DocTalk

Kobe v. Rose…not on the basketball court but in the doctor’s office. The showdown is this week’s web article.
www.MDdirect.org/blog

 

This week it’s a tapas plate. Small tidbits about concussion, drunk driving and the NFL draft.
www.MDdirect.org/blog

 

If anybody is interested, my social media presence is slowly wakening.
Twitter: @doctalk
Facebook coming soon.

Thanks to all for your readership and support.

Ben

 

This week’s article may seem disjointed but I would rather call it dislocated.
www.MDdirect.org/blog

Thanks for reading.

Ben

 

When young people die, like elite athlete Jason Boogaard, authorities turn to an autopsy for answers. More in this week's article.

www.MDdirect.org/blog

 

It appears the AP (and hence other media outlets) are reporting that the son of the Cavaliers' owner has neurofibromatosis and are calling it a nervous disorder. Please educate people with your blog that it is a genetic disorder that effects the nervous system (and other parts of the body) and not a nervous disorder.
For those that don't want to wait for doc's response, you can get more info from these two websites:
www.ctf.org
www.nfinc.org

(P.S. For those that are curious, I have NF)

 

The National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke have a fact sheet on neurofibromatosis that is nicely written: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/neurofibromatosis/neurofibromatosis.htm

 

The latest tornado outbreak devastated numerous communities, most affecting Joplin, Missouri. The stories and photos often focus on the damaged hospital that took a direct hit. It is also a reminder that the hospital is just a building and that medical care is provided by people at the bedside. In Joplin, those people ignored their personal needs and rode out the storm and its aftermath caring for their patients.

More on the web at www.MDdirect.org/blog

On a personal note, my town of La Crosse was also hit with an F2 tornado that damaged hundreds of homes including part of our hospital campus, fortunately missing the patient care areas. After viewing homes that were crushed by trees and roofs that were blown away, I am thankful that we were spared any deaths.

 

GBM, glioblastoma multiforme, is the most common malignant tumor of the brain and Gary Carter seems to be the latest victim.

My good friend and running buddy died of GBM 13 years ago today and I miss him every morning that I put on my running shoes adn head out the door.

More about GBM and baseball in the blog this week. www.MDdirect.org/blog

Thanks for reading.

 

Glioblastoma update: It is difficult news to read that Gary Carter's tumor is not amenabnle to surgery. According to research published in 2003 (appreciate that it is 8 years old but not much has changed recently), the median survival time is 7 1/2 months with a one year survival rate of 28%. Three year survival is 1%.

Some diagnoses aren't fair.

 

Kids aren't supposed to die, especially when playing a game and parents aren't supposed to watch their children collapse on the field. When a 13 year old in Winslow, Arizona was hit in the chest by a baseball, he was another victim of commtio cordis. More about sudden death and how it can be treated this week on the web.

www.MDdirect.org/blog

Thanks for reading,

Ben

 

A week of nights in the ER led to a vacation for the blog. Back this week with a look at why waiting for medical may be a good thing. Just like we had to wait for Rory McIlroy to cement his inevitable victory, diagnosis and treatment sometimes has to slow down for the good of the patient. More this week on the web.

www.MDdirect.org/blog