Katie Fortenberry

May 8, 2023 | kevinmd.com | Ton La |Katie Fortenberry |Michael Joyce |Brian A. Primack

It was a calm and quiet night in the ICU during my rotation when suddenly, the piercing sound of a code blue alarm filled the air. An elderly female patient, 66 years old, had come in earlier with lung clots due to ovarian cancer. She was on the other side of the hospital, and as part of the ICU team, I was tasked along with my attending to immediately go see the patient that was suffering from a heart attack.

Apr 23, 2023 | kevinmd.com | Scott Abramson |Katie Fortenberry |Lindsay Mazotti |Valerie Jones

When we physicians discuss “work-life balance,” we often imply that our dedication to our work is so consuming and imbalanced that we end up sacrificing time with our families. To achieve a better balance and promote a healthier family life, we strive to limit our work hours to make more time for our home lives. I wonder if the reverse can also be true. When our home life becomes overwhelming or isn’t going smoothly, do we intentionally or unintentionally spend more time at work?

Apr 14, 2023 | kevinmd.com | Jenna Podjasek |Jay Wong |Katie Fortenberry |Damane Zehra

An excerpt from Particles in the Air. As he sat in the empty waiting room several hours later, Forest couldn’t recall how he made it through the remainder of the morning. He had never felt so terrible in his life, even as a child. His chest and ribs were exceptionally sore from three days of near-constant coughing. I’ve worked too hard on this opening to be sick now. I just need antibiotics and a good night’s sleep. I’ll be fine by tomorrow. He glanced at the clock, eager to get back to the office.

Mar 29, 2023 | kevinmd.com | Kevin Haselhorst |Paige Budde |Jay Wong |Katie Fortenberry

With no true endgame or advance directive, Tom Brady’s legacy as an NFL superstar and family man remains nebulous. Is his recent retirement from football officially the end? Will he entertain offers to stay alive and play one more year? With being at the 45-year-old “yard line” and facing the goalpost at the end of the football field, what’s his endgame for the next year? When do the false promises end and the final wishes begin? Like Tom Brady, most seniors do not have a ready endgame.

Mar 26, 2023 | kevinmd.com | Rebecca Fogg |Jay Wong |Katie Fortenberry |Harvey Chochinov

An excerpt from Beautiful Trauma: An Explosion, an Obsession, and a New Lease on Life. The experience of trauma changes us. Like spilled ink, it seeps into every aspect of our being, perceptibly and imperceptibly tinting memory, perspective, identity, and beliefs, long after clinical symptoms fade.