“I had to do some finagling to get the approval to see you,” Dr. Wilkinson said. “But I managed. I had your nurse draw blood and I ordered some blood tests. Your blood tests revealed some striking results. The reason you are so tired is because you lost over half of the blood in your body. It’s a miracle you didn’t die. And the reason you probably didn’t die is because you lost the blood very, very slowly. For your extensive blood loss, I can give you a blood transfusion, and you’ll feel better almost instantly. Or I can have you take iron pills. But with iron pills it take a few months for you iron level to get back to normal, and for you to feel better. So which would you prefer?” “I don’t want a transfusion. I’ll take the iron pills.” I said without thought. “Alright, but you do understand that you will feel extremely tired for a few months? Dr. Wilkinson recapped. “I understand. I want the pills.” I said and reaffirmed my thoughtless decision to Dr. Wilkinson.
***
When the Three Amigos, Plus One came into my room the next time, Dr. King, as usual, spoke for the pack. “I hear you went behind our backs and saw your Primary Care doctor.” “I didn’t go behind anyone’s back. Yes, Dr. Wilkerson came to see. She told me I almost died. Why didn’t you all tell me that?” Begging for the breath and for the energy to say it, I said that to the Three Amigos, Plus One. “Ms. Peacock,” Plus One spoke and I read found the energy to read her name tag: Dr. Beatty.
I stared at her chart for a good 10 minutes before it hit me. “I’ll, um, come back later,” I said as I walked out before Mrs. Gallagher could say anything. I ran to find the head of neurosurgery, Dr. Brown. After about 30 minutes of looking I decided to just wait until I saw him. I worked on other stuff
They spoke a doctrine of community, education, and above all that our inability to love our fellow man, even in the most trying of times, is what held the world back. Which the doctor would have put to the test time and time again, as in for fight for equality he was harassed, beaten, and imprisoned. Recalling a time he was on his knees nearly beaten to death by local police officers after helping orchestrate a peaceful protest with local students he said, "I told them -- and I meant it -- if somebody still had to suffer, I was willing. And if somebody had to die, I was
Of course transfusion was associated with haemoglobin criteria on admission (p=0.001), and the quantity of packed red cells given was also associated with haemoglobin grouping on admission (p70 g/L that received blood transfusions for upper GI bleeding, suggesting that some physicians are initiating blood transfusions with a more liberal strategy in some circumstances. Given the recent evidence finding that blood transfusions can contribute to increased morbidity and mortality in patients, there are grounds for this audit to be expanded and continued to determine the results of a fuller and in-depth cohort to understand the reasons behind liberal strategies for initiating blood
During the first week of Health Promotion and Caring, we learned about many aspects that are associated with blood transfusions. Blood products, blood typing and compatibility, pre and post transfusion protocol, bedside checks, and transfusion reactions were some
Bloodletting, known as phlebotomy in the medical world, imitates to some degree the violent blood loss of the European Vikings. As explained earlier, the loss of nutrition through bloodloss was balanced out by the mutation, hemochromatosis. Now, hemochromatic people do the opposite and balance high iron levels with bloodletting. The process of bloodletting can be done several ways, obviously much more differently and safer than in the past. The author of Survival of the Sickest, Dr. Sharon Maulem, chooses to donate blood on the regular to balance his iron levels, similar to his grandfather who was also
lost a lot of blood.” “Oh my gosh, she’s that bad?” ask Pam. “Yes, I’m afraid to tell you that she was sexually assaulted multiple times and badly beaten, looking at her wounds, she’s been out in the woods for days because she’s very dehydrated, whoever did this probably thought she was dead, but when she was brought in to us she still had a pulse.” “So, is she going to make it?” “At this time like I said, she’s very critical, we’re doing everything we can to save her, but we have to just pray.” “I can’t believe this, who would do this.” “Well Maam, if you have any concerns or if you need to ask me any questions ask the nurse to page me.” “Thank you Doctor.” “You’re quite welcome.” The Doctor got up and walked away. After the Doctor walked
"Birth control," she replied, meeting his gaze in the mirror. "Don't worry. I read your file, and I know you don't want kids."
“I don’t think I want to take my pills anymore…” The little boy looked away from the man, at the table across the room. The table that was so full of different types of medications and painkillers that it
“Either take the pill willingly or live a life of pure pain. You’re not afraid of eternal life, are you?” He asked tauntingly.
The druggist looked down at her. She looked back at him, erect, her face like a strained flag. `Why, of course', the druggist said. `If that's what you want. But the law requires you to tell what you are going to use it for'.
Dr Rogers: “Mm hm. And I guess I'd like to say, "No, I don't want to let you just 'stew' in your feelings," but on the other hand, I--I also feel that, this is the kind of, very private thing that I couldn't possibly answer for you. But I sure as anything will try to help you work toward your own answer. I don’t know if that makes any sense to you but I mean it.”
Weeks, gave me a glimpse into the day-to-day life of a general practitioner. In the days spent with Dr. Weeks, he treated a diverse group of patients from many backgrounds. Some were in for scheduled follow-ups; others came in to have stitches removed, skin biopsies, cortisone injections for arthritic joints, and hormonal therapy. He greeted each patient with a warm hello and a confident smile as he inquired the reason for their visit. During the examinations, I felt the connection and personal investment he had with each patient. They discussed treatments and reviewed medications, and talked about their families and events in their lives. His concern extended to treating the whole person, not just their symptoms. His patients knew he genuinely cared about them, and trusted he would do all he could to alleviate their suffering or
Iron pills are often needed for anemia that's caused by a deficiency in that mineral. Ferrous iron is more easily absorbed than ferric iron. It's best taken with food, especially orange juice and other foods rich in vitamin C. But don't mix your iron pill with calcium, coffee, or tea, which can block absorption. And never take iron without a doctor's order or let children near the pills. An iron overdose can be dangerous. Some people may need folic acid or vitamin B12 supplements, too
You breathe a deep breath of relief. "Oh that's great, if there's no side effects. I'll just continue using them. Thank you for taking your time to answer my question madam. I gotta go, you take care." You wave your hand goodbye, as you walk away from the old
Patient XX is a 50-year-old female admitted to the acute care unit for a GI bleed and is being treated for alcohol withdrawal as well. Her vital signs are; Blood pressure of 117/62 taken in a lying position on the left arm with an automatic cuff, a temperature of 97.2 degrees Fahrenheit taken in the left ear with the tympanic thermometer, a pulse of 68 taken radially on the right arm while in the lying position, a respiration rate of 16 while the patient was lying down, and an oxygen saturation of 99% taken on the right index finger. She states that she feels much better today and she was happy she can finally eat normal food without it hurting her stomach.