MedEx Day 4 - May 20, 2022

Today, I shadowed Dr. Chris Troup, a pediatric neurosurgeon, and I had a wonderful experience! In shadowing Dr. Troup, I saw many different patients (~25 patients) of all different ages. The youngest patient we saw was 27 weeks of gestation, while the oldest patient was over 30! Dr. Troup explained to me that since he is comfortable seeing adults, he has no problem continuing to see patients even after their 21st birthday.

Among the many patients that we saw, two stood out. One was younger than a year old, and she was now in foster care. Although the exact reason for why she was in foster care was unknown, it seemed obvious to Dr. Troup that a likely explanation could have been that her parents had used drugs during her pregnancy. This child was born with a perfectly intact brainstem, meaning she had a heartbeat, she could breathe, and she could somewhat regulate her temperature; however, the rest of her brain had not developed at all. To be candid, this was heartbreaking to see. The young girl had less than 6 months to live, regularly was having up to 10 seizures a day, and nothing could be done for her, except a shunt which could have taken some pressure off the brain but may have prolonged her suffering. I loved watching Dr. Troup's encounter with this patient's foster parents. He calmly explained the situation to them and told them about resources which were available to the families who went through tragedies like this. Dr. Troup advised the foster parents about what he would do if this was his child and truly treated them like they were family - with compassion, respect, and patience. Another thing that stood out about this encounter was the amount of time that Dr. Troup spent with these parents. He was in no rush, as we likely spent 30+ minutes in the room with the patient and her foster parents. This is the kind of doctor that I hope to be. One who is not afraid of confronting the difficult situations, who takes the time to simply be with those who are hurting, and one who does their best to love the people around them. Dr. Troup's care reminded me a lot about my dad's dialysis treatment and transplant. As a family, we had very few encounters that resembled the care that Dr. Troup showed his patients; in fact, I remember people dismissing and not taking the time with us like Dr. Troup did/ the effect that had on our family. Providers who act like Dr. Troup make a huge difference.

Another encounter which stood out was our last visit of the day with an expecting mother and her husband. This couple was obviously on edge due to being at a pediatric neurosurgeon's office before their child's birth, and Dr. Troup did his very best to ensure that this family's concerns were quelled (as much as possible). He answered all of their questions, bringing in a model of the brain to help him explain and using many analogies to aid in comprehension. Dr. Troup also provided sagacious advice in telling the parents to just enjoy their last few weeks of the pregnancy, as there was literally no way to know if anything was wrong with their child. Once again, I hope to be like Dr. Troup in my future encounters.