This post wraps up 2018. I'll be taking 3 weeks off, and will see you guys in January.
December 21, 2008, was, apparently, a slow news day. In looking backwards I really can't find any articles of note from the major news outlets on that date's happenings.
But to me it was a big day as I published my first post here.
A lot of factors had led up to it. For years I'd been collecting stories hoping to write a book... someday. But life, work, and kids get in the way of those things. At some point I realized the book was never going to happen.
Then, in 2008, a change in my practice led to me having a bit more free time. So, instead of a book, I decided to share my stories on this blog.
And here I am, 10 years out. My numbers have gone up and down, but I still seem to have a following. For that I'm grateful. If it wasn't for you guys there wouldn't be a reason to do this. My posts have dropped from twice daily to 2-3/week, but I'm still cranking them out and hopefully will continue to do so.
I appreciate those of you who have stayed with me and written comments. I've only been mentioned once in the general media, but knowing you guys are reading makes it worthwhile to keep doing this.
At 10 years out I want to thank my wife, for putting up with me, and my kids, who've grown from small rug rats to young adults heading for college since I started this.
I also want to thank Mary and Annie, also for putting up with me and supplying me with stories to share. Without you guys I wouldn't have a real job.
My patients deserve a big round of applause. Without them I wouldn't have this blog. Most of them are good folks, and I genuinely appreciate them making my job a fulfilling one. Medical blogs may give you the impression that most patients are insane, or stupid, or both, but that's far from true. The vast majority are good people, but stories of normal patient encounters are boring and aren't why you come here.
Lastly, I want to thank all of you guys for sticking with me over time, sharing your thoughts, and making this fun.
A special thank you is deserved by those I've met through the blog and who I'm now proud to call friends. We may never meet in person, but knowing you're out there is good enough for me.
Thank you all, have a great holiday, and I'll be back on January 14, 2019.
IG
I have enjoyed reading your blog for about 6 or so years. Love the family stories...especially involving Frank. I also have a “Frank” in my own family. The school nurse stories are also great. I especially enjoy the stories of what happened in history, sharing those brave soldiers stories that I would have not heard if not for you. Thank you for taking the time to share yourself and brighten my day. Sorry to post anonymously but I can’t remember my google password. Have a artisional Holiday Season and enjoy that time off.
ReplyDeleteUm , your blog IS your book . It has been done before .
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and the rest of The Grumpy`s - have a nice one .
;-) ;-) ;-)
Apologies ; and to Mary and Annie for putting up with you . Have a nice Christmas Girls .
ReplyDelete;-) ;-) ;-)
Enjoy your winter break and happy new year! I may not comment as much but I swear that I'm still here.
ReplyDeleteI was lost, but then someone found me. I was behind the couch the whole time!
Wow, 10 years! Congrats Dr. Grumpy. Thank for the all the wonderful posts; the funny, poignant, and historical. Have a great vacation and see you on the other side!
ReplyDeleteI don't know that I've ever commented before but I am a long-time follower and I check your blog daily for new posts. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteComing here is one of the first things I do every morning. Thank you for the time and effort you put into making my day more enjoyable. Enjoy ALL of your post. Thank you for sharing with the world.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteWhile working for a secretary in a college psychiatry department, one of the psychiatrists told me about your blog. I think that was in 2010. I've been a loyal follower ever since.
ReplyDeleteI don't tend to comment but feel the need to do so today to thank you for the hours of entertainment over the past eight years.
Happy holidays to all in the Grumpy universe. :)
I check for new posts daily! Thanks for the laughs; have a happy holiday!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Dr. Grumpy ~ your blog is great!
ReplyDeleteMerry Solstice!
Thank *you* for continuing to write this for us!
ReplyDeleteThank you for continuing to share your great stories with us. I'm a healthcare attorney and find solace knowing we are not alone with the weirdness that happens in the medical field and beyond. We have to laugh. Happy holidays and best wishes for 2019! Lois
ReplyDeletelunch at my desk at work wouldn't be complete without checking your blog. Thanks
ReplyDeleteThank you for continuing to write. I check your blog daily. ;-)
ReplyDeleteNo, thank you Dr. G.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the holidays.
Maybe when you retire you can do a collection of all these stories and put it in book form. Keep it coming, there are a lot of us out here!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteHave a great new year's eve. See you next year!
thank you for the entertainment!! i look forward to my fix every week.
ReplyDeleteas a surgeon who doesn't have children yet, i look at your adventures (ahem) with your kids and wonder if mine will be as crazy!
Thanks for your great blog -- I love it and have been reading it for years. I think it has actually helped me become a better "patient" -- and believe me, over the last two years I have had lots of experience being a patient -- because you have shown me the human face behind the white coat.
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time out to write your blog. I especially love your history pieces. I look forward to reading more of your musings in 2019!
ReplyDeleteI lost track of how long I've been reading your blog, but it has been years! And I'm not even sure how I found you, but I greatly enjoy yiye writing. I enjoy all your posts, but my favorites are your history at sea posts. I always found history boring, but not your accounts of them. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dr Grumpy. I don"t remember how long I have been reading your blog,but I first came across it on Medscape in Grand Rounds. I rarely comment, and always as "anonymous", but I always look forward to reading. Thank you for reminding us that physicians are human,too, and showing us the compassionate and the humorous sides of you. I feel that I know you personally (but of course I don't and never will) and it is nice to have a friend in cyberspace.
ReplyDeleteIf you really wanta know what I think, this is what I think. I find it hard to believe you've written this blog for ten years. (I think that the concept of time must have changed considerably in the past ten years. Maybe?) I think you're doing a great job, as a self-obligatory service to this part of the internet chronicling the current status quo in fulfilling a personal sanity mission and humanitarian gesture, especially for some of us, that occasionally find ourselves in a deep pit of caustic and sarcastic cynicism. I think this is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dr. Grumpy, for so many years of consistent entertainment. Your stories have brought me smiles through many changes in my life. Best wishes to you & your family & Annie & Mary. If you do ever publish please let us know, I would be happy to pick up a copy.
ReplyDeleteNo sir - thank YOU for sticking around and entertaining us.
ReplyDeleteHere's to another year!
Happy holidays to you and yours and thank you so much for sharing a part of your world with us. I've been reading for years and I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy holidays to you and the Grumpy tribe!
ReplyDeleteYou have a very unique style of writing. Thank you for giving it to the world.
Been following you for years. Thanks for all the laughs and knowledge.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas :)
ReplyDeleteDr. Grumpy,
ReplyDeleteI have three MD's in my immediate family and I want you to know that many of your stories of your patients and practice resonate with them.
Thanks for the good reads!
Congratulations on 10 years of Blogging. That is indeed a milestone. I found your Blog several years ago and thoroughly enjoy your posts.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
I hope you, your family and staff have a wonderful holiday.
Your blog has been a happy treasure to me for a long time, not sure I was here when you started, but I spent a lot of lonely hours clicking through your pages when I couldn't get to sleep.
ReplyDelete10 years! That's such a huge milestone. Thanks for being here for me, so to speak.
Thank you so much for your blog!! You may never know how much good it does out there.... For med students like me, it has definitely been (and will continue to be) a touchstone. All the best for more in 2019!!
ReplyDeleteHappy blogoversary! I rarely comment, but read every post. Thanks for all the laughs over the years, and here's to many more!
ReplyDeleteThank You Dr G.
ReplyDeleteThis is my first stop every morning!
Yep: patients are Good, thought you might like this from my Morning at a small midwest clinic. :
ReplyDeletePt with a long h/o ear problems including multiple surgical interventions presented yesterday for a pre-employment drug test, i looked in his ear at his request and it did appear he had an ear infection. I offered to see him and treat but his dog in truck waiting for him got impatient and ran in to the clinic so patient opted to take the dog home and returned this morning for care.
It is coming up on 9 years ago that I started writing my blog. Over 600 entries I rarely get feedback, but occasionally I get a thank you. It is nice when someone says thank you. So I would like to say thank you for your efforts on our behalf. Happy New Year
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year. Been reading along a few years, it's always a pleasure!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I realized that I'd been following since the beginning, but I have! I started as a neuro nurse in 2007, and I recall finding you shortly after that. Your stories help keep me sane, and I appreciate that you still post!
ReplyDeleteI probably have been reading your blog since the beginning. I used to read a ton of medical blogs but yours is the only one I read now!
ReplyDeleteI've gone off and on reading many blogs over the years, but I've always read yours. Thank you for writing it!
ReplyDeleteHappy blog-iversary! I've never commented but have read every post you've written and have told many friends about your blog. My husband often asks me to read a week or so of posts out loud when we are lazing in bed on a Saturday morning and many of your posts have been read aloud over the breakfast table. Thank you for all you do!
ReplyDeleteI don't know when and how I found your blog (I'm neither working in the medical fields nor do I read blogs in general); but your crazy patient stories, emotional memories and witty writing style have drawn me back to your blog for years. Thank you Dr. Grumpy, I wish you and your family all the best in life - and I'm hoping that you'll continue blogging for at least another 10 years! Greetings from Croatia
ReplyDeleteI've arrived late, again, due to ill health. Have loved your blog for years now and I marvel when I do a big catch-up how much work goes into this. You're a real tonic and I love popping in for a good laugh.
ReplyDeleteBig hugs to all your family, staff and you. xxx
from an admiring Brit in Spain.