Have you seen the movie ‘Julie and Julia?’ It’s a chick flick, a story about Julia Child, cooking, and an aspiring writer. Yawn… right? Well, I’ll lay my masculinity on the line here and give it my endorsement. But, as a man, it can only be viewed in the presence of your wife, or romantic interest. If watched alone, all self-dignity will be lost. Continue reading →

I have discovered my super power.  I wasn’t born with it, but it gradually manifested itself in my young adulthood, and is now full-fledged and powerful.  I really didn’t know what I had, however, until just recently…

It all started one afternoon, when I received a text, from this beautiful blonde gal ——(my wife Heidi).  It read something like this:

Well, rest assured, we are still missionaries here in Honduras, but that little 6 legged blob in the sink, was indeed, a louse (plural:  lice). Continue reading →

There are so many smells in a hospital.  Most of them are not pleasant.  Oh, there’s the occasional waft of baby powder from a newborn;  A fleeting whiff of rich coffee from the Doctor’s lounge;  or the rare aroma of something tasty from the cafeteria.  But by and large, most odors in a hospital are repulsive. Continue reading →

Strangely enough, last week, 2 of our patients needed holes in their heads…  More about that in just a bit.  Throughout the ages, different civilizations have employed various versions of making holes in the skulls of humans (while still alive) in the attempt to alleviate various infirmities.   Continue reading →

The roads have never been worse since we’ve been living in Honduras.  Potholes filled with mud vandalize the dirt roads just outside the hospital.  The rainy season has taken it’s toll on them, and the pothole-fixin’-fairy hasn’t been to this part of the jungle in many months.  Traveling anywhere right now requires a mental and physical preparation.   It’s like punching yourself in the gut over and over.  I have to perform a ritual of calisthenics to stretch my neck and back, arms and wrists, as I physically ready myself for the jostling, jarring, combat of a truck ride to town. Continue reading →

So, this post is way overdue…

Let me tell you about another horrible disease.  There are not too many “Dermatology Emergencies.”  When you’re at the hospital, you never hear an urgent page overhead screaming, “We need a dermatologist in the ER, STAT, dammit!”   Continue reading →

I’ll share with you about Felipe, a 74 year old gentleman whom I saw in the ER yesterday.  His family brought him in for “stomach pain,” but the long-story-short of it is that he has gastric cancer, and probably terminal. Continue reading →

You may not be aware of some of the strange pathology that exists in the world.  For instance, who would of thought that babies can be born without an anus?  Well unfortunately, “imperforate anus” is a not-so-uncommon diagnosis, and we see more than our fair share of these children, mainly because we can care for them—word gets out in Honduras when you are able to offer specialty care for certain conditions (if I had a Lempira for every enlarged prostate I’ve cared for…). Continue reading →

There’s a couple patients that stand out to me lately.  I’ve been meaning to write about Donny V for awhile.

Donny V is a friendly gentleman who came to us with a severe foot and lower leg infection.  He had Osteomyelitis, which means the infection actually extended into the bone.  It didn’t take Dr. Jeff long to determine he needed an amputation. Continue reading →