an honest answer

i asked my COPD patient how his breathing was, and he answered, 'expensive.'

may i one day find happiness in a can of paint

today i saw a very happy nonagenarian -- so much so that i was wishing i had a camera to capture the vibrant image before me.   her shock of unkempt white hair floated around her face.  her eyes were vividly blue,  and her skin was deeply tanned and wrinkled. turns out she has been painting the foundation of her son's house.  'i just love to be busy!' she told me through the kind of smile that even in your darkest mood you would immediately respond to with a smile of your own.

(later her son told me that he switches out the paint color slightly and she's already been around the house twice but, hey, whatever works...)

probably not

does running from my office to the front desk to hand something to my patient that i forgot count as exercise?  i probably do that 100 5 times a day.

a great patient quote on the joys of aging

my patient offered me the perfect analogy for aging the other day.  she said, ' you know how you don't know your baby can roll over until your baby rolls over? well when your old you don't know you can't get up off the floor until you can't get up off the floor.'

can't wait to get old -- so many adventures to look forward to!

senior parkour

as i was removing the sutures from my elderly patient's forehead, she informed me that she had been showing her friends how to fly when she fell off the curb.

good times

you probably need a more exciting life if coming to the doctor is how you get away from your kids.

wrong on several levels or file under 'not loving this old person'

here is the exchange i had with a patient of mine who may be lacking an edit button:

     pt:  have you lost weight?

     me:  yes, just a few pounds.

     pt:  i can see it in your face.

     me:  yes, if i lose a few pounds that seems to be the first place it shows up.

     pt:  well, better that than your breasts.

     me (squelching the idea of one, covering my chest, or two, whacking him on the head):  !


first of all, please don't mention my breasts to me.  i am your doctor.  second of all, in contrast to that decidedly male point of view you are proffering, a certain some of us women would be glad to lose a few pounds in our chests.

at least i have an edit button.