When I was growing up, my Christmases were chronically overbooked. Mom was a violin teacher, and since I played too, I got roped into every pageant, every church program mom could sign us up for. It paid some bills for our…
This week's guest columnist is Dr. James Hyatt, a family practice resident at the University Hospital and Clinics here in Lafayette. "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." This quote, made famous by Vince Lombardi, is a…
A friend's son wanted help picking out his sister's Christmas gift. "What are her hobbies?" the son asked. My friend was stumped: "Buying clothes? Talking on her cell? Eating at Whataburger?" After a good laugh, they got…
This week's guest columnist is Dr. Justin Pratt, a Family Practice resident at the University Hospital and Clinics here in Lafayette. "Something isn't right. My baby only poops every three days, and all my friends' babies go…
Feeding babies manufactured formula in a bottle is a recent invention in human history. For hundreds of thousands of years, people fed their babies like every other mammal, with mother's milk. If mom or baby just couldn't make it…
This week's guest columnist is Dr. Corey Gardner, a Family Practice resident at the University Hospital and Clinics here in Lafayette. Coming over a coral ridge, I saw everyone staring down at a rock. That's odd, I thought, what'…
Every once in a bad while, I diagnose a child with a brain tumor. Usually she's had some progressing coordination trouble, and worsening fussiness. We do a CT scan, there it is, and I have to break bad news to the parents. A…
This week's guest columnists are Drs. Anna Malesky and Alicia Ortiz, Family Practice residents at the University Hospital and Clinics here in Lafayette. It was our sixth shift in the Pediatric Emergency Department when we began to…
Many doctors, including me, go "harumph" when parents bring their child to the Emergency Department with non-emergencies, like rashes or insect bites. Non-emergencies are what doctors' offices are for. However, often when I talk…
This week's guest columnist is Dr. Elizabeth Hunter, a Family Practice resident at the University Hospital and Clinics here in Lafayette. It's 10 pm and Sarah is pacing the floor, holding newborn Charlie. Charlie seems to be…
The Louisiana Health Department has made child drowning prevention a priority for 2017, since our state has the second highest rate in the nation. Though I always cared deeply about this, it' now more important for me since I…
This week's guest columnist is Dr. Claire Ronkartz, a Family Practice resident at the University Hospital and Clinics here in Lafayette. It's a classic medical board question: "A two-year old visiting her grandparents' is found…
