This is my postmortem blog. I wanted to share a couple of pictures. They show my beautiful home that I came home to during my last days. My children were all there. My good patients and friends, the Bartletts, came to my house unannounced. They placed beautiful lights on our outside Christmas tree. They knew…

This is probably the most difficult letter to write and will be my final one. I realize that I’m not going to beat this. My body has been decimated by my own antibodies for some unknown reason. This is a horrible disease. My kidneys are no longer functioning. I’m debilitated. I can no longer do…

Rene Laennec invented the stethoscope in 1816. It is still used today although with newer technology, they have been improvements and recently, even have amplification processes. I’ve only had two stethoscopes since I began my career as a medical student in 1983. Unfortunately, I lost one had to be replaced about 25 years ago. However,…

I’m certainly thankful for all the kindness from my patients, friends and family. I’m trying to respond but a general thanks is sincere. I’ve heard from many of my doctor friends as well from all over the country. What a great network of people who still remember those days at Walter Reed. Everyone has been…

I’ve been very ill. I’ve learned one thing. We are lucky to have great people working at our Medical Center. Time passes slowly for me here, marked by my sleepless days and nights. I’ve been able to talk to many people who work in various departments of the hospital. These include x-ray, interventional radiology, dialysis,…

I have a lot more sympathy now for my patients who have insomnia. Once I was diagnosed with with probable giant cell arthritis, I was given 60 mg of prednisone. I thought this would disrupt my sleep. I have heard patients talk about the effects of prednisone and how they feel. Often they would tell…

I learned today that I have a disease called anti-GBM disease, otherwise known as Goodpasture syndrome. We’re not sure what triggered it. Typically, one gets symptoms of diminished appetite, nausea, and fatigue. Laboratory findings are worrisome for problems with the kidney. These can include a rising creatinine test and hematuria. I had all of these.…