Hello Out There

So, an interesting thing happened to me the other day in my clinic. I walked into the exam room to greet a man I had never met and talk with him about his health. Now, I like to talk with my patients about other things and get to know them a bit. I think that's one of the really enjoyable things about Family Medicine. I have been assuming that they know as little about me as I know about them when we meet, but we all know what assuming can do! You see, the first thing out of his mouth was "So, has your wife had the baby yet?" I'm sure I had a pretty interesting look on my face. At first I was trying to think of any way I might know this man... church, a friend/relative of a friend, saw him before in clinic... nothing. Then I thought about who in the office might have filled him in... receptionist? nurse?... who knows? I'm not sure, but I think I just asked him point blank who told him. His answer?

It's all right here baby. Yep, turns out when he scheduled his appointment, he Googled my name and read my blog! Kudos to you, sir, if you're still reading! (By the way, feel free to comment on just how goofy I looked.) I really hadn't thought about it before, but Google-ing your doc is probably a pretty good move. You never know what you'll find, right? Anyway, he had read all about Caleb, Stephanie, little Thane, and also about our trip to PNG! Let's just say he had a definite leg up in the getting-to-know-you department.

So, I decided to Google myself and see just what I could find. Turns out it's a little suprising what makes its way into cyberspace. I was reminded of some pretty poor wrestling performances at the State Tournament, relived my exploits in Olivet intramurals, and learned that there's a guy with my name who was a helicopter pilot in the Korean War. There were also links to my Facebook and MySpace profiles (which haven't been updated in eons) and, of course, a couple of links to this blog, one via a story in the Olivetian.

Just how many of my patients have read about me? I really have no idea. This gentleman was the only one who has said anything. It really made me stop and think, though, about what I have written. I don't think I've posted anything I shouldn't have or don't mean, but I wonder what impression of me this blog gives people. Well, he didn't cancell his appointment, so I guess the picture of me and Caleb with pull-ups on our heads isn't too alarming!


In other news, Stephanie is still pregnant. She's a whopping 38 weeks and 4 days! Neither of us even dreamed she'd make it this far. I think for Stephanie, though, it's turned into more of a nightmare! The poor thing has been banging out contractions like nobody's business for a solid 2 weeks. Now, I've seen a few ladies in labor, and there were a couple of times, including Friday, when I thought we were in business. But in the end, it was 'Sorry folks, show's over.' All she had to show for it was some lost sleep and an appreciation for the epidural she's going to get. The good news is that she'll be induced at the end of this week if she hasn't popped by then (39 weeks!). There is an end in site! Who woulda thought we'd be saying that... We are pretty darn blessed.