I just wanted to remind any of you who may still have this blog on your blog roll that I no longer post here. Any new posts can be found at: http://michele-on-the-road.blogspot.com . Cheers!
5.10.2010
6.01.2009
Old Journal Excerpts
Here's some excerpts from a journal I kept while in med school:
"Most of the things we do in medicine would earn us a ticket into society's penal system if done outside the title of "M.D." We mutilate corpses, we place our fingers in the orifices of the opposite sex, we play with poop, dip urine, stab people in linear manners and then procede to rip out their intestines. We ask our patients to bend over, roll over, cough, spit, swallow, and any other activity of kinsesis humanly possible. We probe the surface and the fundus of the soul from "Hi, how are you?" to "Are you suicidal?" Then we hang up our coats, warm up our meal, and go to our home as if our day had had no more excitement than a coffee spill on the cubicle desk."
"Today, I found Mr. E sitting in his bed, his pale yellow standard issue VA gown barely covering his otherwise naked body. His face was covered in stubble and his voice was stubbly as well, the kind of voice produced after years of smoking. His primary diagnosis was COPD/CHF exacerbation. I suspect his secondary diagnosis was hard-knocks and loneliness."
"I went to check on Mr. G, my 86yo patient after my pager beeped. The covers of the call room bed were still warm and my eyes almost refused to be roused from slumber long enough to gaze at Mr. G's O2 sats. 60% on the vent. 30 minutes later I was presenting to the attending. "Are you sure Mr. G's sats are 60%?" Though my eyes were barely open, they were open enough to notice the 60 on the monitor. "No, Mr. G's sats are 0%." I started to argue. I had read the sat correctly. Then I paused and thought. 0%. 0% equals nothing, no breath, no oxygen, no life. The attending meant that Mr. G was no more-just a zero. My mouth began to form an "O" as I thought about the unsensitive manner in which my attending had informed me of Mr.G's untimely expiration...."
"Most of the things we do in medicine would earn us a ticket into society's penal system if done outside the title of "M.D." We mutilate corpses, we place our fingers in the orifices of the opposite sex, we play with poop, dip urine, stab people in linear manners and then procede to rip out their intestines. We ask our patients to bend over, roll over, cough, spit, swallow, and any other activity of kinsesis humanly possible. We probe the surface and the fundus of the soul from "Hi, how are you?" to "Are you suicidal?" Then we hang up our coats, warm up our meal, and go to our home as if our day had had no more excitement than a coffee spill on the cubicle desk."
"Today, I found Mr. E sitting in his bed, his pale yellow standard issue VA gown barely covering his otherwise naked body. His face was covered in stubble and his voice was stubbly as well, the kind of voice produced after years of smoking. His primary diagnosis was COPD/CHF exacerbation. I suspect his secondary diagnosis was hard-knocks and loneliness."
"I went to check on Mr. G, my 86yo patient after my pager beeped. The covers of the call room bed were still warm and my eyes almost refused to be roused from slumber long enough to gaze at Mr. G's O2 sats. 60% on the vent. 30 minutes later I was presenting to the attending. "Are you sure Mr. G's sats are 60%?" Though my eyes were barely open, they were open enough to notice the 60 on the monitor. "No, Mr. G's sats are 0%." I started to argue. I had read the sat correctly. Then I paused and thought. 0%. 0% equals nothing, no breath, no oxygen, no life. The attending meant that Mr. G was no more-just a zero. My mouth began to form an "O" as I thought about the unsensitive manner in which my attending had informed me of Mr.G's untimely expiration...."
4.19.2009
Find the Light
This past weekend, sitting on the banks of Watauga Lake, I had the opportunity to reread through some old journal entries. I thought I'd share one I wrote while I was in Alaska:
The more I study missions, the less like the term "missions." We should all be on a mission every morning we awake. We should do so by not trying to be the light or by tryings to go somewhere, see someone, and "fix them." Rather, we should realize that all but the vilest of mankind have some light in them for God's goodness shines through each small act of generosity, each kind word spoken, and each moral act completed. Just as there are very few places in the world where complete darkness exists, I believe there are very few people in the world who don't demonstrate some sense of God's goodness.
It's a logical concept. He created them. Why would he not want them to shine? It is our job to let our light abrade their's so that such a small act of polishing their light, dimmed by the dull routine of the world, will cause their light to shine more brightly.
So then, our evangelism ceases to be a rote formula of select verses, possibly taken out of context and not as relevant to that person's situation, and becomes a natural effort of sharing our light with those with whom we come in contact. It's a light that emmenates through our work, our speech, our actions, our crises, and our very self.
John 1:9
Christ is the true light that gives light to man.
The more I study missions, the less like the term "missions." We should all be on a mission every morning we awake. We should do so by not trying to be the light or by tryings to go somewhere, see someone, and "fix them." Rather, we should realize that all but the vilest of mankind have some light in them for God's goodness shines through each small act of generosity, each kind word spoken, and each moral act completed. Just as there are very few places in the world where complete darkness exists, I believe there are very few people in the world who don't demonstrate some sense of God's goodness.
It's a logical concept. He created them. Why would he not want them to shine? It is our job to let our light abrade their's so that such a small act of polishing their light, dimmed by the dull routine of the world, will cause their light to shine more brightly.
So then, our evangelism ceases to be a rote formula of select verses, possibly taken out of context and not as relevant to that person's situation, and becomes a natural effort of sharing our light with those with whom we come in contact. It's a light that emmenates through our work, our speech, our actions, our crises, and our very self.
John 1:9
Christ is the true light that gives light to man.
4.11.2009
Easter Thought
An Easter thought from a doctor friend of mine:
http://achingforeden.blogspot.com/2009/04/balm.html
http://achingforeden.blogspot.com/2009/04/balm.html
4.03.2009
Almost Almost Almost
Langston Hughes once pondered what happened to a dream deferred. My dream, deferred for almost 5 years, is about to come true. On May 8, 2009, although you may never even call me by my name (which is not David Allen Coe), you can officially call me "doctor."
Sounds kinda funny:
Dr. Michele, Dr. Gourley, Dr. Michele Gourley, Michele M.D., Michele Gourley, M.D., Doctora Michele.....
Wow. The possibilities are endless. Nevermind the fact that I've sold my soul and unborn child to the loan company or that part of my job duties include waking up at 2am after going to bed at midnight or that female physicians are 3-4 times more likely to commit suicide and that doctors have one of the highest rates of divorce of any profession.
You can call me "Doctor."
Hehe.... This could be fun.
Sounds kinda funny:
Dr. Michele, Dr. Gourley, Dr. Michele Gourley, Michele M.D., Michele Gourley, M.D., Doctora Michele.....
Wow. The possibilities are endless. Nevermind the fact that I've sold my soul and unborn child to the loan company or that part of my job duties include waking up at 2am after going to bed at midnight or that female physicians are 3-4 times more likely to commit suicide and that doctors have one of the highest rates of divorce of any profession.
You can call me "Doctor."
Hehe.... This could be fun.
3.08.2009
3.02.2009
I Wonder
I've had a lot of time to think lately. I've had a lot of time to ponder and wonder.
I wonder why adults always seem to frown and children always seem to smile.
I wonder why the Bible gives a global message of joy and peace while Christians dish out finite verses of oppression and guilt.
I wonder why we destroy beautiful soil to build ugly buildings.
I wonder why one year it's bad to tuck pants into boots and the next year it's bad to wear boots under pants.
I wonder why a career spent in a concert hall is considered less than a career spent in a cubicle.
I wonder why churches take up money in the name of Jesus to buy things that I doubt Jesus would promote in His name.
I wonder why these same churches are more concerned about what's going on inside a particular building than what's going on outside in the hearts of their community.
I wonder why people assume doing a good deed is the same as doing something good.
I wonder why four years spent learning to pencil-in bubbles is considered a better qualification than four years spent acting out what the bubble represents.
I wonder why people still consider two people living under the same roof "married" when they haven't shared in a meaningful conversation in years.
I wonder why women let themselves go after marraige.
I wonder at what point in life do people throw out the qualities of idealism, creativity, and undeserved joy.
I wonder at what point in life do people embrace the qualities of fatalism, despondency, and complaint.
I wonder why people from the U.S. feel the need to define "poor" from an economic standpoint.
I wonder why Christians feel unashamed to talk about "the poor people" in a country they've never visited.
I wonder why it's considered ok to indulge in a ridiculous amount of food at one time while abstaining from a ridiculous amount of alcohol at another.
I wonder why people associate pills and prescriptions with health.
I wonder if we even know what health is...what happiness is.
I wonder why worship isn't centered around communion or our schedules around worship.
I wonder why people focus on "shoulds and shouldn'ts" and "dos and don'ts" to correct behavior instead of on the reason that drives the behavior.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
