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The Hardest Part of Medicine Isn’t Making the Diagnosis
Last week I wrote that one of the most healing words in the English language may be “no.” I believed it when I wrote it.
After today, I believe it even more.
Today was one of the hardest days I’ve experienced in medicine in a long time.
I drove home with a heaviness that is difficult to describe. Not because a child died. Not because I faced an impossible diagnosis. Not because science failed me. Not because of the many reasons medicine offers for struggle.
I drove home grieving.
Grieving for children who have no idea what is quietly happening inside their own bodies.
Grieving for my own pain at being unable to convince certain parents to see this problem.
Grieving because I can already see a future they cannot.
Today marked the one-year follow-up for many of the children enrolled in our asthma pilot program. We built this program around hope. We invested time that most medical practices simply don’t have. We spent hours educating families. We provided healthy food. We offered gift cards to encourage participation. We discussed sleep, movement, nutrition, inflammation, insulin resistance, and the remarkable ability of the human body to heal when given the right environment….. and a literature review.
Enjoy,
Dr. M