Thoughts on Medicine

I was thinking today about the unpredictability in medicine. How humbling it truly is. Perhaps, we are reminded more frequently than we'd like about being humbled, awe-stricken by medicine: Not only by our own limitations as medical professionals but by the sometimes serendipitous events that happen.

For a minute, it made me reminisce about the days of having to write a sentence repeatedly in class ( I will not talk in class or I will do my homework) as a sort of reminder to avoid certain behaviors. Although a long stretch, I see a bit of similarity here. How about repeating "Medicine is humbling" 100 times or more as a reminder that we as medical professionals don't know all.

Okay, this is somewhat circuitous to get to my point.

A few months ago, while seeing a newborn patient. I had to draw a blood sample. Well, having done venipunctures for several years , I felt confident. My confidence was a bit shaken though when I searched the patient's arms and hands and couldn't find an optimal vein to draw the blood. Of course, it didn't help that both parents were doctors. Their eyes watched mine, then stared at my hands tying the tourniquet as  I searched for a decent vein. One stick is usually what the provider and parents hope for. Well, the first stick was unsuccessful. The best vein laid buried deep, right next to a tendon. Plus, leaving the tourniquet on for too long could temporarily turn the newborn's  arm/hand blue, cutting off circulation.

The second stick was  a slow productive one: the blood eked out very, very slowly. Fortunately, it didn't clot. Whew! Even after all these years, I am reminded daily that no matter how many years of medical experience I may have, a simple blood draw can be daunting. And perhaps, the word simple here is misplaced.

And this is one of the reasons why I love medicine. Humbling it is! There's always an opportunity to remember, no one is perfect!

Write a comment

Comments: 9
  • #1

    Loriann Montague (Saturday, 04 February 2017 00:53)


    I'm truly enjoying the design and layout of your blog. It's a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a designer to create your theme? Exceptional work!

  • #2

    Yuki Heins (Saturday, 04 February 2017 02:54)


    It's difficult to find well-informed people for this subject, however, you seem like you know what you're talking about! Thanks

  • #3

    Coy Kovacich (Saturday, 04 February 2017)


    If you would like to get a great deal from this post then you have to apply such techniques to your won website.

  • #4

    Brianna Gibby (Sunday, 05 February 2017 16:17)


    Do you have a spam problem on this website; I also am a blogger, and I was curious about your situation; we have created some nice procedures and we are looking to swap techniques with other folks, why not shoot me an email if interested.

  • #5

    Iona Cavalier (Monday, 06 February 2017 03:01)


    Great items from you, man. I've consider your stuff previous to and you're just extremely great. I really like what you have acquired here, certainly like what you're stating and the way in which through which you assert it. You make it enjoyable and you still care for to keep it smart. I can not wait to learn far more from you. That is actually a wonderful web site.

  • #6

    Willette Lemaster (Monday, 06 February 2017 23:04)


    Howdy this is somewhat of off topic but I was wanting to know if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I'm starting a blog soon but have no coding know-how so I wanted to get advice from someone with experience. Any help would be enormously appreciated!

  • #7

    Alesha Shah (Wednesday, 08 February 2017 22:32)


    Hi there! This blog post could not be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He constantly kept talking about this. I'll send this information to him. Pretty sure he will have a great read. Many thanks for sharing!

  • #8

    Berneice Vantrease (Wednesday, 08 February 2017 23:33)


    Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to more added agreeable from you! However, how can we communicate?

  • #9

    Rachel Wynkoop (Thursday, 09 February 2017 19:24)


    Have you ever thought about writing an e-book or guest authoring on other blogs? I have a blog based on the same subjects you discuss and would really like to have you share some stories/information. I know my audience would enjoy your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to send me an email.