Farewell: A new doctor will see you now

In the summer of 2009 I began this column for The Spokesman-Review. Of course, I did not know then all that would happen in the following six years. Since then I had cancer and went through extensive cancer treatment. I returned to work in family practice and as faculty of the second-year program of the University of Washington medical school in Spokane. And I gave lectures about family practice in other countries. In my personal life, my husband and I have been raising our daughter with every bit of energy we have.

During the time I have been doing this column, I have experienced the response of readers. Some have come to be my patients, or stopped me in stores and restaurants or written letters to my office. These things and much more have happened as a result of what has been written here. I am grateful I’ve had the opportunity to affect so many in this way. It has meant a lot to me to be able to do this. The support I have received from Group Health and from all of you has been amazing.

Now it’s time for me to pass the torch of writing the column to another family practice physician in Spokane. My family and I are taking a sabbatical and will be traveling out of the country for the next year.

I do have a few things I would like to share in this last article.

• If you don’t have a primary care provider for you and your family, I recommend finding one. The benefits of having someone who knows you and your family when it comes to your health are incalculable. The entire reason I chose to enter family practice as a specialty was because of the family doc I had growing up and what he meant to us.

• Take the time to take care of your health as much as it is within your ability to do so. Be active, eat vegetables and fruits, get sleep and (as I said in my first column) drink water.

• Spend as much time as you can with friends and family. Play outdoors, eat together and listen to each other. You may live longer just because you do this.

• Take care of our environment as much as you can. Clean air, water and soil will help keep us all healthy. After this summer of horrible fires and poor air quality, I think we can all agree on this.

• If you have health problems, take the time to learn about them. I don’t recommend “Dr. Google,” but I do recommend asking your health care providers for information you can read and talking with your pharmacist about the medications you take. Be proactive about your health.

Thank you for reading this column and all of the others over the past six years. I look forward to following it with its new author, Dr. Bob Riggs, a good friend and my family practice colleague at Group Health.