A moment of levity.

Dear Inside Medicine community,

Yesterday was my birthday so I took the evening off to hang out with my family and enjoy some cake with a glycemic index so high that it will probably require a medical intervention of some sort. (I am joking! About the medical intervention that is—that cake was remarkably unhealthy, just as I had requested; I do try to follow the advice of “moderation in all things, including moderation,” though now at age 46, I should probably watch it.)

I did get one little additional gift from the universe yesterday: I was quoted in a fun piece in The New York Times about the new TV show The Pitt after having had a delightful conversation with veteran health and medicine reporter Gina Kolata.

Gina’s piece cleverly used The Pitt as an excuse to explore some real issues in emergency medicine and healthcare overall. The funny part is—and she knows this—I haven’t even seen the show yet! “From what I’m hearing, it sounds like a documentary,” I told her. (That quotation did not make it into the piece.)

But I did have lots to say about the issues of boarding and ERs that are so crowded that patients often receive care in hallways. This is a national phenomenon that this new TV show has apparently gotten right.

But mainly I’m just pleased that I managed to get an unusual quotation into the Times: “Bwhahahahaha.”

I actually emailed Gina to insist on the spelling. I really wanted to convey the explosive and ironic laughter of the scene I had described—it was like a spit take.

I’m also grateful to my friend Dr. Seth Trueger, who confirmed that this was indeed the first time in the paper’s august history that the word ‘bwhahahahaha’ has made it into print.

Alright that’s enough nonsense! Hopefully you enjoyed the backstory of my earnest attempt to add a small dose of humor to an otherwise serious topic.

I’ll be back with more news and analysis soon. Thank you for being here and for reading Inside Medicine! Your presence and your interest in my work is among the greatest gifts in my life, and I truly appreciate you for being a part of this lovely and caring community.

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If you have information about any of the unfolding stories we are following, please email me or find me on Signal at InsideMedicine.88.

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