I'm Here...Released!

At long last, my newest book is out and ready for purchase! Get your copy of, "I'm Here: Compassionate Communication In Patient Care" at:

http://www.MarcusEngelproducts.com

Thanks to everyone who helped make this book a reality!

I'm Here Is Almost Here!

Mark your calendar: July 1 (that's day after tomorrow, for you non-numerical people)

"I'm Here: Compassionate Communication In Patient Care" will be released to the public! We've been having free book giveaways on Facebook for the last week, but in just over 24 hours, anyone and everyone will be able to get their own copy of, "I'm Here."

If you liked "The Other End Of The Stethoscope", we think you're going to love, "I'm Here." Same style, same emotions of raw, uncensored reality, but with talking/discussion points for anyone, not just health care professionals.

We hope you'll get yourself a copy and share it with nurses, docs, therapists; anyone you know who works in health care. We're trying to change the patient experience, one book at a time!

One Week!

Next Thursday, July 1, 2010, will not only be my third anniversary, but will also mark the release of, "I'm Here: Compassionate Communication In Patient Care."

We are spending the next seven days getting ready for shipments of "I'm Here" to buyers nationwide! Plus, for the first time, these books will be offered in a completely new medium (that ought to get you wonderin'!)

If you haven't already, sign up to be my friend on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter, for the contests leading up to the release! Happy reading!

Dancing & Dough-Is Cancer Really All About Making Money?

We've all heard it: modern medicine won't cure cancer because there's too much money to be made in treatment!

Is this true? I dunno. Probably the only people who really DO know this are the researchers searching for a cure.

Yet, I think we all know someone who has had cancer and seen the mountains of money spent in treatment; radiation, chemo, surgery, etc. No doubt about it-cancer is expensive.

So, I take this with a grain of salt (as you should, too), but I saw something on the news this morning that kinda made me cringe.

On Fox News, one of their morning show guests was a current finalist on Dancing With The Stars. I didn't catch her name, but I believe she's a comedian. Some sort of celebrity or (gasp!) she wouldn't be considered a star.

So, in a search for topics, one of the questions posed to the star was this: New research says we could have a cure for cancer in as little as three years. What do you think?

Really, who cares what she thinks? She's not a health care professional or anyone who has an expertise in anything cancer related. Yet, she gave an interesting answer (which I'll paraphrase):

"Let's just be real...as long as there's more money in treatment than there is in a cure, I think we won't see a cure brought to the public."

Does her statement have any validity? Look at the points above, but let's not give too much creedence here.

But, what does this notion mean to a patient? What does a patient currently receiving chemo think about this idea that their cancer won't be cured because, as they get the chemo and are nauseous and worried about their survival, there are people milking the patient's bank account, purely out of greed?

I can't speak for every patient, but frankly, I'd feel a little deceived. Scratch that, I'd be pissed. I think we ALL would be hacked off if this notion turns out to be true. Still, a statement like the star made leaves a patient wondering and discouraged and potentially angry.

If a patient is undergoing a potentially life threatening disease, don't they already have enough things to worry and fret about?

If you believe this notion of cancer is true...keep it to yourself. And especially keep it to yourself if you're intimately involved with a person undergoing cancer treatment. They have enough to worry about already.

Really, I Can Stop Gushing Any Time Now!

I know I've written a lot about Missouri Baptist Medical Center lately. Partially because they're my client, partially because I've been a patient there for an extended time, and partially because they continue to impress me.

K, so ya know how before surgery you've gotta strip off all your own clothes and put on the gown and all that stuff? Well, however it happened, my tray full o' stuff (tee shirt, sandals, basketball shorts and a couple personal items) ended up, well, not with me. Maybe it was the extensive surgery, maybe we just never looked under the bed again-whatever the reason, I came home barefoot (luckily, I did have another pair of shorts!)

Tonight, a large package comes through the mail. You guessed it! All my stuff!

The most valueable thing in this load was my sandals...and really, they're probably a year old and weren't exactly a designer brand to begin with. If I'd never gotten these items back, I wouldn't have been singin' the blues. But since they ARE back? All I can say is...another Mo Bap moment!

Tweet Tweet

I've been terribly lax on blogging and Tweeting as of late, but thanks to a new Twitter client, I think I'll be getting back into it, head first!

Due to Twitter being a microblog, it's hard to think anything really in depth will be shared as far as patient care. Still, maybe you'll get a good laugh once in a while! Follow me at:

www.Twitter.com/MarcusEngel

Blood Everywhere...Really?

The lovely and talented Ms. Marvelyne and I visited a new doctor a few days ago. The practice wanted to get a baseline of her blood work, so after seeing the doc, we waited in the waiting room for the vampire. This was a simple blood extraction; nothing fancy. The flubotomist(did I spell that right?) asked if she wanted to have the draw sitting there, or would we rather go back to the lab...She (my wife) said, "It doesn't matter to me, wherever is better for you."

Now...wait for it, wait for it.....

The vampire's response: "Let's go back to the lab, just in case we get blood everywhere."

Really? Is that something that comforts the patient? The potential of their precious blood being smeared all over the room? Yeesh!

When conversing with a patient, take a moment or two to think about your words. Do they make the patient feel like he/she is in good hands? Does your statement offer comfort? Support? Does it abide by the simple notion: First, do no harm?

As you may expect, this did not go well. It took two or three sticks and the vampire seemed more anxious than Marvelyne. I firmly believe this wasn't completely due to incompetence, but to a self fulfilling prophecy. When the statement about blood everywhere was made, both Marvelyne and I said something like, "Wow, that's comforting!" That 10 second communication set the stage; a vampire uncomfortable with his own abilities, a patient feeling their care is incompetent...not a good combination. Think for just a split second before choosing the words you say to a patient...it can set the stage for excellence...or disaster.

An Update And Some Up-To-Date Thanks

If you've wondered why there haven't been any "Stethoscope" blog posts as of late, I've got your answer! It's a long story, but I'll try to give you the Cliff Notes version...

First, it was an extremely busy spring. From my last post, there was another several weeks of travelling and speaking. Hope to be able to update this blog with pics from several health care programs from that time frame.

Then came May 5. Just three days after I turned 35, I went into Missouri Baptist Medical Center for some scheduled surgery. On the docket that day was an inguinal hernia repair, abdominal/incisional hernia repair, some further reconstructive work on my face and a little bit of cosmetic surgery, just to put the icing on the cake. Surgery was performed by two awesome surgeons and lasted about 12 hours. Whew!

A few days after surgery, we realized something was very, very wrong. My bowels had not kicked in since surgery and I was in a whole, WHOLE lot of pain. A few X rays and CT scans later it was determined that, due to abdominal scar tissue and a lengthy surgery, I'd developed a bowel obstruction. Into emergency surgery and several more days of hospitalization. What should have been a trip to Mo Bap for one surgery and three nights of hospitalization turned into two operations and 11 nights of hospitalization.

First and foremost, a HUGE thank you goes to Dr. Omar Guerra and Dr. Timothy Jones for taking such good care of me. Next, thank you to my nurses and techs for helping so, SO much. Finally, to our friend, Jeff Robinson, and my mom-in-law, Faith Fredrick, for flying to STL to help Marvelyne during this lengthy hospitalization.

Another big THANK You goes to my parents and a handfull of other close friends for really helping Marvelyne by helping with Carson, bringing her coffee or taking a shift at the hospital so she could rest. Now, onto chapter 2 of this saga...

A week after being discharged from Mo Bap and coming home to Orlando, I hadn't progressed. In fact, I was hurting more and had less energy; precisely the opposite of healing. To the ER here in Orlando where (after an obligatory 5 hour wait), it was determined that the incision site from the bowel obstruction repair was infected...and bad. Next day, back into surgery (this time by Dr. Davis at Florida Hospital-East.) Infection cleaned out and, thankfully, had been contained in the abcess area. Yet, cultures returned that the infection was a particularly nasty, antibiotic resistant strain of something gross. Five more days of hospitalization and IV antibiotics and I was sent home with a handy dandy Picc line and orders to go to wound care and rcv 8 days of IV antibiotics.

Thanks goes to, first, Eric, a nurse in the Florida Hospital east ER for giving me extra drugs. A five hour uncomfortable wait deserves some extra pain killers and relaxation drugs...and Eric knew that. Next, thanks to Dr. Murphy, an antistesiologist(sorry, can't spell this word) fr his care and compassion prior to surgery. Finally, thanks to the nurses at same day services for all the info and for helping knock that nasty bug out of my system.

Now? Home and feeling much, MUCH better. This summer has been marked off for some rest, relaxation and recovery time, so you may not see a huge amount of posts. Either way, know that I'm grateful to everyone who helped me get through this nightmare called the month of May...and yes, I have stories galore of patient care that'll be fodder for the next health care book!