Despite growing up in Texas, I only speak English fluently. I’ve lived in San Antonio for many years. The city is just north of Mexico and the majority of people speak Spanish. With minimal help from an interpreter, I can now communicate effectively with my Spanish-speaking patients. With that said, I don’t live near China … Read more

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are sacred to me. In my limited schedule, I don’t have the time to go home and cook. Instead, I strategically plan my meals around restaurants where I will be when I think there will be time to eat. This was late one morning and it was a rough time working … Read more

Joan is a long-time patient of mine in her late 70s with advanced-stage lung cancer. One rainy day, I was dreading her appointment because we had all just learned that Joan was being transitioned to hospice and this would be our last visit. When I entered the room I found Joan sitting with Matthew, her … Read more

Meet Lydia and Darlene. They are two sisters who had their mother, older brother, and three aunts all die with advanced Alzheimer’s disease. Lydia, the older sister, also had advanced Alzheimer’s and almost never recognized her baby sister, Darlene. One evening about a month before dying, Lydia had a moment of clarity. For a brief … Read more

I was at the end of a very long, stressful, and exhausting overnight shift years ago. I was evaluating an 88-year-old woman with dementia. Her family brought her to the hospital due to her worsening confusion and poor appetite. After introducing myself, I asked her several questions to evaluate her thinking and overall health. Below … Read more