1/
#HumanismAlways, Day 1

Me: “Lights on or off?”

You looked at me and smirked. I paused with my hand on the switch.

You: “That’s in the script?”
Me: “Say what now?”
You: “What my druthers is when it come to anything.”

You chuckled.

You: “We don’t call no shots.”

Ooph.
2/
Me: *nervous laugh*
You: “Y’all be asking stuff like we got a say. But then y’all do what y’all want. Wake you up and stick you with a needle. Put some cold hands on you. Talk your damn head off.”
Me: “Ouch.”

*laughter*

You: “Oh wait. You do get to pick what you gon’ eat.”
3/
Neighbor in next bed: *yelling* “Buuuuuuull-shit!”

*laughter*

Neighbor: “They got me on soup with no noodles and jello!”
Me: *chuckling* “Maybe your doctor wants you on clear foods and liquids.”
You: “Or maybe your doctor just doing whatever they feel like.”

*laughter*
4/
Neighbor: “Talking ‘bout some, ‘Lights on or lights off?’ Then give you some jello and thassit.”
You: “Right?!” *laughing* “Or order a test that you ain’t ask for but got to starve for all day for!”

If they could’ve high-fived through the curtain they would have.

Hmmmm.
5/
I sat on the bedside chair and listened to the banter back and forth between the two beds.

You turned and looked at me. Your face warmed into a smile and you reached for my hand. I took it.

Me: “How can we do better?”

You chuckled again.
6/
Me: “I’m for real!”

Your face grew serious.

You: “Count to five.”
Me: “Say what now?”
You: “Like count to five ‘fore you walk in and ‘fore you walk out. If you do that, that’s all you need.”

*silence*

You: “Do that make sense?”
Me: *slow nod* “Total sense.”
7/
And so. I stood up and walked over to the door. With my hand on the light switch, I counted to five in my head.

And a few things came to me:

1. Your light had been off before I came in.
2. I’d muted your television and hadn’t turned it back on.
3. I’d left your sock off.
8/
I walked back to your bed.

Me: “You okay with me putting things back like I found them? Or something else?”
You: “That sound good.”

And so I did.

Lights off.
Sound on.
Two socks.

And all it took was counting to five.

Me: “I’ll see you a little later.”
9/
You: “Okey doke.”

I stepped out into the hallway. As I stepped away I heard someone calling me and stuck my head into the door.

Neighbor: “Yooooo!! You ain’t ask me what I wanted! Hook me up with some solid food!”

*laughter*

Me: “I’ll pass that on.”

*laughter*
10/
And so. Today, wherever you are caring for patients, consider my patient’s wise advice and count to five.

One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.

It’s all you need to get off the script and into the person.

Yeah.

💛

#humanismalways
#solidarityweek

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More from @gradydoctor

Feb 16
1/
#HumanismAlways, Day 2

Me: "How did physical therapy go?"
Him: "They said I did good."
Me: "Good stuff. What all did y'all do?"
Him: "Shiid. What all didn't we do?"

*laughter*

Him: "But for real, though, they said I'm making progress."
Me: *nodding*

*silence* Image
2/
Him: "You good?"
Me: "Me? Oh, thanks for asking. I'm doing okay."
Him: "Just okay?"

I pursed my lips under my mask and put a hand on my hip.

Me: "You know? I'm just kind of . . . I don't know. Seems like every time I look up, it's some bad news happening somewhere."
3/
Him: *nodding* "I know that's right. If it ain't one thang it's another."

After saying that, he began to snap his finger and sing an old R&B song.

Him: *sings* "If it ain't. . . . one thang. . . .it's another. . " *laughter* "You don't know nothin' 'bout that!"
Read 11 tweets
Jan 28
1/
Today at Grady

Them: "Did you watch it?"
Me: "I saw a part of it this morning. But that was too much so I stopped."

*silence*

Me: "Did you?"
Them: "I ain't gon' even lie. I did. I kept saying I wasn't but I did."

*silence*

Me: "You okay?"
Them: "Define 'okay.'"
2/
Me: "I hear you. Retract that."

*silence*

Them: "Know what? I actually don't even recommend you watch it. 'Specially not the real bad parts."
Me: *listening*
Them: "Plus you got manchildren. It'll fuck you up too much." *covers mouth* "I mean, mess you up."
Me: *nods*
3/
Them: "Dude was a hunned-forty pounds. Prob'ly soaking wet!" *shaking head*
Me: "Even if he was 3-fifty he didn't deserve that."
Them: "But got damn! A hunned-forty? Maaaaane. That's fucked up." *raises brow* "I mean messed up."
Me: "Nah, fam. It's just what you said."
Read 7 tweets
Jan 27
1/
You: “Is Atlanta home for you?”

I finished tying the back of your gown and stepped around to face you.

Me: “Sir?”
You: “Is here your home town?”
Me: “No, sir.” *shaking head*
You: “Hmmm. But Georgia, right?”

I laughed and shook my head again. You furrowed your brow. Image
2/
Me: “I’m was born and raised out west. Specifically Inglewood, California.”

You smirked and squinted an eye at me. Then you sucked your teeth.

You: “Yeah right.”

Out came a gravelly chuckle then your face grew serious.

You: “California, you say?”

I nodded.
3/
You studied my face as you folded your leathery fingers on your lap.

You: “California by way of where?”
Me: “Huh?”

I paused, trying to see what you were getting at. A warm expression came over your face and your eyes twinkled.

You: “By way of where in the south?”
Read 10 tweets
Jan 24
1/
You were off the floor when I’d tried to see you earlier. You were gone again when I came back after lunch.

Now it was late afternoon. I tapped on the wall next to your bed and was glad to see the mound of your feet under the covers.

You: “Heeeey. Come on in.”

So I did. Image
2/
The television was blaring overhead. A guest chef was doing a cooking demonstration and lauding the merits of lime zest.

You: “Lime zest?” You snorted and gave your head a tiny shake. Then you repeated yourself. “Lime zest.”

I looked at you and gave a neutral nod.
3/
Me: “How’d the procedures go today?”
You: “I lived to tell! So I guess that’s a good sign.”

We both chuckled.

Me: “You in any pain?”
You: “Right now? Nah. I’m good. How you doing?”
Me: “Me? I’m good.”

You sat up for me to examine you without me even asking.

And so I did.
Read 13 tweets
Jan 6
1/
If bright-eyed, bushy-tailed neophyte faculty me had joined @EmoryGIM with the process described in this @JHospMedicine piece? I am certain that I would’ve been promoted far sooner.

Especially as a woman and a minority.

For us? This piece was personal.

Let me explain.
2/
There are so people in academic medicine working super hard but not getting any closer to promotion to senior ranks.

Yup.

When I started, I just assumed that as long as I kept showing up, one day a trumpet would sound and someone would tell me it was time to “go up.”
3/
So I enthusiastically took on institutional committees, did my clinical work with zeal, and said “OK” to anything that might “look good on my CV.”

Yup.

But what I didn’t realize is, without a plan, not only would my efforts feel Sisyphean—after a while I’d surely burn out.
Read 11 tweets
Dec 9, 2022
1/
When I saw you on rounds that morning you were quiet. Your eyes looked in my direction but were otherwise vacant.

This was a change.

Me: "You okay?"
You: "Yup."

There was coolness in the way you spoke. After that, you turned away from me and faced the wall.

Ooph. Image
2/
I asked you to sit up in bed and carefully untied the back of your gown. I searched your back with my stethoscope.

Me: "Can you take a deep breath?"
You: *deep breath*
Me: "And let it out."
You: *let it out*

You did as I asked. But it was all business.

Still chilly.
3/

I thought I'd attempt to lift the mood.

Me: "You sound a lot better."
You: *head nod and shrug*

*silence*

This wasn’t my first time caring for you. So, for the most part, our interactions were warm and familiar.

But not today.

Me: “You good?”

You raised an eyebrow.
Read 20 tweets

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