Monday, August 15, 2011

Separate lives and split personalities

I was at church yesterday when I got a tap on the shoulder from behind me.

"I can't see exactly what's happening, but it looks like someone's not well over there."  She gestured over to the opposite side of the church, where one of the ushers was assisting an elderly man hunched over in his pew.

So, up I got.  He was ashen-faced, and I helped the usher propel him out of his pew and out the side door.  We led him into the pastor's office and laid him on the couch.

"What happened?"  With a mild shake of the hand, he pulled a neatly typed medication list out of his wallet.  Recent coronary bypass, took his beta blocker and long-acting nitrate as usual this am, but felt a some chest pain and popped a nitro and a vicodin about an hour before the service.  "Nearly passed out" as we all sat down for the sermon. I had one of the ushers get our first aid kit, and I checked his vitals.  His blood pressure was low, as was his pulse.  He probably just got presyncopal from too many blood-pressure-dropping meds, but the chest pain made me nervous.

"What should we do?" asked the small collection of ushers clustered around us.  I had them call 911, and EMS transported the gentleman to the emergency room.  (He ruled out for a heart attack and was discharged this morning.  No more mixing nitro and vicodin!)

I certainly didn't do anything yesterday in church that any other doc wouldn't have done, but I got to do it in front of people who don't know that side of me.  My church friends and acquaintances know that I am a doctor, but they don't know much about the specifics of my days at work.

Being in the medical field is almost like living two separate lives.  The people I work every day with don't really "get" the part of me that likes to write and perform musical theater.  And, my family and non-medical friends certainly don't "get" the medical stuff that I do at work.  Each group of people knows only one facet of who I am, and although I understand why it is that way, I am also a little sad that no one really knows me as a whole and complete human being.

My church friends got to see a tiny glimpse of my professional self yesterday morning, and, in so doing, maybe had the chance to know me on a deeper level.  I think that's why I find these out-of-office/hospital experiences so rejuvenating - they allow me to be my whole self, even if just for a few moments.  I suspect that this divide exists for other people in other professions as well, but I don't know how similiar it is to medicine.  Heck, I don't even know if other doctors have similar musings about medicine and life.

I just know that I wish it could be different for me.

3 comments:

  1. I know exactly what you mean. I really don't think people who aren't docs understand this compartmentalization that happens to us. I had a similar experience last week during my TaeKwonDo test. A kid there got hurt and I had to check him over. I ordered an xray and it was like everyone there realized I really AM a doctor! I feel self conscious sometimes and I don't flaunt my profession when I'm not at work, but sometimes it is nice when people see what you can do.

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  2. I was JUST trying to make this point to my parents (about Matt and Meg, not me...). I enjoyed reading!

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  3. Appreciate both of your comments, and I'm glad to know that I am not alone in these thoughts. Thanks for reading!

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