Hello from the Carmel library on 8 July!
Trust everyone is well. Life is ok w/ me, and I am quite starting the countdown to heading home. Work is good, and the patients are very grateful for good care. The pain is that there has been an awful lot of lip service towards helping "my cause," and no real action, and I'd much prefer it if people did not commit at all and said so right at the start. Need places to speak, no problem; need your airfare reimbursed as promised, no worries; need a very expensive rental car reimbursed as promised, oh sure; need to find resources to help pay off your student loans, yes we can do that; need a 501(c)3 set up, piece of cake. It's much easier for me when one adopts Dr. Love's approach: I know what you're doing and appreciate it, here's what I can do for you - send you journals. Very direct, very clear, no false promises. Let me reiterate that I certainly don't expect people to fall in love w/ what I'm doing and bend over backwards to accommodate me, but I certainly don't want a bunch of bull, either.
The Banyan is doing wonderfully. I was sharing photos of the B w/ my sister-in-law, Diane, and cousin-in-law, Deb, and each success story was so magnificent that I felt a renewed eagerness to return to this fun place. The patients are women who have shown steely resolve in overcoming mental illness, related stigma, ignorant or resource-less family members, poverty, and have now established a life for themselves. If there is any way I can help them stay physically healthy on their road to establishing a life for themselves, and sometimes their children, my land, it certainly is my privilege to do so. On the other side w/ my street medicine practice, if I can help the totally impoverished attain a semblance of good health, it is again my honor.
So said, work at the clinic is fine. I had a 40 yo patient come in to see me, wanting something for her nerves. She had been prescribed a hefty dose of Klonopin, a sedative, much earlier, and she wept as though her heart would break when she described her life. Though I detest prescribing Klonopin and Xanax, preferring newer and better drugs combined w/ regular visits to the psychiatrist, I prescribed a small dose and strongly urged Ms. B to set up an appt at the Mental Health clinic we regularly use. She was back the following day, saying the reduced dose of Klonopin was not working, and requesting Xanax plus Vicodin for her back pain. That's another drug I detest for its addiction and manipulation potential. She then stated, somewhat threateningly, that she might harm the grandson she babysat and herself, and I had had enough; I explained (in what I hope was a rational tone, not manifesting 1/100 of the ire I felt) that we were in the business of helping her, that the clinic had waived fees and reduced the medication charges, that we gave her a follow-up appointment w/ very short notice and that she really ought to cooperate by also setting up an appt w/ the psychiatrist. The social worker asked if she could talk to Ms. B's daughter and was met w/ a vehement "NO!" I imagine we'd learn volumes from the daughter.
And then there was the 41 yo lady raising her grandson, who came in for a physical for her job as a janitor. We went over aspects of her routine care, and I emphasised how inexpensive our clinic was, and suggested she come in regularly for her health care. She mentioned that she wanted to return to school to be a nurse, and I enthusiastically applauded this plan, mentioning that I was 33 when I returned to med school and if I could do it, anyone could - esp in this country, where everyone has a chance at success w/ hard work!! We had a most lovely visit, w/ my admiring her magnanimity in raising a grandchild and clearly expressing it, and she said she'd be back for a follow-up visit.
I was w/ my in-laws yesterday, catching up w/ Scott's cousin Jeff and his kids, who were in from Philly. Quite a few family members gathered, there was much talking and laughing and eating, and I enjoyed the time there, as always. I also got to go to a carnival on 4th of July, listened to a hard rock band named Zero Sum and enjoyed it immensely. I watched Wimbledon in uninterrupted bliss, enjoying Venus's win and hoping Rafa would pull it off (I like underdogs). I also saw a bit of "Live Earth" and read lovely emails from home, including very affectionate and concerned missives from Scott. My good fortune in the 3 Weiss men cannot be quantified - they are the people I want to grow old with (my sons would say "older" :) ).
Let me wind up. Hope your week is good.
Unw -
R
Trust everyone is well. Life is ok w/ me, and I am quite starting the countdown to heading home. Work is good, and the patients are very grateful for good care. The pain is that there has been an awful lot of lip service towards helping "my cause," and no real action, and I'd much prefer it if people did not commit at all and said so right at the start. Need places to speak, no problem; need your airfare reimbursed as promised, no worries; need a very expensive rental car reimbursed as promised, oh sure; need to find resources to help pay off your student loans, yes we can do that; need a 501(c)3 set up, piece of cake. It's much easier for me when one adopts Dr. Love's approach: I know what you're doing and appreciate it, here's what I can do for you - send you journals. Very direct, very clear, no false promises. Let me reiterate that I certainly don't expect people to fall in love w/ what I'm doing and bend over backwards to accommodate me, but I certainly don't want a bunch of bull, either.
The Banyan is doing wonderfully. I was sharing photos of the B w/ my sister-in-law, Diane, and cousin-in-law, Deb, and each success story was so magnificent that I felt a renewed eagerness to return to this fun place. The patients are women who have shown steely resolve in overcoming mental illness, related stigma, ignorant or resource-less family members, poverty, and have now established a life for themselves. If there is any way I can help them stay physically healthy on their road to establishing a life for themselves, and sometimes their children, my land, it certainly is my privilege to do so. On the other side w/ my street medicine practice, if I can help the totally impoverished attain a semblance of good health, it is again my honor.
So said, work at the clinic is fine. I had a 40 yo patient come in to see me, wanting something for her nerves. She had been prescribed a hefty dose of Klonopin, a sedative, much earlier, and she wept as though her heart would break when she described her life. Though I detest prescribing Klonopin and Xanax, preferring newer and better drugs combined w/ regular visits to the psychiatrist, I prescribed a small dose and strongly urged Ms. B to set up an appt at the Mental Health clinic we regularly use. She was back the following day, saying the reduced dose of Klonopin was not working, and requesting Xanax plus Vicodin for her back pain. That's another drug I detest for its addiction and manipulation potential. She then stated, somewhat threateningly, that she might harm the grandson she babysat and herself, and I had had enough; I explained (in what I hope was a rational tone, not manifesting 1/100 of the ire I felt) that we were in the business of helping her, that the clinic had waived fees and reduced the medication charges, that we gave her a follow-up appointment w/ very short notice and that she really ought to cooperate by also setting up an appt w/ the psychiatrist. The social worker asked if she could talk to Ms. B's daughter and was met w/ a vehement "NO!" I imagine we'd learn volumes from the daughter.
And then there was the 41 yo lady raising her grandson, who came in for a physical for her job as a janitor. We went over aspects of her routine care, and I emphasised how inexpensive our clinic was, and suggested she come in regularly for her health care. She mentioned that she wanted to return to school to be a nurse, and I enthusiastically applauded this plan, mentioning that I was 33 when I returned to med school and if I could do it, anyone could - esp in this country, where everyone has a chance at success w/ hard work!! We had a most lovely visit, w/ my admiring her magnanimity in raising a grandchild and clearly expressing it, and she said she'd be back for a follow-up visit.
I was w/ my in-laws yesterday, catching up w/ Scott's cousin Jeff and his kids, who were in from Philly. Quite a few family members gathered, there was much talking and laughing and eating, and I enjoyed the time there, as always. I also got to go to a carnival on 4th of July, listened to a hard rock band named Zero Sum and enjoyed it immensely. I watched Wimbledon in uninterrupted bliss, enjoying Venus's win and hoping Rafa would pull it off (I like underdogs). I also saw a bit of "Live Earth" and read lovely emails from home, including very affectionate and concerned missives from Scott. My good fortune in the 3 Weiss men cannot be quantified - they are the people I want to grow old with (my sons would say "older" :) ).
Let me wind up. Hope your week is good.
Unw -
R
posted by Renu Weiss at
11:25 AM
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