When physicians get sick: We are just as human as the patients we treat

"My experience with recent knee surgery that left me significantly disabled for over a month brought this to my attention yet again. I was completely dependent on others for basic self-care since I was unable to get in and out of the tub/shower without help. I was only able to walk with significant pain on crutches and was completely incapable of navigating stairs. Driving was out of the question. I experienced acutely the loss of independence that my older patients feel about having to surrender their driving license. I was unable to cook, clean, and interact with family since I was fairly bed-bound and sedentary until I regained my mobility.

I learned several important lessons from this experience."

Rizwana Khan is a pulmonary and critical care physician.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "When physicians get sick: We are just as human as the patients we treat." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/when-physicians-get-sick-we-are-just-a-human-as-the-patients-we-treat.html)