The Rock Wall

You can learn a lot about medicine from doctor shows. And in my case, I always preface my diagnosis with “I’m practicing without a license.”
Y’all know that Kenny has spent a lot of time in the hospital and he just finished a three week Medical “incarceration” – First week at CCMH, second week at Freeman in Joplin and third week back at CCMH. Those CCMH people must be something. When he was told he could go home he said “I like it here.” That probably doesn’t include the 4 a.m. visit by a nurse who asked him his last name. He said, “It would take too long.” “Is that a joke?,” she asked. He didn’t reply
Sunday a week ago, while we were waiting for Dr. Wyant to officially send us home, Kenny told me that a nurse had told him that his last x-ray indicated that he had double pneumonia. How strange I thought, they’re going to let me take a guy home with double pneumonia? (See, I have learned something.)
That was the first question we asked Dr. Wyant when he walked in the room. He calmly explained that nurses don’t read x-rays, Doctors read x-rays. What was thought to be pneumonia was scar tissue from earlier bouts with pneumonia.
I’m really encouraged by the new management team at the hospital especially with the discussion on Monday, April 11, about improving the Specialty Clinic. The Specialty Clinic is, well, teeny tiny. If you walk in, it is small, if you take someone to the clinic in wheelchair you find that you take up half the waiting area and almost half of an exam room. Luckily, none of the Specialty Clinic doctors are claustrophobic. I could probably diagnose that.. or not.