Meet my patient Mrs. L. R. She’s 98 years young and has never suffered a day of serious illness in her long life. She was referred to me by her primary care physician to assess her heart condition because she had developed swelling in her legs, known as edema. When we first met in the … Read more
There is still no cure for Parkinson’s disease, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new deep brain stimulator that could benefit patients with the motor condition. On Feb 24, the FDA approved Medtronic’s BrainSense Adaptive deep brain stimulation, a device that surgeons implant in patients’ chests with electrodes connecting to the … Read more
Within the walls of a hospital, privacy is sacred—the intimate details of someone’s body and illness are meant to be as carefully guarded, as quietly delivered, as a sacramental confession. But days into my first year as a doctor, I delivered my first diagnosis of cancer in front of two armed correctional officers, to a … Read more
