Bringin' Out tha Turkey Sandwiches

Emergency Medicine physician trying to navigate the insanity that is modern day medicine. Always open to any questions that anyone might have regarding medical school, working as a scribe, applying to residency, etc.

[drdessertfox]

Life Updates

So, Missouri passed a law that HOAs can not ban chickens so naturally that meant I went and got chickens.

This one is Aelin. I think she fantasizes about murder based on her expressions.

I switched to working full time at my rural site because the urban site was causing me constant stress due to staffing issues, patient volume, and acuity. Safe to say I’m much happier now.

My second child is now crawling which is fun but terrifying because I’m constantly having to pick up choking hazards that my toddler has tossed on the ground.

Sometimes I go back through some of my older posts and I can’t believe I had the energy to post some of the guides I wrote out. It’s sad to see tumblr sadly die but hey, it’s still here for now!

[drdessertfox]

Cristopsomos (Greek celebration bread) because what else am I going to do on my days off?

[drdessertfox]

Tonight, in an endeavor to get through some classics, I’m finally watching The Breakfast Club. Any other “classics” from the 1940’s-1990’s anyone would recommend to watch?

[drdessertfox]

BRB quitting medicine to open a bakery byeeeee

[drdessertfox]

It’s been really interesting to see the turn medicine has made with the public over the past several years. I would never advocate that you should trust any physician blindly, but it’s quite amazing that those with GED level education are trying to convince others glucola is evil, the vitamin K shot is unnecessary, and that doctors order certain medicines and tests because “big pharma” pays them to do so.

I want to be very clear- as an EM physician I am paid hourly, much like all other EM physicians. I do have an RVU component meaning I make more money if I am more efficient but that is only a minimal component of my pay. I want to have conversations with my patients and help address your emergencies, but it’s incredibly difficult when I’m met with antagonistic attitudes from the start that stem from misinformation and fear mongering of online crunchy mom influencers.

[drdessertfox]

I made sourdough star bread!

[drdessertfox]

Today I made: Christmas wreath macarons

[drdessertfox]

After many tries I have finally figured out how to make perfect sour dough. Thanks to my starters Bread Zeppelin and Edgar Allen Dough who sacrificed themselves to several mediocre loaves before this moment.

[drdessertfox]

Recent adventures in baking

[drdessertfox]

I’ve seen a lot of Instagram reels as well as other posts (Twitter, tumblr, etc.) where people complain that a doctor got a pregnancy test on them even though they told the physician there is no way they could be pregnant.

Let me tell you why this happens- it’s not because we don’t trust you but it’s because we need to verify.

I recently took care of a teenager who told me she had never had sex and last period was 2 weeks ago. She came in with abdominal pain. It turns out she was in active labor with a full term baby. This was a sign out, by the way, so imagine my surprise when I check on her, do my own exam, and find a huge effing baby on bedside U/S with her 9 cm dilated.

It’s not that we think that you are lying. It’s just that some people do unfortunately lie (or stretch the truth) and the last thing we need to do is miss a pregnancy when it’s clinically relevant.

As Dr. House always said:

[wayfaringmd]

I find it very strange that Americans do pelvic exams so frequently (I've read yearly!?). In the UK, cervical screening takes place from the age of 25 (every 3 years) but otherwise pelvic exams would only take in reaction to reported symptoms, not as part of a normal health check. We have much higher rates of HPV vaccination than the US but this isn't a recent reduction. Do you know why the US has a different approach?

Paps used to be annual, but they’re every 3-5 years now based on age. The current recommendation for pelvic exams is to do them based on symptoms as well. That being said, a lot of US OBGYNs still do annual pelvic exams, if not annual paps because they get paid for them.

[drdessertfox]

The ACOG recommendations on this changed years ago. It pains me that some OBs are practicing so outdated. I’m also not certain they are actually getting reimbursed. Typically, if a patient is not up for a screening exam, insurance will not pay.

[drdessertfox]

Thank you for helping us patients. We don't always think to tell you thank you because we are too wrapped up in our own owes, so let me just tell you, on behalf of ALL your patients, THANK YOU FOR HELPING US.

Well thanks anon! I like being a help. You would not believe how happy it makes your physician to just hear a “thank you.” I know it always makes me smile :)

[drdessertfox]

I get it, y’all, constipation is uncomfortable. But can you just, idk, at least try ONE of the several over the counter options before coming to the emergency department!? Is that too much to ask? Bueller?

[drdessertfox]

This is your friendly reminder that the “E” in ER stands for “emergency” and not “expedited” 😊

[drdessertfox]

This is a PSA-

Just because one of your lab values is outside of a normal range does not actually indicate something is wrong. Nearly every human on the planet, including healthy ones, will have a couple of labs outside of “normal” limits. Just because your physician didn’t explain to you why your creatinine was low doesn’t mean they missed something.

[drdessertfox]

PSA: please do not go to the emergency department requesting an MRI for your joint sprain or strain. MRI is reserved for emergency conditions such as stroke, spinal cord impingement, etc. You will not receive an MRI in the ED to see if you tore your ACL. It is an outpatient imaging test.

Thank you and have a nice day

[drdessertfox]

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but I can 100% guarantee you that your doctor does not want to see a photo of your bloody shit floating in a toilet. I believe you. Please do not show me a photo. I don’t want a photo. Let me check for hemorrhoids and go on from there.

[cranquis]

man your patients just bring in PICTURES of poop?

i've lost count of how many (+)Tupperware Signs I've encountered.

[drdessertfox]

Thank goodness no Tupperware, but I did have a patient go take a dump in the bathroom then used the call light to have a nurse come look at it haha