Whats going on down there?

I don’t think my mother and father ever imagined that the only physician in the family would become a proctologist.  My mom often brags to her friends that she has a surgeon daughter.  When they ask her what kind, she changes the conversation.    On a daily basis I hear things from “you have the worst job!” to “what happened in med school that made you want to do this?’.  Even my seven-year old nephew says, “well what do you know?  You are just a butt doctor”.  Yup, a butt doctor.  Sigh… 4 Years of college, 4 Years of medical school, 5 years of surgical residency and 1 year of fellowship training. Imagine how complex that butt of yours is if it took all those years to learn all about it! 

I remember being in general surgery residency and people asking another colleague and I why we would ever choose to pursue colorectal surgery fellowships.  I would usually respond in a joking manner (while my eyes were trying not to roll) . My colleague in residency, would always say, “there are three things everyone in the world needs to be happy in life.. The ability to eat, the ability to have sex, and the ability to take a good sh&*! Colorectal surgeons make people happy.”

All jokes aside, colorectal surgery is more than just your butt. We diagnose and surgically treat a variety of complex problems ranging from colon and rectal cancer to Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s disease.  Anorectal surgery is also a big part of what we do.  My clinic days are usually full of often anxious people worried sick about their bottoms.  The majority of the time it is usually something minor and easy to manage but the stress and often embarrassment people feel when they go to the “butt” doctor can have an impact.

Which brings me to this blog. I wanted to make the least glamourous medical specialty less scary for patients.  From the mundane (hemorrhoids) to the taboo (anal bleaching anyone?), to sharing some high-fiber recipes, I hope I can share my knowledge in a light-hearted but significant way.  Warning… much of what I discuss may not be rated G (or PG for that matter), so proceed with caution.

Because sometimes people just want to know, WHATS GOING ON DOWN THERE?

P.S.  Please don’t ask your colorectal surgeon why they chose this profession.  We just want to make people’s lives better!