#5 Higher Power: Ghost Dad Summons; Seeking Forgiveness; All I Could Do

MedPod Today | from MedPage Today

We see things that make sense – like “oh you eat a supersize bag of flaming hot Cheetos, and now you have chest pain?” – that makes sense. But sometimes we see things with no explanation, that make no sense, that might make you believe life is unfair, or that give you new hope in the universe. Sometimes we see miracles, sometimes we see tragedies – all with no explanation -- and in those times we just have bewilderment and the stunned feeling of humility, that there are things out of our control. Here are three stories, which capture those moments that humble us and force us to look beyond ourselves: Chapter One, Ghost Dad Summons (03:00): Amy’s seemingly stable patient, a young boy, sees his dad telling him it’s time to go home, only the dad was already dead. Story told by Amy Ho, MD , an emergency physician. Chapter Two, Seeking Forgiveness (11:00): Tim wrestles with the guilt and agony of a nightmare patient outcome after a surgical complication. Story told by Timothy Hlavinka, MD, an urologist. Chapter Three, All I Could Do (21:05): A Chassidic family battles a hospital's plans for DNR on their loved one through a legal injuction on religious grounds, and Joel steps into the middle of the fray. Story told by Joel Zivot, MD, an anesthesiologist and critical care physician. Episode produced by Kristen Monaco Hosted by Amy Ho, MD Sound engineering by Greg Laub Music by Jason Asistores, MD aka flatfives. Theme music by Palomar