My story and random thoughts while dealing with a C6-C7 subluxation…

Rather than add a new post every time I want to add new stats on walking, I decided to make a separate page that will contain graphs showing my progress walking.  If you look on the left navigation menu, you’ll see a new link for Walking Progress.  I’ll update the graphs on there at least once every few weeks, and at the top of the page will be the date on which the page was last updated.  And there’s been some decent improvement since the last time I posted the graph.  So check it!

Far be it from me to attempt to solve a complex matter like the current debate on screening mammography.  I’m a first-year medical student and haven’t had extensive experience treating patients dealing with cancer. But the climate of the current debate is troubling for a number of reasons, not the least of which being the knee-jerk reactions many people are having that fail to take into consideration a lot of the science behind it all.  I’ve been talking about this with a lot of people lately and figured I’d share some of my thoughts on the matter.

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Well, I never thought it would take this long to resume writing here, but apparently it has. I’ve mentioned in the past the intention to somewhat transition the blog to a discussion of not only my recovery, but also life as a medical student. So this is the first step in that direction. In addition to progress updates on my recovery, I’ll discuss topics I find interesting or relevant that are related to healthcare, as well as certain experiences I’ve had as a medical student. Updates will be shorter, but hopefully more frequent than they used to be (the past six months excluded, of course). There have been plenty of topics as of late that I’ve wanted to write about, from healthcare reform to cancer to H1N1.

But first, a much-needed progress update.

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Just a quick post.  As many of you know, I’m leaving the computer security/UNIX/development world for medical school. But since that will surely still be a big part of my life and I wanted to document some things I’ve been working on, I setup a new, separate blog to post random technical bits.  If you’re so inclined, please check it out!

http://bitdrop.st0w.com

That’s right, I broke my right knee. Let me tell you the story. A few weeks ago (just after I last posted, so about three to four weeks), I was walking on the walker with a PT and Richie, one of the aides. After about thirty or forty feet, my right knee buckled and Richie caught me. The right knee had been feeling a bit strange prior to that, but nothing so unusual that I was worried about walking. After catching me before I had the chance to hit the ground, I sat and rested for a bit while collecting myself.

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Just came across the following op-ed in the Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/opinion/02thu2.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all

It discusses the extremely poor adoption of electronic medical record (EMR) systems throughout hospitals and physican offices, and touches on a major factor that, until addressed, will prevent EMRs from obtaining the widespread adoption that President Obama would like to see.  And by the way, just throwing money at hospitals and physicians and telling them to implement EMRs is not going to do anything to fix the problem.  It’s a lot more complicated than that, although yes, money is definitely a part of it.

The subject is of particular interest to me, as I am leaving the information security and technology realm for medicine.  I’ve designed several large systems before, and have seen the obstacles that you have to deal with. This article does hit the nail on the head, albeit several years late.  Of particular importance is the following:

The ultimate goal is an “interoperable” system that would allow easy exchange of clinical data between hospitals and doctors. The modernization effort will have limited value if a mélange of different computer systems can’t talk to one another.

While applying to medical school two years ago, I wrote one of my secondary application essays  on the very subject of interoperability and what I view as the only way to solve the problem.  That essay is attached here for your perusal.

EMR Secondary Application Essay Response

Recently Kristina and I took a trip to Cleveland to meet with faculty at Case Med in preparation for my matriculation in July.  It was the first time I’d taken a plane since the injury, so it was a new experience.  But thanks to Sinai and the Internet, not anything I was apprehensive about.

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Well, it’s been quite a long time since the last update.  Not for lack of activity, mind you.  Those of you who know me well know that I certainly don’t live a life of inactivity – wheelchair or not.  These past few months have been no exception.  So what follows is synopsis of what I’ve been up to, as well as the real important stuff: where I’m at with respect to recovery.

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I hope everybody, at least those of you in the US, had a wonderful Thanksgiving, replete with turkey, pie and all the trimmings.  And I hope you were able to celebrate it with those people who you are thankful to have in your life.  When I think back to last Thanksgiving, things are definitely vastly different for me than they were last year.  And while the events of the past year certainly could leave me with a laundry list of complaints, the things for which I am truly thankful far outweigh the meaning of any of the negative things.

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Well, it’s been a while since I posted something.  I’ve been pretty busy lately both with therapy and some other things I’m keeping my mind occupied with.  I’ve ramped up to four days per week of physical therapy, and I’m hoping to add a fifth before too long.  I feel like I’m at the point where my core and my legs are starting to get strong enough that more work is actually beneficial to them, as opposed to resulting in stiffness for days after. It’s a good feeling, and although I’m occasionally frustrated at having to deal with all of this, the continued progress really helps me to stay positive.

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