagnosis is a wake-up call of the highest order. Because when something interrupts life that dramatically, it has a way of stripping away all the distractions we’ve been hiding behind. The … Read More
Hello, lovely you! Welcome to our new series about conversations you avoid having with yourself!! Every once in a while, a question finds us at exactly the right time. It lingers in the background while we’re driving to work, washing … Read More
Many years ago, I cared for a woman who had undergone successful surgery. By every medical measure, her recovery was progressing exactly as we had hoped. Yet each morning she seemed tense and exhausted, and every small setback convinced her … Read More
One of the greatest misconceptions about gratitude is that it asks us to ignore our suffering. My patients taught me exactly the opposite. I remember visiting a woman recovering from major surgery who had every reason to complain. She was … Read More