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LIFE STORIES

Original stories by and about people in medicine.

stethoscope on dollar bills (uninsured crisis)

A Surgical Emergency Exposes the Crisis of the Young and Uninsured

Jeffrey Swisher, M.D. - 4/18/2021 - 0

When a patient looked anxious before emergency surgery, it turned out he was worried about the hospital bill, not the surgery. He was uninsured.

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inflamed appendix (appendicitis)

Not So Intelligent Design: The Bible, Darwin and the Trouble-making Appendix

Jeffrey Swisher, M.D. - 4/11/2021 - 6

An anesthesiologist points to the useless, troublesome appendix as he explains why he favors the theory of natural selection over creationism.

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Empty rowboat on lake at sunset - physicians choices

Early Experiences with Death Informed a Physician’s Choices about Life

Jeffrey Swisher, M.D. - 3/28/2021 - 0

Early experiences with death, including the failure to revive a drowned fisherman, spurred a young man to become a doctor.

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doctors rushing pediatric airway emergency patient to OR

Pediatric Airway Emergency! An Anesthesiologist’s Life, a Father’s Nightmare

Jeffrey Swisher, M.D. - 3/20/2021 - 1

The orderly progression of cases in the OR is interrupted when an l-year-old is rushed in, mottled and limp, from a pediatric airway emergency

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childbirth classes - man with superman shadow

An Anesthesiologist Learns the ‘Facts’ about Epidurals in Childbirth Class

Jeffrey Swisher, M.D. - 3/14/2021 - 2

An anesthesiologist loses it when his childbirth class instructor provides misinformation about epidurals

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suicidal teen

Perchance to Dream: Suicidal Teen Shapes a Doctor’s Perceptions of Despair

Jeffrey Swisher, M.D. - 3/5/2021 - 2

Recollections of caring for a suicidal teen with a devastating self-inflicted gunshot wound leads a physician to reflect on his own life.

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woman mountain climbing 1920 x 1280

A Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis Didn’t Stop Me Imagining an Awesome Future

Chelsea Gelbart - 2/20/2021 - 1

Determination & continuous glucose monitoring helped Chelsea keep on climbing mountains & dreaming big long after a type 1 diabetes diagnosis

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