HEADoc Concedes (Adventures of The HEADoc)

  The HEADoc has made the decision to concede. . . 

from his 4 month one on one campaign of taming nature which he referred to as a challenging but enlightening experience that had therapeutic benefits in all 3 spheres of mental, spiritual, and physical health. The most devastating blow to the campaign surprisingly was not the 2 fires or the constant myalgia but turned out to be the escalating effects of the imminently approaching scorching summer sun in conjunction with multiple chigger bites in uncomfortable places, poison ivy, poison oak, sumac, and finally a tiny deer tick found attached with the characteristic bulls eye rash that often precedes Lyme’s disease. The HEADoc did learn that all ticks don’t carry the pathogen but even when infection occurs it is usually completely curable if treated with a course of doxycycline or amoxicillin for 3 weeks.

Joe Thomas’ Land Clearing was contacted for relief and brought in the Bull Dozer and other heavy equipment. In 2 days time 2 acres were completely cleared, a task that would have required perhaps a year of Saturdays for the HEADoc to complete alone, were he to actually survive the ordeal. The HEADoc states that if he had it to do all over again, that except for a blunder or two, he would choose the same course of action. He found a certain sense of satisfaction in reconnecting physically with a place of so many cherished memories from a different time period. Talks with his mother, who is the last living member of her generation of the family are more special than if a contractor were just hired to have done the job from start to finish. So Operation Land Clear has been deemed a success.

 The cat is home, calm again and grounded for life. The HEADoc was scolded by a commenter for never having her spayed. The HEADoc will accept that responsibility and accountability. He understands that it is the right thing to do since this is his 6^th time adopting cats and all the previous pets were sterilized properly except one who got pregnant at 10 months of age. Maybe it’s a Freudian thing, and The HEADoc understands the word humane but the thought of cutting out reproductive organs can be quite repulsive. I suppose it must be viewed as a necessary evil.

 The HEADoc received 8 hours of Continuing Medical Education on Saturday, May 17^th in the area of Buprenorphine treatment for opioid addiction. Not that The HEADoc needs any more chemically dependent patients, but he just needs to be prepared in the latest techniques for managing this condition. Two of three case discussions involved cocaine abusers, and The HEADoc made his strong felt disdain and negative counter-transference for many crack users known among some of the top experts in the country from Boston . There were some nice academic discussions and the naïve individuals present allowed their hearts to bleed a bit, but the ultimate answer was to define your limits of how far to go with patients who cannot comply with treatment agreements or with the law. The HEADoc draws the line at telling lies and smoking crack, although that is usually a package deal and the lying is actually worse than the crack.

  Basically no one has a solution for handling most of these refractory crack and crystal meth addicts who choose not to sincerely seek rehabilitation but thrive on manipulation and deception. Their brains have been so badly damaged that oblivious self destruction is hardwired into their behavior. The HEADoc’s policy will continue to be to identify and dismiss ASAP all crack users who won’t admit to having a problem with using crack for it is pure insanity for a doctor to try and treat such a person without effective extended support.

More Adventures of the HEADoc

 My cat has lost her mind . . .

and I have no training in feline psychology. She's 3 years old now. What's that in human years, 16? Erroneously I thought I could keep her locked indoors and avoid having her fixed. Not! As a kitten she once ventured outside and got lost for a couple of hours. A neighbor returned her and for the next couple of years she didn't try that again. The first time she went into heat I had no idea what the heck was happening. She also had worms at the time, so I thought her behavioral changes had something to do with that. The injection at the vet cleared up the worms and he told me not to worry about the estrace cycle. Having her spayed could take care of the problem. I procrastinated. No, I just didn't do it.

I got pretty accustomed to her running to the door to greet me upon my return home from work. Sometimes she could be quite annoying by clinging to my every action. This Spring she developed a habit of running past me when I open the door. Once outside there would be an obvious look of confusion as if she didn't really understand why she did what she just did. She would then sniff the rug a few times and run back inside the door just as fast as she ran out. After seeing an apparent stray calico tom cat hanging around outside, I started to become suspicious. He was probably communicating to her through the door while I was away. He was perhaps planning a not so secret rendezvous. Two weeks ago she ran toward me as I opened the door to come in. This time she didn't even look back as she ran off into the darkness. There was no response to my meow calls for the next 4 days. Just when I was about to give up on her, she presents to the door meowing as if nothing has happened. She has lost considerable weight and seems to be starving. I figured she had learned her lesson. I was wrong. She's been away for 2 days so far this time. Anybody want a kitten, or two?

The HEADoc has become pretty crafty with his Chainsaw. . . 

and Beaver Saw brush blade through his Saturdays land clearing project. He's learned quite a bit about felling trees over the past several Saturdays of practice. During the last episode of Adventures of The HEADoc the pyromania party was crashed by the Siler City Fire Department. The HEADoc felt this was unnecessary. Oh what a difference a month can make.

This Saturday, The HEADoc experienced an apparent slip in judgment as he attempted to defy the laws of gravity and balance. He seemed to forget how recent it had been when he knew nothing about operating a chainsaw or cutting down a tree. Today The HEADoc would attempt to make a professional cut that at some point becomes the mistake of most amateur lumber jacks. Today he would make the tree he planned to cut fall away from the power lines in a controlled cut. Half way into the cut The HEADoc became acutely aware that he was in over his head. The hinge cut caused the chainsaw to be pinched firmly into the tree as gravity and balance refused to cooperate with The HEADoc's plan. As a public service The HEADoc wishes to remind all amateur chainsaw operators that this is the point to call the power company and swallow your pride. Tell them you are in the process of screwing up and need them to bail you out. They have the equipment to right the situation.

That said, most readers can probably assume that the HEADoc probably did not follow this prudent advice. He did learn a valuable lesson that will power is no match for physics. Yes, you guessed it. The HEADoc used the other saw to finish the cut. The tree refused to fall in the direction planned. The tree fell directly onto the power lines. The 4th of July came on May 3 for The HEADoc. The sparks and explosions were spectacular. The display culminated in a real fire this time. The HEADoc was not calm and collected this time because the situation was not under control. A passer by and a neighbor lended a hand to help control the fire until the Fire Department arrived. The passer by offered the humiliated HEADoc some consolation by admitting that the same thing had happened to him before. The neighbor's father had once felled a tree onto their house. Maybe this behavior is encoded in the Y Chromosome.

Suicide by Cop

   A few hours ago . . .

I learned of the fatal shooting of a 22 year old man in Greensboro  during a traffic check. The family of this young man is well known and close to my family. He was unarmed but shot 6 times in the  chest by an officer. Seventeen years ago, at age 29 his father met  the same fate but only received 4 bullets to the chest when the  police arrived at the scene of a domestic disturbance. Those not intimately involved with such a case seem to have little difficulty making such comments as "they got what they deserved" or that "the officers had no alternative than to kill them." I wonder if these people would make such comments were it their relative or friend who was executed. I feel justified in this stance because I know that neither of these young men were killers and did not  necessarily have to die  in the way they did. True, there was a problem with anger and defiance, but does that warrant death?       I wish that race weren't a factor but race is always a factor. Traditionally, the police in most metro areas are perceived more as a threat than a friend by the average black man. This often adds to the frustration the subject might already feel. Being a black man in America is itself a risk factor to developing mental instability, in my view. One must learn over time to become desensitized to the expectations or prejudices of many of the  majority culture. Critics of my words here will be out of touch  with the reality I experience each day and see me as being wrong in a sense. I have learned to try and enjoy the dual role that comes with the territory of being a doctor and being black.I think it's even quite different from being Asian, Latino, or another ethnicity. In general, other such ethnic groups don't quite have the same built in stigma to overcome. The treatment received in stores, restaurants, banks, from real estate agents has been quite frustrating at times. My situation is unique in that I do get to experience the good side of things in my other life as a doctor. So I really can't complain about my life.       I do understand what many other blacks who don't have the luxury of being more than black may experience. I also understand well what Senator Obama faces in trying to win enough support to win the Democratic Nomination and the Presidency. There will perhaps never in our lifetime be a Black candidate and few non-black candidates who are any more capable of doing good things for America. But because of his race, some people are willing to do anything to block his progress. McCain can make gaffs all day without consequence but Obama's every word is scrutinized to find anything to use against him to cause more fear and confusion among the impressionable. After GWB the qualification card is a moot point. The time is right for us to finally start to move beyond race.       Back to my original point... Many people are affected when a life is taken. I read where the officer who shot the young man's father 4 times developed emotional problems afterward. I know personally how deeply the family of the deceased were affected from that fatal intervention in 1990. I hoped that maybe such a tragedy would at least never happen again. But it has. I went to  school with the father and I believe there was some mental illness and probably some self medicating but I do not believe for a minute that he was a killer. In essence he did commit suicide by cop. Was this his intent? We may never know. Was this the intent of his son last Friday? Should cops have alternatives to lethal force when placed in situations where they might be used in an impulsive suicide attempt by a mentally impaired individual? Will this officer suffer from emotional guilt or is he one of the cops who lack a conscience after ending a life by choice? I do know that this was a family of good people and they hurt. They hurt even more because of the unanswered questions. I don't think people should judge or make smug or insensitive comments about the situation unless they have been in that situation themselves.                                  Reference: The Trouble Maker Blog http://www.suicidebycop.com/ http://suicideandmentalhealthassociationinternational.org/libsuibycop.html

http://thetroublemaker.blogspot.com/2008/04/latest-shooting-brings-more-tragedy-to.html