Family Residency

So this is a post for those who I haven't told yet, but I've decided on Family Medicine for my profession.
There are many reasons that I've chosen it, but here is the short list
1 - I really like teaching people and helping them learn what they can do to live healthy
2 - I strongly believe that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.
3 - You can address the whole person and not have to pass them off to another specialist to deal with their problems (an Orthopedist doesn't do blood pressure, an Internal Medicine doesn't do much musculoskeletal, etc.)
4 - You can take care of a person, their mother, child, sister, grandmother, delivery babies, etc. all in the same practice
There are more, but like I said, this is the short list. I keep running into people who I haven't told about my decision, so I thought I'd better tell the 10 people who read this blog at least.

Making Good Choices

This Obesity Epidemic is getting way out of hand. I had a patient come in to the doctors office for a regular visit. She was about 5' 2" and was probably pushing close 300 lbs (that's just a little over what she should have been). I really wanted to help her because she didn't seem happy with her current health situation so I proceed to talk with her about her diet and exercise. Here is how our conversation went.

Me: Tell me a little bit about your diet and exercise?

Patient: Well, I know that I need to lose weight. I try to make good choices for what I eat, but it's really hard, ya know. I try to eat more vegetables so I went to a Chinese buffet for dinner because they have vegetables (!?!), but you need to be careful of those sauces, there are lots of calories in there.

Me: Uhhh (thinking: yeah, it's not the sauces that you need to worry about, it's the five helpings)

Patient: I had a really hard day last week and my daughters wanted to take me out to Carrabba's for dinner, but I said, 'No, I should be good.'

Me: Good for you

Patient: So we went to Golden Corral instead.

Me: Oh.

- I was dumbfounded. This lady is lugging around an extra 160 lbs (which is an entire extra person) everywhere she goes, and her "good choices" are going to a chinese buffet for vegetables and going to Golden Corral (another buffet) instead of Carrabba's Italian Restaurant!!

Me: Ummm...so...need any refills on your medications?