Dooley Noted: 1/8/2015 Yesterday, I zoned out twice. The first was in a taxi, where the new driver took me a mile in the wrong direction before I noticed. The second was on the subway, where my train changed routes midway. My lack of attention ended me up in Brooklyn. I paid the price for both losses of attention. This made me wonder if my patients might not be looking alive in their sessions. This … Read more
Dooley Noted: 1/6/2015 One way to start an enormous debate in my field is to discuss pain. From the patient perspective, one thing is true: if pain is present, the patient came to you to get rid of it. I’ve been a patient, so I understand this notion. But pain can be quite a proficient guide into a clinical picture. The problem is that the pain is completely subjective. The doctor can’t feel what the … Read more
Dooley Noted: 1/5/2015 Anatomy used to be very challenging for me. It was my worst national board score to date. I could have thrown my hands in the air and given up. Instead, I looked the challenge in the face and stated, “I’m not currently good at this. But I could become better.” I became an anatomy tutor and devoted 20 hours a week while in school to helping my colleagues. Still not feeling I … Read more
Dooley Noted: 1/4/2015 I had a particularly hard training week. I ate very clean and hit 2 PRs. I slept well, and I currently feel pretty amazing. As I went for Sunday morning fancy coffee with my boyfriend, I eyeballed an almond croissant. I looked at him and said, “I think I want that.” Since he is a very healthy eater, I expected him to talk me out of it. Instead, he said this: “If … Read more
Dooley Noted: 1/1/2015 Four years ago today, I made a resolution to make a daily post, observing my experiences with health and fitness. It became a consistent aspect of my daily life as the Dooley Noted blog series. It may even now be a daily part of your life, too. Today is my 1,464th post. I’ve yet to miss a day in four years. No matter the resolution you set for yourself, carry it out. … Read more
Dooley Noted: 12/31/2014 The year was 2008. I had finished my first year of masters anatomy work and was assigned an externship at a medical school. I was told by a supposed mentor that the med students would eat me alive. They didn’t. I thrived. I took the opportunity to help them. And they helped me learn to give them what they needed. I rode to work every day with a brilliant anthropologist and anatomy … Read more
Dooley Noted: 12/29/2014 Yesterday, I had a patient in my office with shoulder pain. I asked him what he did for exercise. Within the list, he included the lat pulldown, a drill where you usually stay seated as you pull a weighted bar towards the chest. The following discussion ensued. Dooley: Why do you do the lat pulldown? Patient: To activate my lats. Dooley: Great. Can I see you do it? We don’t have a … Read more
Dooley Noted: 12/28/14 Today, I saw these two lovely ladies working together to lift a water jug. They carried it from the front of the store towards the back, both nearly falling over. They both hyperextended through the back and looked as if they were in agony. Not only were they unsafe, it took two of them to lift around 40 pounds of weight. This is around an 18 kilo kettlebell – or the average … Read more
Dooley Noted: 12/27/14 When people state goals to me, I’m always very excited to see them motivated for change. As I request food logs, activity logs, and pain/mood logs, I also see why they are reaching out for help. I hear this phrase every day of my life: “I’ve tried everything.” The one thing people usually haven’t tried is being consistent with anything they’ve tried. They try acupuncture once or twice. When it didn’t magically … Read more
Dooley Noted: 12/25/2014 When I was a kid, I was supremely excited about my Christmas gifts. I would shake each package, analyzing each one to determine its contents. But when I was 10, I let curiosity get the best of me. I peeked into some edges of the packages. Thinking I was clever, I carefully peeled the edges and put them back in their places. It didn’t take long for my mother to discover my … Read more