Non-fiction Book #1 in 2009 – Something for the Pain: One Doctor’s Account of Life and Death in the ER by Paul Austin

The first book I read in 2009:
Something for the Pain: One Doctor’s Account of Life and Death in the ER by Paul Austin

From Publishers Weekly on amazon.com:

With a relentlessly honest look at modern emergency medicine, Austin, a former firefighter now living in Durham, N.C., writes in his debut book of his transformation to a highly capable ER doctor struggling to stay one jump ahead of death in the crowded critical care ward. The book begins deftly with Austin, a sleep-deprived physician, trying to avoid mistakes stemming from fatigue by relying on his instincts, frequently both skill and luck, to treat patients with gunshot wounds, brain tumors, asthma, heart ailments and general problems. In a narrative blur of flashbacks, he tells of his career as a firefighter before landing in medical school, which was followed by an internship at a local hospital and marriage to a lovely nurse and having a family. What makes this inspiring medical memoir stand out is the courageous measure of Austin’s humanity in taking on the endless weight of suffering, and what he becomes to his co-workers, his patients, his family and his community.

My thoughts:

• I’d read a few medical memoir (or something related to medicine such as how doctors think) recently, and I enjoyed reading this one because I think Dr Austin gave an honest account of his ER experience – from his days as a medical student, resident or “ER doc”. Not just about his medical experience, but his personal life as well, such as how it affects his family life especially when it comes to dealing with night/rotating shifts and the consequences of sleep-deprived days, or his daughter who has Down Syndrome.
• Since I work at the Mayo Clinic and work closely with some physicians on some projects, I really want to learn more about what they have to deal with day to day, or at least get a glimpse of it, so I can understand where they are coming from better.  While I haven’t worked with any ER docs yet, it’d help me prepare for it since I think there are certain type of personalities that are drawn to a career in ER (as opposed to say, surgeons or internalists.) It was particularly interesting to read about the mistakes he made, especially since it relates to my job. Human do make mistakes, it’s part of human nature. What we can do is help prevent them if possible. It is a bit sad to read that sometimes if a doctor apologizes to a patient for a mistake, then they risk the chance of being sued for malpractice.

• I like the agreement between him and his wife regarding what should be included or excluded in the book (cited in the Acknowledgments): Our agreement was that I could write whatever I wanted, and she could delete whatever she wanted. It shows respect, trust, and love.

• I may like Hot Lights, Cold Steel: Life, Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon’s First Years by Michael J. Collins just a bit better, probably because it happened at the Mayo Clinic (though before I started working there), so it is fun to read about something I may be familiar with.  A bit sad though that some of the restaurants he mentioned in the book is no longer here (I believe this happened about 15 years or so ago?) Just for completeness sake, here is info from Publishers Weekly on amazon.com:

Collins begins this personal chronicle with an account of a choice he had to make between amputating a 14-year-old boy’s leg and saving the limb at a greater risk to the boy’s life. (He amputated the leg.) This dilemma came at the conclusion of Collins’s grueling four years of residency at the Mayo Clinic, culminating in his appointment as chief resident in orthopedic surgery. Now in practice in Illinois, he details, with admirable humor and insight, the early, virtually sleepless years when he learned not only to perfect his craft but to come to terms with the emotional impact of causing pain and losing patients. Collins brings to life the dramatic moments when he made his first, terrifying incision and hand-drilled a traction pin into a weeping six-year–old’s leg. Collins and his wife, Patti, wanted a large family, but the economic strain of having three children in three years (they eventually had 12) forced him to moonlight every other weekend at rural hospitals. There are moving passages about his love for Patti and the bonds he developed with other residents, and empathetic evocations of those he treats. Collins describes powerfully how he came to understand that his calling was not just to develop as a skilled surgical technician, but to treat his patients humanely as individuals.