Author Alexandra Retana blogs about her book, medicine, kids, life, and whatever else comes to mind
As if right on cue, a day after I wrote my little ditty about fighting micro-aggression at the hospital, I was fed a big old dose of MACRO-aggression. No that I was particularly surprised by it, but it was just timely. So, this here goes out to all those folks who don't believe there is … Continue reading Is it ok to sew your colleague’s vagina shut so she doesn’t have more babies?
I write a lot about surreal happenings in and around the hospital because I feel like if I don't get them down on paper, maybe, they didn't happen, and in my head, I know that they did, so I must create some solid proof of this fact. I have said this before, and I'll say … Continue reading What it’s like to work at a prison hospital
Today we're going to move away from butts, and go way higher, to the chest and epigastrium: we're going to discuss acid reflux, because it seems to be acid reflux day at my office. First, let's get one very important thing out of the way. It is acid refLUX, not acid refLEX. ReFLUX - the flowing … Continue reading What you need to know about acid reflux: symptoms, diagnosis, treatment
Sexism in medicine is alive and well, and all women doctors know this. I belong to a group of about 70,000 physician mothers, and obviously, the diversity there is huge, but we can ALL agree on the fact that it's is tough to be a woman in medicine. There are some major hurdles that are … Continue reading 7 ways to fight hospital micro-aggression as a woman
"Mommy," my six-year-old says to me as he stands over the toilet. "There is a big bubble on my penis." "Heh?" I say. "A big what on your what now?" "A bubble. On my penis" So I go over to take a look, and am astounded to find what looks like an adult sized … Continue reading 7 going on 37: my baby boy gets surgery
About two weeks after I graduated medical school, when I wasn't even an official intern yet, I got my first consult. It came from a friend of my mom's, who called on the phone, and asked what to do about a painful hemorrhoid. (It's like she knew I wanted to be GI before I did!) … Continue reading A pain in the butt: everything you’ve ever wanted to know about hemorrhoids
So, I keep trying to concentrate and think about something else, but I can't. This hate fest from the weekend, and everything that has gone on with it, has got my head spinning, and myself circling down a rabbit hole. It's been discovered that trauma is passed down through the genes, and this must be true, … Continue reading The Formula of Sorrow
So I have been watching the news, and been glued to facebook non stop this weekend with the Charlottesville events going on. I can honestly say I have never been this scared in my home, in my country ever. I know that this rally started with confederates and became about uniting all the white supremacy/neo-Nazi … Continue reading Choose a torch, America
I think people have a lot of misconceptions about poop. No, really, they do. Since I am a board certified poop doctor (that's what my kids think, at least), I hear a lot of people's concerns about their pooping habits and I know that the public out there is confused. Confused and sometimes obsessed. Obsessed … Continue reading 5 things about your poop you didn’t know are normal
I remember being pregnant for the first time... The anticipation, the joy... the hemorrhoids... Just kidding. Or am I. But even if I had had hemorrhoids, hypothetically speaking, they would not be as annoying as all the weirdass attention you get as a pregnant lady. I liked it at first, up until about twenty … Continue reading Dumb things people say to pregnant women
And Why Not! 