Medically Induced Coma

Between the surviving miner in West Virginia and Sharon it seems like every other story on the news is about somebody in a medically induced coma. This term is entering the vernacular so to say and soon I expect to have a patient say to me: "Doc, ya know I've been under a lotta stress lately an I wonder if you could put me in one-a those medic-ly induced coma thing-ys just until stuff settles down."

Well, I haven't posted for about a week now because I've been in my own kind of medically induced coma thingy. Mine doesn't involve any interesting sedative unfortunately. Mine is more of a side effect. The instant I walked in here from my Christmas vacation I felt like I needed a vacation. I realized of course that it's not a vacation I need, but a new life. All day I am completely absorbed in an avalanche of other peoples' problems. Each problem needs 100% of my top quality attention, not that kind of attention I give to one thing while I'm doing two others. The problems don't always require high-end brain power but my whole self has to be there focused and listening. Throw in a few interruptions of the "before you get started" kind. (Guess what. Once I've closed the door to the exam room, I've started.) Throw in an earnest and talented medical student who deserves feedback and a quality learning experience. (Me, again.) Throw in a patient population of frail elderly folks who would blow away in a stiff wind. Then, throw in a complete absence of physicians in this community willing to treat pain. Set all that against a back drop of extreme social injustice, obscene bureaucracy and no net under my tight rope and you've got one little old Me in my own medically induced blog coma.