3. Meet Doreen
March 30, 2022 Meet Doreen. She is the wife of Dave the Travel Pig. Doreen was gifted to me in 2010 by my coworker and good friend Lori. Fast forward to 2022 and Doreen is now my personal breast cancer mascot. We are headed to the hospital tonight for surgery tomorrow – mine, not hers! […]
2. The Breast Cancer Experience: Frequently Asked Questions
How was it discovered? Screening mammogram and ultrasound. Did you feel a lump? No. Did you do self-breast exams regularly? Yes. Which side? Left breast. Right breast was normal, no cancer there. What stage was it? Based on imaging – 1A. Based on final pathology – 2A. The mass was actually bigger than what was […]
1. Plot Twist!
Blog readers may have noticed I haven’t been posting regularly in 2022. There’s a very good reason for that. I’ve been writing stuff – but they’re not here on the blog, because of the personal and sensitive nature of the topic. One year later I’m ready to put it out there, so here goes. In […]
What is Rehabilitation Medicine?
Rehabilitation Medicine is also known as Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R), Physical Rehabilitation and Medicine (PRM) or Physiatry (fizz-ee-AHT-ree, or fee-SIGH-ah-tree; from the Greek physio = of nature or physical, iatrea = act of healing or doctor). As you can see, this medical specialty has some sort of an identity crisis… which does not help […]
Screening month is finally over (April 2024)
April 29, 2024 Breast cancer update. Doreen and I were busy this month. Medical oncologist visit, chest x-ray, bone scan, whole abdomen ultrasound are all clear (my liver ultrasound says I am fat… yes, I am working on that weight loss!). Next round of screening in about six months.
On Physician Identity and Advocacy
Our Department of Professionalism, Medical Ethics and Humanities at the St. Luke’s Medical Center College of Medicine – William H. Quasha Memorial had a double-header of a day today for the Introduction to the Medical Profession (IMP) subjects for first and second year medical students. IMP 1 (for first year students) focuses on identity formation […]
We’ve Got Your Back! TVUP Webinar #187
About two weeks ago, my INTARMED classmate Dr. Dave Dizon messaged me and asked if I could be a reactor for a webinar at which he would be the main speaker. His talk would be the main entree while my shorter bit would be the accompanying side dish [note: this speaker-with-reactor format is popular in […]
Tech Neck and Upper Limb Injuries in the Digital Age
March 18, 2024 Our University of the Philippines College of Medicine class of 1999 is celebrating our silver jubilee this year – 25 years since we graduated from medical school. As silver jubilarians, we are the grand alumni homecoming hosts for the college and have lots of activities lined up through 2024. One of these […]
Medical Humanities back-to-back day
March 13, 2024 Medical Humanities module for Introduction to the Medical Profession (IMP) done for 1st year and 2nd year medical students. Whee Grateful for supportive co-faculty that helped facilitate the small group discussions today. We started with a short talk by myself about the Medical (Health) Humanities, and then broke out into smaller groups […]
Launching PAM at PARM 2024
Late post, because there was a lot going on this past weekend and we’re all still recuperating. The Philippine Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine’s (PARM) 34th annual convention from February 22-25 started off with a Research Day on the 22nd, showcasing the latest research studies, case reports and poster presentations from the seven training institutions offering […]
Performing Arts Medicine Clinic Goes Live!
February 10, 2024. Lunar new year (year of the wood dragon). Today I got to do what I set out to do in medical school: have a clinic exclusively for performing artists. Could not have done this without the support of many, many people across the years – grateful to them, and to God who […]
PAM Clinic + Lunar (Chinese) New Year… we’re open anyway!
28 years after discovering Performing Arts Medicine in medical school, this is a dream come true! Thanks very much to UP Kolehiyo ng Musika, UP College of Medicine and PGH Department of Rehabilitation Medicine for making this happen. We did not realize we were opening on the first day of the Lunar New Year, which […]
63. Hello from Doreen after a Long Time, and (the lack of) Bone Density
Hello from me and Doreen the Breast Cancer Mascot this Saturday morning, on the way to the hospital for my checkup She also kept me company while waiting to be seen in clinic. Breast surgeon Dr. Aldine Basa met Doreen in real life for the first time today, and like most people she was surprised […]
2024 Grand Alumni Homecoming Launch
Many schools in the Philippines have this tradition that the silver jubilarian alumni class (i.e., the alumni who graduated 25 years ago) organizes and hosts the alumni homecoming for that year. Since we graduated from medical school in 1999, that would be us and here we are hosting a year’s worth of events for the […]
