Hungry Ghosts: Addiction In & Out of Hospice

Anyone who's terminal can come onto hospice, including actively using addicts. At sign-up, the "active" part is usually downplayed. "Oh, yeah. Well, I used to do drugs." I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to, too. Mitch Hedberg, Comedian I'm up to what, five addicts now. That's about 23% of my … Continue reading Hungry Ghosts: Addiction In & Out of Hospice →

“Where you live dictates when you die.”

So writes doctor David A. Angell. This blog’s title is a direct quote found on p. viii in his 2017 University of Chicago press book called The Death Gap: How Inequality Kills. Dr. Dave is originally from gentle upstate New York, now a transplanted Chicago physician come to town for what was to be a … Continue reading “Where you live dictates when you die.” →

Human Existence: “My Precious!”

You don't know what you've got till it's gone. "Big Yellow Taxi", Joni Mitchell. "So how long, do you think..." the wife or son asks me. They've asked plenty of clinicians before trying this one on me, too. "How long I die?" the Polish guy asks me, every time I see him. I take his … Continue reading Human Existence: “My Precious!” →

On Offering Consolation

Today I talked with two of my patient's family about their respective loss and impending grief. I don't exactly look forward to or enjoy this part of the job, but if I see their pain then I won't leave. Loss acknowledged and shared can still be bitter, but less. Neither of these dead and dying … Continue reading On Offering Consolation →

On Not Attending Funerals

I hate them. Memorial antipathy runs a close second. Why is this, when now I'm comfortable being around death and dying? When I know the grieving friend -- or a potential friend -- then I'm glad to go, it's only the matter of clearing my schedule and count me in. But making small talk about … Continue reading On Not Attending Funerals →

What’s Found After Death: Hint, Get Rid of Your Crap Now

We recently flooded, twice. After our April 30th water, tipped off by the noise of an AC unit falling from the water-logged cardboard box, we moved (finally) our stacked boxes of books and whatnot away from danger. After 18 months in our "as-is" bungalow, we're confronted with the basement's storage. Seasonal decorations were in the … Continue reading What’s Found After Death: Hint, Get Rid of Your Crap Now →

Hospice Goes to Chicago, with Stopover for a Pretty Good Lunch

Don't consider me a Baedeker, much less your Virgil, but allow me to mention a smattering of my home health travels within present-day Chicago. Instead of actual visits, let's consider the way they're spread, how I get there, and what I see along the way. I used to work from a home base that could … Continue reading Hospice Goes to Chicago, with Stopover for a Pretty Good Lunch →

Who Trusts Nurses? We Do! What Do They Do? Who Knows!

Familiarity doesn't always breed contempt. I give reports to my wife about what I do during my workday while we're preparing dinner and she doesn't think I'm a scoundrel. Not a saint either, or Dr. Google. But then she attended nursing school and is quite familiar with the profession. The other extreme is the wife … Continue reading Who Trusts Nurses? We Do! What Do They Do? Who Knows! →

Aerie-Fairy Hospice Stories: On Butterflies, Handholding, Bad Poetry, and lavender

This generally makes me queasy: The soft-focused mural of standardized mortality fade-out, so widely published in hospice brochures, photo-ops, and memorials. I see none of this nonsense -- no, not any evidence of this sentiment where I nurse day after day. That's because I choke on this sticky sugar and spice coating that falsifies both … Continue reading Aerie-Fairy Hospice Stories: On Butterflies, Handholding, Bad Poetry, and lavender →