João Semana, 21st century

João Semana, version XX.I

Live rabbits, ducks, pens, doilies, wines (preferably red, the Dr told me not to drink!), huge amounts of cheese, zillions of boxes chocolates (Ferrero Rocher, of course!!), stays in rural tourism accommodation , holiday home, Jazz CDs, homemade cakes, cheese breads, commemorative plaques thanking Life, shirts, trousers, books, the best olive oil, the best cod, belts, fresh cheese, pens including Montblanc, cash, ties, pyjamas, champagne, paintings, perfume, deodorants and shampoos, traditional Christmas cake, litres of whisky, liqueurs, wine kits, lemons from the backyard, lettuces from the vegetable garden, pumpkins, cherries from Fundão, snacks, toys for the children and the grandchildren, woollen hats and scarves for the grandchildren, an embroidered towel, the books I wrote (Lições do Burro), African ornaments, grapes, apples and oranges.

It went to the point that I even filled three car trunks per consultation period.

And just a thank you, a letter of praise, a sentence, a heartfelt hug, a greeting card, a written praise (rare, but increasingly frequent). And how about a simple note with pleasant words?

How about the street vendor who offered me money wrapped in newspaper. If I didn't accept it, she cried...

In the midst of screens, printers, mouse, card reader, keyboard, paper prescriptions and tests, passwords, passwords and passwords… And time to breathe.

João Semana, on his donkey, couldn't do better. It does not fail to suggest that in a University Hospital this traditional dimension of recompense and human gratitude is maintained.

Why not? Is it a bad tradition?

Is it not a form of communication, positive psychology, gratitude, empathy and compassion?

The specialties are very different, a journalist from one of the main media told me some time ago. Gastroenterology and hepatology have three entities in the Top Ten of mortality (cancer of the colon and rectum, liver disease, cancer of the stomach), the Big Five (cancers of the oesophagus, stomach, liver, colon and rectum, pancreas) are responsible for a third of all cancers and 10% of all deaths. Liver disease is the 4th leading cause of early death, i.e.

But what gratifies me most as a doctor is having the visit of relatives of patients who died years ago. Last year there were more than a dozen.

But the fantastic cure for hepatitis C, the new life after a liver transplant (thanks Curry Cabral), the years of living with hepatocellular carcinoma, leave scars of gratitude, forever.

 

Rui Tato Marinho
Professor at Medicine School of Lisbon
Director of the Department of Gastroenterology and Hpatology at Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte

 

Srivastava R. When the EMR Stole My Pen. N Engl J Med. 2020;383):708-709. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp2000272.

 
Zeuzem S, Jacobson I, Baykal T, Marinho RT, Poordad F, Bourlière M, et al. Retreatment of HCV with ABT-450/R–Ombitasvir and Dasabuvir with Ribavirin. N Engl J Med 2014;370:1604-14. 

Compassionomics (The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence that Caring Makes a Difference)

Cory Booker, Anthony Mazzarelli, Stephen Trzeciak, Fire Starter Publishing, 2019 - Compassion - 375 pages