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Kimberly D. Manning, MD

17 Nov, 16 tweets, 5 min read

1/
1st day on a new service:

Me: "Hey there. . . Mr. Jones? I’m Dr. Manning. I’m the new senior doctor on your team."
Him: *arms folded in chair and staring at floor* "Mmm hmm."
Me: “Good to meet you.”

*silence*

I noticed his long, long legs extending across the linoleum.

2/
Me: “Hmm. Let me guess...are you... 6’4? 6’5?"
Him: *eyeroll*

*silence*

Him: "That's a dumb-ass question.”
Me: “My bad, sir. Guess I was just curious and thought I'd ask."
Him: "Go on and get curious 'bout these lungs, hear?"

Yikes.

3/
Mr. Jones took exaggerated breaths as I auscultated his back. Lungs had good air exchange. He wasn't requiring oxygen. And, according to the respiratory therapist, he was tolerating less frequent breathing treatments.

This meant he'd be safe for discharge home.

4/
Me: "I think you sound good, sir. What do you think about going home today?"
Him: "That sound good. Can I go NOW?" *stands up*
Me: *staring up* "Um, as soon as we get your meds and paperwork together, okay?"
Him: *plops back down and rolls his eyes*

*silence*

5/
Me: "Where do you live, Mr. Jones?"
Him: *huffs* "Damn! Where YOU live, lady?"
Me: *coughing* "Um, well I'm just asking so that I can make sure we have a safe discharge plan. And also to set up a ride for you."
Him: *rolling eyes and looking annoyed* "Jesus!"

*silence*

6/
Me: "So. . . Mr. Jones, do you have someone who can come pick you up?"
Him: "I'm a nomad."
Me: *squinting eyes* "A . . .nomad?"
Him: "You heard me. A NOMAD. N-O-M-A-D."

*silence*

7/
Me: "So, just to be clear. . . does that mean you. . .DO or you DON'T have anyone that you can--"
Him: "DAMN! Are you SLOW? Do you even KNOW what a NOMAD is?” *groaning* “Jesus Christ, lady!"
Me: *knowing I shouldn't laugh but wanting to so bad*

8/
Me: "Um . .yes. Nomads are people who wander from place to place--"
Him: "From place to place BY THEY DAMN SELF."
Me: *in my head* "Um, technically nomads roll deep sometimes. . . "
Me: *out loud* "Okay, but you do have a plan for after you leave?"

9/
Him: “Yesss! Yes! Damn. You making my damn head hurt."

*silence while watching him scowl*

Me: "Mr. Jones? You seem kind of aggravated. Is everything okay? Or is there anything I can do to help?"

10/
Him: *raising voice* "Know why I SEEM aggravated? 'Cause I AM aggravated. I told y’all soon as I got here that my bowels ain't moved in 5 DAYS and they swore up and down they was gon' give me something for it. Ain't nobody gave me NOTHING! NOTHING!"

11/
Me: "Oh no! I'm so sorry about that, sir."
Him: "You FULL OF SHIT!"
Me: *eyes widening*
Him: *eyes widening back*

*silence*

Him: *eyes starting to twinkle with mischief and starting to smirk*
Me: *lip twitching, stifling laughter*
Him: "See. . .you got jokes."

*laughter*

12/
Me: "I mean. . . that is kind of funny seeing as TECHnically. . . ."
Him: *cackling* "You BET not say it!"

*collective laughter*

Me: “You started it, sir!”
Him: *still laughing* "Maaaane. Dr. Manning, if you don’t let me up out this hospital!"

He had the best smile.

13/
Me: "I'm trying but you keep hazing me! Talking 'bout some: 'Mmmm hmmm. Get curious 'bout these lungs!'"
Him: "That's 'cause YOU was all over the place with them dumb-ass questions. Talking 'bout some 'I know you dying but how tall are you, sir?'”

*howling with laughter*

14/
Me: *holding my side laughing* "For real though! I needed to know! Like what if maybe your poop has a longer way to travel since you're 6 foot. . . .oh yeah. You wouldn't tell me."
Him: *slapping his long leg* "I'm 6 foot NINE and that ain't no kinda true!"

*laughter*

15/
We wrapped up the D/C plan—which included a bowel regimen. By the end, we were like old friends.

Me: "Alright then, Jones. You pretty cool for a 6 foot 9 nomad."
Him: "And you ain't quite as slow as I thought, Manning."

Me: *smiles*
Him: *smiles back*

Such a great smile.

16/
Here's what I know for sure:

1. Most ice melts if you stick around long enough for it to happen.
2. Oh, and nobody likes being constipated. Not even a N-O-M-A-D.

I love this job. So very much.

#HumanismAlways #AmazingGrady

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More from @gradydoctor

Kimberly D. Manning, MD

@gradydoctor

11 Nov

1/
She almost ran me over. Right outside the Grady entrance by Jesse Hill Jr. Drive.

Her: "Sorry, 'scuse me!"

She blew by panting and didn’t even look in my direction. As she did, her right shoulder shrugged hard to secure the diaper bag sliding off of it.

Me: “It’s okay.”

2/
Her young face was troubled and full of urgency and determination. Too much urgency if you asked me. But so very determined.

The next words she spoke were for the preschooler who, instead of keeping up with her, was studying me.

Her: "Come on! I said we in a hurry!"

3/
I playfully raised my eyebrows and wiggled my fingers at the child who, instead of smiling back, recoiled toward her mother. Still, as they passed me by, she craned her neck keeping those eyes trained on me in my long white coat.

My long white coat.

Oh yeah, that.

Read 20 tweets

Kimberly D. Manning, MD

@gradydoctor

7 Nov

1/
Few things excite me more than seeing someone win an award in which I helped prepare the #awardnomination.

BEST.
THING.
EVER.

After lots of winning (and losing) nominations—and awards committees—I’ve developed an approach.

Let’s discuss, shall we?

2/
Okay, so let’s break this thing down like this using these 5 Ws:

WHO
WHAT
WHEN
WHERE
WHY

I like to start here before proceeding. Why? Because an honest assessment is key before passing go.

Feel me?

3/
Let’s be concrete:

WHO/WHAT: What’s the award & is it suitable for the individual? Are they in the target group?
WHEN: Do you have time to prepare a strong nomination by the deadline or nah?
WHERE/WHY: National? Regional? How can this advance your colleague?

Got it?

Read 16 tweets

Kimberly D. Manning, MD

@gradydoctor

5 Nov

1/
Typing notes & earhustling at the nurses’ station:

Older lady: "Where you been?"
Younger lady: "I lost my grandmother so was away."
OL: *looks sad* "Oh, really? Baby, I'm so sorry for your lost."
YL: "Loss."
Me: *looks up from computer*
OL: "Beg pardon?"

OMG. OMG. OMG.

2/
YL: "You said 'LOST.' It's my LOSS that you’re sorry for."
Me: *mouthing after tiny gasp* "Oh snaaaaap!"

*awkward silence*

YL: "No T. Like, LOST is mostly a verb and LOSS is a noun."
Me: *silent scream into fist*

*silence*

(actual GIF of me in that moment)👇🏾

3/
OL: "Well. Okay. I'm sorry for all of it whatever the hell you call it."
YL: "Just say LOSS with an S not LOST like a lost and found."
OL: "Wait. Am I giving you condolences and you gon' give me. . . . a grammar lesson?”

*super duper awkward silence while OL glares at her*

Read 4 tweets

Kimberly D. Manning, MD

@gradydoctor

27 Oct

1/
I gave a talk and it was good.
But I wanted it to be great.

I looked at the evals.
I had a trusted colleague give feedback.
I practiced.

I gave the talk again.
Incorporated those insights.
And it was great.

But I wanted it to be greater.

2/
I asked someone I respect to watch the talk.
And give some immediate feedback.
They did.

Then, they asked me to send my slides.
And I did.

They took some time and looked at them.
Then gave me even more feedback.
Specific and laser focused.

On my "great" talk.

Yup.

3/
Like, slide by slide feedback.

"Keep this."
"Maybe ditch that."
"Consider tweaking this."
"Develop that more."

Yup.

They also asked what I thought.
Because that part matters, too.
And we incorporated that into even more feedback.

Yup.

Read 8 tweets

Kimberly D. Manning, MD

@gradydoctor

23 Oct

1/
Who lives?
Who dies?
Who tells your story?

You would have been 100 years old yesterday. And, from what I hear, if it were up to you that day would have involved teaching and patient care.

And family, too.

Yup.

2/
I met you before you departed. Stood by as you taught EKG vectors feeling relieved that you weren’t calling on junior faculty.

Whew!

When it came to teaching, you were, as we used to say around my way, “‘bout that life.”

Yeah. That.

‘Bout that LIFE.

3/
But back to those questions from #Hamilton—who lives? Who dies? Who dies? Who tells your story?

I know—you’re like, “What is #Hamilton? But stay with me, sir.

I think it’s a question about legacy and impact. I think that’s why it’s my favorite song in that whole show.

Yup.

Read 11 tweets

Kimberly D. Manning, MD

@gradydoctor

18 Oct

1/
You: "You from Cali?"
Me: "How'd you guess?"
You: "I hear it, baby."

*laughter*

Me: "I know where you're from."
You: "Yeah?"
Me: "Louisiana. 100%."

You smirked after I said that. Then came a slow wink and a nod.

You: "N'Orleans. All day and all night, baby!"

*laughter*

2/
Me: "I knew for sure when you said 'baaaby.'”
You: "Yeeeeah, baby. It's hard to hide."

*laughter*

You: "But real talk? This funny accent saved my life, baby."

I raised my eyebrows and leaned forward.

Me: "Tell me more."

3/
You: "I came here after Katrina. Ain't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of! And I ain't exaggerating neither, baby. I'm talking the clothes on my back and nothing else."
Me: "Family? Did you have any in Atlanta?"
You: "Nope. None.”
Me: *shaking head* "Whoa."

Read 15 tweets

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