Ms. Claus
Christmas morning. We are waiting on my boy to get here, and everyone is conked out. Our traditional Christmas breakfast casserole simmers, and turkey, persimmon pudding and more await. Honestly, my wife knows how to do everything. If it weren’t for her, the kids would get a bologna sandwich, some money, and a perfect immunization record.
In the candlelight service last night, the preacher got to talking about whether or not you had touched anyone in life and made a difference. Well, in my case that sure happened. I married my wife for a lot of reasons, but one was I was an average looking sort of guy, and I figured she would give me beautiful children. The plan worked. She gave me two beautiful children, a nice mandolin, a guitar, and saw to it that I didn’t work myself to death or starve, so I guess I was either smart, lucky or both.
One bad thing about being a doc is you probably do more good for others than your own people, but at least when our family is sick this old boy has the inside track on “Who you gonna call?” I’ve nursed many a family member back to health, and even made some decent holiday pick-ups, like the one Christmas Eve when my niece was limping, and had already been to the ER in another state on the way to the family gathering. Somehow someone overlooked the little piece of history that a car had tapped her in the Walmarks parking lot, and the broken fibula wasn’t too hard to diagnose. We spent Christmas Eve with our favorite Orthopedist, but she can walk straight now, so it was worth it.
Some of your patients become about like family, too. Every year I get a card from a nice lady who has retired and moved to the beach. Twenty five years ago, she came to see me and thought she had bursitis, and I got in my head it was angina. She thought I was too young to know what I was talking about, but was too scared to not comply, and wound up with a triple bypass two days later. Every year she sends a card thanking me for another year. I’m here to tell you, if you want to make an impression on your doc, that is a good way to start. After all the times I’ve put off my own people, and not done as well by them at times as I should have, that kind of recognition from your patients, who become your second family, is priceless. Believe me, I’ve saved all those cards. I hope the preacher is right and I’ve touched a few along the way. I did my best.
I hear Ms. Claus a stirring. I am off this year, and I’m gonna be the best Santa you ever saw. She deserves it, ’cause the doctor’s life is an odd one for sure.
Dr. B
Explore posts in the same categories: Holidays
Dr. Tom Bibey: Stories of the Bluegrass Music Road 
December 25, 2007 at 8:29 am
Merry Christmas to you, too, Dr. Tom. You make being a doctor sound very interesting. My husband’s a pharmacist, and has some interesting stories to tell. Usually his end with, “. . . so I told them, you need to call your doctor.”
Susan
sshay.wordpress.com
December 25, 2007 at 8:47 am
Heck fire, Ms. Susan. All these years I’ve told them to call their pharmacist! You know, when you get a question like, “Hey, Doc. This here yallar medicine that pharmacist gave me- do you think it’ll do any good?”
I look over carefully then say, “It looks like the right one to me. You better call your pharmacist!”
-Dr. B
December 25, 2007 at 10:39 am
Don’t ever underestimate the effect you have on your readers. We’re a growing and loyal bunch who have found in Doc Bibey a kindred soul who speaks to an inner part of us many docs think is only a rumor or a myth. Thanks for sharing the joys, triumphs, frustrations, and even failures of your many faceted life. – The English Professor
December 25, 2007 at 10:51 am
God bless you, brother Ted. Before it’s all over I reckon I’ll tell all about what it is like to be a small town doc. I am humbled that folks want to read of it. Merry Christmas to you and Irene.
-Dr. B
December 26, 2007 at 9:01 am
When DH and I lived in Pryor, there was a doc who’d been a pharmacist, then went on to be a doctor. I wonder who he passed the buck to?
(I know one who was a pharmacist, then became a lawyer and is now a college professor. Go figure!)
Susan
December 26, 2007 at 9:26 am
Lawdy! I believe in that case I’d sent ’em to Ms. Clause- she knows more than me.
-Dr. B
December 26, 2007 at 3:44 pm
I have a soft spot for men who love their wives. I very much enjoyed this entry, Dr. Tom.
I feel the way about my students that you do about your patients. I’ve grown very close to a select few of them (one of them sent my cell phone a text message on Christmas, the dear girl). My family is my #1 priority, always, but it is wonderful to be able to adopt new members along the way.
And I’m with Ted – we influence more people through our writing than we probably realize. Add me to you list…
December 26, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Hey mrschili- I’m telling all the teachers to read your blog, so if you start getting traffic from N.C. it might be some of my folks. I’ll send the good students over there to look, but I won’t tell the bad or mean ones about your site- you’ve probably got your hands full with all that anyway!
-Dr. B