Your Checkup: Health Education Podcast
Ever leave the doctor’s office more confused than when you walked in? Your Checkup: Health Conversations for Motivated Patients is your health ally in a world full of fast appointments and even faster Google searches. Each week, a board certified family medicine physician and a pediatric nurse sit down to answer the questions your doctor didn’t have time to.
From understanding diabetes and depression to navigating obesity, high blood pressure, and everyday wellness—we make complex health topics simple, human, and actually useful. Whether you’re managing a condition, supporting a loved one, or just curious about your body, this podcast helps you get smart about your health without needing a medical degree.
Because better understanding leads to better care—and you deserve both.
Your Checkup: Health Education Podcast
90: The First 5 Questions I Ask Every New Patient
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We trade holiday laughs and a Michelin-level dinner recap for a clear look at how five simple questions can transform a medical visit into a relationship. We show how home, routine, joy, and self-perception reveal risks and shape plans that fit real life.
You can reach out to us by email, yourcheckuppod@gmail.com
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Also active on threads where we share, you know, themes of our episodes and different collections that we think connect to each other
And most importantly, stay healthy, my friends
Production and Content: Edward Delesky, MD & Nicole Aruffo, RN
Artwork: Olivia Pawlowski
Hi, welcome to your checkup. We are the patient education podcast, where we bring conversations from the doctor's office to your ears. On this podcast, we try to bring medicine closer to its patients. I'm Ed Delesky, a family medicine doctor in the Philadelphia area.
SPEAKER_04:And I'm Nicole Ruffel. I'm a nurse.
SPEAKER_01:And we are so excited you were able to join us here again today. So we were, you know, we were talking before, as we as we do, before we record, because we talk to each other all the time. And we were just talking about what was that?
SPEAKER_04:Because we're married.
SPEAKER_01:Because we're married. And um talking about which Christmas movies yet to still watch. I would like to re-watch The Polar Express. We did that when I was working, I think it was on uh a Saturday. I had some extra work to do, and that was odd in the background, but I'd like to pay attention. It touches my soul. What Christmas movie do you want to watch?
SPEAKER_04:We can do Polar Express.
SPEAKER_01:Give me a different one for the sake of parody.
SPEAKER_04:Um well, maybe the Grinch.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, you yes.
SPEAKER_04:That was that's like a that and the Santa Claus.
SPEAKER_01:Yes. We have seen, yeah, we gotta watch it again. Santa Claus is great. The Grinch is like a staple growing up. Yeah, Jam. That's where Jim was born. That's where Jim was born. We won't we won't show you here um because this is like quasi-professional, but Jim is an alter ego that comes out in each of us at various points. Um named after Jim Carrey, you know, the guy who plays the Grinch in the live action one. How alive in in you is Jim at this very moment?
SPEAKER_04:Um at this very moment, not a lot, but you're catching me out in an off moment, you know?
SPEAKER_01:It's true. Yeah, so we're looking forward to cozying up after this and watching a Christmas story. It's a little bit of a different episode here. Um just to help you guys get to know us a little bit better as your hosts of maybe your favorite podcast or only podcast that you listen to if you listen and we're lucky enough. Um just because it's fresh, top of mind, what feeling did you get from watching or listening to Trans Siberian Orchestra tonight?
SPEAKER_04:Anxiety. Those guys go so hard.
SPEAKER_01:They really do. They do.
SPEAKER_04:I like even my years felt like when I got up to go to the bathroom, there was like a little kid outside with his mom, and he was like, Mom, the whites. I feel like I was getting motion sick.
SPEAKER_01:Oh my god. No, really, yeah. There was this um, oh, so there was this like family. Um, and there was like a multi-generational family sitting in front of us. And we were sitting like behind them in a couple seats over, and they were, you know, they had the long arm out, front-facing camera, they were doing a selfie. So I grabbed Nikki by the shoulder, and I we're already in the back of the photo, but I'm just looking at the camera posing for the photo. So they did that once, and then two minutes later they were like, Oh, we gotta redo it again. Like the lighting wasn't good. So then they're gearing up to do the photo again, and then this like set of women comes in from afar. You know, we're on like one end of the row, they're coming in from like yonder on the other end of the row, making their way, doing the typical like stadium slide in between the seats. And I'm posing again, arm wrapped around my wife, and you they can see their like bodies going in the frame, and they go to me and they're like, Oh my god, I'm so sorry. We're in your picture.
SPEAKER_04:I'm so sorry.
SPEAKER_01:I'm so sorry. I got in the picture, and I'm like, oh no, no. So I stand up to start letting them go, and I lean into their ear and I'm like, it's okay, we're not with them. We're just having a little fun. And they started busting a gun. You thought it was so funny, and it was a great way to kick off the experience. That was so fun. I I love doing that in general. I might like look for people like who'd tag like TSO and Philadelphia and try to see if I'm in this photo.
SPEAKER_03:Oh my god, we should.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, that might be a thing we do tonight. And then there was that kid in front of me. Now, like he was what did you what did you see? Because I was like, I don't know.
SPEAKER_04:I mean, he was like a five-ish, six-ish year old boy, so you know, acting as one would imagine. He wasn't like being bad or anything.
SPEAKER_01:No, not at all.
SPEAKER_04:They made it seem like he kept like looking back at us, like primarily at you. And like at first, like Eddie gave him like a little head nod, like a bro head nod, and then he just like like looked at him and then like looked, looked away, and then kept looking back. And then all throughout the concert, he kept looking at Eddie, and then he would like do funny things to him. I would make like a funny face or something.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, like blow up my cheeks to like stick up my tongue and like make him feel like he's crazy because like he's like not gonna I'm gonna deny everything if he like goes to the elders around him.
SPEAKER_03:And then at the end he looked at me. And I I like did like a peace sign and like stuck my tongue out.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, and not to mention the guy sitting next to him, this like very masculine. I I was I was being rude, I was eavesdropping his text messages, but they were right in front of me in big text. Yeah, he got his the text up, the text was like big, gigantic his vision problems, but he's like a young guy, like big man, like lots of testosterone, big beard. And like his bros are texting him like, Oh, you're a TSO, that's so cool. And he's like, Yeah, man, I'm here. Second time I've ever been. They get me every time, they're so moving. I feel I feel everything, it's so emotional. I'm like, this guy is complex. My how I judged him even before. Um, yeah, you know, there's something to be said for those like privacy screens.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:All in the world. Oh, that was a blast. Um, yeah, they're very intense. When they came out with O4Tuna.
SPEAKER_03:Oh my god.
SPEAKER_01:I like one, I can't help but think of that YouTube video where they're like, you know what I'm talking about? Yeah. They like mispronounced the words and O4 Tuna. It's a good one. Um, it's been around for a while. Um, so that was great. And then something else great we did this week, just on Thursday. Um tell us about the restaurant a little bit.
SPEAKER_04:We went to my loop or my loop. Who knows? I don't know how it's actually pronounced. I feel like the P is silent, but we went there. It was that was one of the Michelin recommended restaurants. So we took a trip for you. A couple blocks over. For me?
SPEAKER_01:No, for like the listeners.
SPEAKER_04:No. Yeah. What was I saying? Yeah, so we took the trip over. It wasn't much of a trip. We like walked for a couple minutes, which was nice.
SPEAKER_01:So nice.
SPEAKER_04:Oh my god, this was like easily top five dinners we've had in Philly so far.
SPEAKER_01:At least and in certain circumstances, could like vault me up to the best one. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. Because the another top is Saraya, which is like a completely different fare. You know, it's like Lebanese, like very, you know, heavy on like the Middle Eastern flaves.
SPEAKER_01:Yep.
SPEAKER_04:And then this restaurant was like a French restaurant, so very different.
SPEAKER_01:French Canadian.
SPEAKER_04:French Canadian.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Um so yeah. Uh we did the tasting menu.
SPEAKER_02:Excellent choice.
SPEAKER_04:We love a tasting menu. Thank you, Chase. Typically do one. Thank you, Chase. Yeah. It was a little pricey, but we had like a credit from our credit card. We like had to use before the end of the year. So it had to be fancy dinner on a Thursday. Yeah. Um yeah, it was definitely a little pricier than we would normally spend. Definitely like a maybe more of like a celebratory dinner.
SPEAKER_02:Yes.
SPEAKER_04:Type thing. But you know. Oh, maybe we're going to go get your credit card to pay for it. Who knows? Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Either one.
SPEAKER_04:Um anyway, so we did the tasting menu, which I know tasting menus are usually different. Sometimes you have like options to pick from certain groups. Sometimes it's preset. But this was interesting because basically, like your server picked, and they kind of asked you kind of like what you know, like vibe of food that you liked. If there were things that you were wanting to try, like they made sure that that was on there. Um, but we did a couple of the raw bar things. We got the oysters. The scallops were so oh my god. I love a scallop. Like, if there's a scallop on the menu, we're getting it, and these were so good. I don't quite know how they were like prep, like they were part of the raw bar.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:But I don't know like how they were prepared or what was on top of it, but it was delicious.
SPEAKER_01:I feel like Mike had, now that the people know who Mike is, he had like a fancy name for it that it's like it was like a thin slice of something. But anyway, you're an oyster girly now, too.
SPEAKER_04:I am an oyster girly now, which is unfortunate for a credit card. Yeah. Yeah, it's a bad day. Bad day when Nikki starts to like something expensive.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, not good. Not good.
SPEAKER_04:Um oh, and then the pickled shrimp. That was cool. I've never had anything like that before.
SPEAKER_01:A humble saltine cracker, a garlic aioli, and pickled shrimp.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Delicious.
SPEAKER_04:Like make a little bite.
SPEAKER_01:Tell us about that second course, the surprising course.
SPEAKER_04:The second course, there were like 500 courses.
SPEAKER_01:Was that that garlic cinnamon roll? That garlic roll?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, escar roll. It was basically like a big fancy garlic knot. Yeah. But like it was better.
SPEAKER_01:It was way better than the garlic knot.
SPEAKER_04:And then this like stuffed cabbage.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:I don't know what it was stuffed with, but it was delicious. This like leeks and lobster. Uh lobster that was tasty. The thing that was our favorite was the squash. It was like squash. It was in this like creamy layer something on the bottom, then the squash, and then it had pumpkin scenes on it. I oh my god. Yeah. It was, and that's also why like a tasting menu is good because we, if we were just ordering, we wouldn't have ordered the squash.
SPEAKER_01:Not a chance.
SPEAKER_04:But we can't stop talking about the squash. It was like our favorite thing. I was even telling the attendant I work with, I was like telling him how he and his wife should go. And then I was like, You got like you gotta get the squash.
SPEAKER_01:Like I was so surprised.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. And they had some whatever like the chicken thing was, I forget what that was called. Oh, that was tasty. Yeah. It was like on a skewer. Um we were pretty full by then. Yeah. Am I missing something? Um, I don't I don't know. I think that was all. That hits the the cake was really. I'm not even like a cake person, but it was like a dense chocolate cake and then a layer of like mousse, I think, on top of it. And then like a ganache on top of that. It was so yummy.
SPEAKER_01:It was awesome. That place was great. A couple good beverages. Don't want to get called out for talking about our beverages too much. Shade from people who I thought were allies. Gosh, human. Um that place was awesome. It was so good. So good. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:I and it's cool because they um they change their menu every so often, every like I don't know if that's a set time. It feels like just whatever like that. She said it ever like third day, I think. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:It was cool. She was great too.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, Jill the bartender.
SPEAKER_01:We didn't earn, you know, occasionally, like, we notice that they don't always serve their name early. And we always like take it as a challenge to try to earn their name by the end. Because I you could imagine, like, yeah, I'm a handful at a restaurant.
SPEAKER_04:And you're actually like a menace to society and then anywhere we go.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Like, you know, I'm you're not just gonna you're not just gonna get by. Like, I want I wanna know. I want the whole experience. But anyway, so then when you did the tasting menu, you got a little takeaway.
SPEAKER_04:Oh, yeah, we got a road snack. It was like a salted caramel rice crispy treat situation or something. It was good. It's pretty good. Also good. We ate it the next night. Yeah. My loop. My loop. My loop. My loo.
SPEAKER_01:My loo?
SPEAKER_04:I don't know. It was really good. All right.
SPEAKER_01:So you said you have uh an item for Nikki's corner.
SPEAKER_04:Is that correct? I do. I don't know if you've seen this.
SPEAKER_01:I probably have not, because I have not heard of anything you've mentioned yet.
SPEAKER_04:So it's kind of crazy. Um let's see. Let's get back to it.
SPEAKER_01:It's coming out of Florida because it about the EPS, the files. The Epstein. It's not.
SPEAKER_04:I don't know that we're gonna talk about that here, though. I don't think it's a place to talk about it.
SPEAKER_01:No, I also don't think it's supposed to talk about it.
SPEAKER_04:But yeah, it's coming out of Florida, like I was saying. Um no normal news ever comes out of that place.
SPEAKER_01:So no, Florida man.
SPEAKER_04:It's certainly so there was this woman in Florida.
SPEAKER_01:Florida woman.
SPEAKER_04:Who um whose name she goes by Deborah, but her real or no, goes by Sharon, but her real name is Deborah.
SPEAKER_01:Two great names.
SPEAKER_04:She, this lady, so she was arrested earlier this week, like right in front of her house for kidnapping her daughter about 40 years ago in 1983. Huh. So the story is that this woman, Deborah, Deborah is her real name, and um her daughter's real name is Michelle, but they now go by Sharon and Melissa. So the mom, I'll just say the mom and the daughter. So the mom was with the the father, her husband.
SPEAKER_02:Yep.
SPEAKER_04:They were planning to relocate from Kentucky to Georgia. So the story is like the mom took the daughter down to Georgia. They were going to get there early, set up the house, whatever, but then the dad got there and they were gone.
SPEAKER_02:Oh.
SPEAKER_04:So she had relocated with the daughter to Florida, changed their names, changed their identities. At one point, she was on the like FBI's top eight most wanted for like parental abductions. And the daughter was on um, I forgot what the official name, like the whatever like missing child list is.
SPEAKER_01:That thing of like this child looks like this now.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, basically the face on the milk carton. Did you read that book?
SPEAKER_01:I don't read, so no.
SPEAKER_04:No like middle school or like elementary school.
SPEAKER_01:Even then.
SPEAKER_04:Oh, okay. Anyway, well, it's about a girl who like sees like a picture of a child on the face of like a missing child on a milk carton.
SPEAKER_01:It's her.
SPEAKER_04:And then it's her.
SPEAKER_01:She's the missing child. Yeah. Oh my god. But then this real life story, what happens?
SPEAKER_04:Anyway, so this woman was arrested, blah, blah, blah. That's not the crazy part. The crazy part is how the like body, the cop body cam footage is out and it is on TikTok, obviously, where you find all of your most important news updates. And the internet is going crazy over this woman's neighbor that was with her when they were just like out front chit-chatting when she got arrested. I'll like play the sound of it because the woman, the neighbor like comes in, like the cops come in and they're like, Oh, like, are you so and so? And the neighbor's like, Oh, they're coming for you, Sharon. And she like thinks that it's this like joke that like someone's pulling on her.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, but it's real.
SPEAKER_04:And then the cops are like, da da da, you're being arrested. And then the neighbor at first like steps back and then she comes back and like pats her on the back, and she's like, They gotta be tasing ya. And then the one cop, there's like like multiple police officers there, and the cop's like, no ma'am, we're not. You need to go home. And so she's like stunned. She's like, Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. Goes back across the street, and then you just like see her in her driveway. Stop like it like in her garage, like her garage door is open, like in her garage, but like it's open, and then she's just standing there, like like cupping her. Hands is gonna just like peak suburban nosy neighbor. Oh my god. So funny. And that's honestly the real the real news of this.
SPEAKER_01:Is the neighbor?
unknown:Uh-oh. You're coming for you, Sharon.
SPEAKER_02:They want Reggie.
SPEAKER_04:Reggie's the dog.
SPEAKER_00:Well, we're here for you, ma'am. Definitely here for you. Well, why?
SPEAKER_04:And here she's like, look at her. Do you see her?
SPEAKER_00:We're uh waiting on the maneuver. Uh with all the information that we do have, you have a warrant for your arrest.
SPEAKER_04:And then here she comes again.
unknown:Ma'am, we're not out.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, ma'am, ma'am, we're not.
SPEAKER_04:So then she like goes back, and then you can kind of see like at certain points when you like pause the video from the body cam, like you just like see her in her in her driveway, and she's still there, like watching everything happen.
SPEAKER_01:Peak nosy neighbor.
SPEAKER_04:So funny. I love a suburban nosy neighbor.
SPEAKER_01:So, really, the story is about the neighbor.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, the real story is about the neighbor.
SPEAKER_01:It's an actual commentary on.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, but this like 40 something year old woman was like reunited with her dad and had no idea that I was like reading more about it. Apparently, she like had no idea that like her real name was Michelle. I'm like, oh Michelle Maureen Newton. She was going by like Melissa, I think. Wow. And then she like didn't realize I guess she realized like things in her life that she like missed because she was like three when it happened.
SPEAKER_01:Oh yeah. That's tough. That's a tough thing to have to experience.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Wow.
SPEAKER_04:But I want to know like the T. Why did like why?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Um this is a biopic waiting to happen.
SPEAKER_04:Oh wait, there was also Hold on, you're gonna have to like cut slices. There was this story about this cop in Tom's River. I wonder if who do we know that's a cop in Tom's River?
SPEAKER_01:They will remain nameless.
SPEAKER_04:Okay. Hold on. I like heard about this, I know.
SPEAKER_01:By the way, I made mushroom soup tonight. And it is the ingredients were like, you know, I was anticipating doing this like five days earlier. The ingredients are we're fine. They're passable, but like the entire dish is delightful.
SPEAKER_04:Oh, okay. Another thing that I just had to look up real quick, because I heard it. There was a cop from Tom's River, New Jersey, which is I mean it's not close to us, but not overly far. We know some people that live around there. Um, I guess she's like an ex police officer now. Rebecca Sayi. Say.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, we're given a name now.
SPEAKER_04:Well, that's what it says in this article. She went on a destructive rampage at her ex boyfriend's home and attacked him and his new girlfriend.
SPEAKER_01:Oh.
SPEAKER_04:And she's barred for life from ever working in law enforcement in New Jersey. Oh.
unknown:You know.
SPEAKER_04:Um but yeah, she like went on this rampage on November 17th after breaking into her ex's house as part of her plea guilty. She was also formally forfeited her gig with the Toms River Township Police Department and all feature public employment in the state of New Jersey.
SPEAKER_01:Hold on. They called it a gig? Like it's a ban? That's what the New York Post called it. A gig?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:This is like law enforcement we're talking about. New York Post.
SPEAKER_04:Um Wow. Maybe the New York Post. Isn't that crazy?
SPEAKER_01:That's crazy.
SPEAKER_04:I want to know why what he did. Yeah, there's also. I want to know like the like people don't snap out of nowhere. So like I want to know that No, they don't. I want to know like the years of torment that this guy did to this girl. Because she's probably valid. Probably. You know? I mean, it's a shame for like the new girlfriend who's probably just an innocent bystander, but yeah, shoot.
SPEAKER_01:Oh man. Do you think they're still together?
SPEAKER_04:No.
SPEAKER_01:Wow.
SPEAKER_04:If you had a crazy ex, we would not be married right now. I mean, well. Um. So you're gonna have to try to find some intel.
SPEAKER_01:I am gonna have to try to find some intel. I think I might be able to. All right. Well, this has been a healthy opener here. Um, you know, tis the holiday season. Tis the end of a long weekend.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, you'll note that there is a new episode on a holiday week.
SPEAKER_01:Yes.
SPEAKER_04:Most podcasts don't do this, so you're welcome.
SPEAKER_01:That's I wanted some sort of consistency, but you know, we're gonna keep a little light on the the medical learning today, the health learning, but I wanted to share a little bit about myself and um well, like not and you're giving me a look over there, but things that like I'll explain. So this episode is about the five questions that I ask at the beginning of almost every visit. And I just wanted to share it because I think it is an important thing. I think it's important that people who are in healthcare take care take time to learn about the people who they're taking care of. And so this is sort of my way to start doing it. I'm gonna explain why I do it each time. Does that does that seem okay? Sure. Cool. Um so the first question I usually ask is where do you live? And then I usually get an off-putting like shoulder shrug. Um, and then I usually explain that like I ask these questions of every single person. Some people will give me an address, some people will say like down the street, what have you. But it opens the door for me to ask my second question of who lives there. And the idea there is like I'm trying to figure out if someone lives alone or if someone has family in the area that they can rely on for their health. Knowing that, like I see I'm seeing from like newborns to elderly people who are very senior. So, like, I'm interested in knowing if a senior citizen like lives down the street and if they live alone, or do they live in a like multi-generational family and they have someone there with them? So that's all very important to me. Or is there a young woman who's living with a boyfriend? Or are people living with their families? Like, all of that helps. Also, because I happen to see a lot of families. So, where do you live and who lives there? It are the first two questions. Any thoughts coming after that?
SPEAKER_04:No.
SPEAKER_01:I feel like you've said that like no one has ever done this. This is like very new. This is also new for me.
SPEAKER_04:Oh, yeah. I don't think I've ever gone to the doctor and they like acted like they cared about in any part of my life other than why I was sitting in front of them.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Yeah. So, well, that's you know.
SPEAKER_04:Um, so the next one is a It actually always like pretty much acted inconvenienced by my presence.
SPEAKER_01:Well, that's what not what we're trying to do here on your checkup. Um, so the next one is very it's worded in a very specific way. How do you spend your time during the day? And the number one answer I get is work. And then people tend to not explain what they do for work. So, you know, as a sub question three.
SPEAKER_04:This is why you think your 20-minute appointments aren't enough. You're doing too much chit-chatting. Well, this is all very intentional, right?
SPEAKER_01:It's very intentional. Um, so I ask what they do during the day, because I would say the vast majority of people I meet have occupations outside of the home during the day. But that is by far not exclusively the only answer. There are people who have different roles in life where they either can afford to not work. Sometimes that happens. Sometimes people have different roles in life, like they're staying at home, taking care of and raising their families. That's a very, it's like an incredibly important, valid thing to do during the day. Some people do that, or some people work at night. And so instead of asking, like, what do you do for work? and then having an awkward moment where someone's like, Oh, I don't work, or oh, I work at night, I ask it that way. And I get plenty of answers. And I think it like kind of opens the door, kind of absolves people of any like feeling that they have about what they do. Because sometimes I like I come across someone who's retired and they're like, Oh, yeah, I like do things around the house, we travel, we do this with the grandkids, or someone's like, Oh, I don't have a single moment to myself during the day because I'm chasing around like four children all day. And like, that's what I'm doing all day, which has its own set of challenges. So that is like I think the most informative question. Um, any thoughts about that?
SPEAKER_04:Um, no, can still pretty confidently say I've never been asked these questions before.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, you know, and I what I do, these are like notably at a new patient appointment, and which of which I've been having a lot of. And I would call this an early investment in getting to know them and trying to figure out their motivations and figure out why people do things, what they care about, all kind of for motivational interviewing. So it does, it does come across as chit-chat. And with the AI scribe, it like captures it. So it helps me remember people too at the end of the day. Um so it's paid off because when they come back, I walk in there and I'm like, oh, king, hello, and they're smiling. And even if they're 80 years old and I call them king, they they like it or queen or something else. You know, people really like that. My fourth question has developed a little bit is what gives you happiness, joy, or what do you look forward to? Because I ask ask about hobbies, but then I also get like a lot of dads who come in, like young dads who are like, oh, well, I go to work and then I have my kids and then I go to bed. And that's what I do, and those are my hobbies. And I'm like, oh wow. That's a lot.
SPEAKER_04:So then I I hate the hobby question.
SPEAKER_01:So I just I got rid of the hobby question.
SPEAKER_04:No, I'm just saying, like in general. Like if someone's like, what are your hobbies?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:What I don't have any.
SPEAKER_01:People like freeze up whenever I ask it and it stops the conversation. So I changed it. So I changed it to like, what what makes you happy? What brings you joy? What do you look forward to? I'm still waiting for people to be like, I like fantasy football. Like no one says that. And I like try to tell them, like, don't impress me, like, show me what you like. And some people give me really cool answers. Like, some people tell me about their art, then I learn about people being in bands, then I learn about like what people's like actual passions are. A lot of people say family. But this kind of rounds out the chit chat and then leads into the last question, which is my dive into their health and their their medicine, which is if you were to finish the sentence, my health is how would you finish it? And I get a lot of varied responses, and it's a cool question because I can see their chart, and I can see when people like have a lot going on, and then they say, Nah, I got nothing going on, I'm good. Meaning, like, we have a long way to go to like bridge the gap between their understanding of like the what is actually going on in their health. Where some people are more critical of themselves than they probably should be, and they're doing pretty good, but they feel like they aren't. And then I notice people like focus a lot on what they can feel. Like when people have pain, they tend to focus on that and correlate their health to that. Whereas when I think about it, I'm thinking of all these invisible risks that we talk about on this show: risks about diabetes, risks of heart attack and stroke, risks that come with chronic diseases like obesity or stress or depression. And you know, people sometimes talk about those, but I am kind of shocked sometimes to learn how often maybe sometimes people aren't aware of like the state of their health. And I feel like that's probably a failing on the system. Like that delivery of knowledge, that like reassessment and offering that is really a service in and of itself. And between those five questions, that's how I usually get started with these new visits. And you know, I've lived to regret not asking them. Like if someone comes in even for a cold, I I really try to ask them, especially because then if I don't ask who lives at home, then I don't learn that they have a cold, they're worried about giving their loved one who might have disabilities at home the sickness themselves and what they should do about it. And I could have learned about that if I just asked some of these five simple questions. So I think that's what we got for today. Um, it's been working for me so far, and I'm excited to keep building my practice by getting to know people better because it's probably one of the most fun parts of my job, if not the most fun. Safe to say, no doctors ever asked you those before.
SPEAKER_03:No.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I think um I think Mike and Sam also said that in the car too. But it's important to me. It builds the foundation of the entire rest of the relationship with an early commitment like that. So it's like sometimes takes two minutes, three minutes.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I can't recall ever going to a doctor who like cared about building a relationship.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah. In my head, in my panacea, that's like the beauty of primary care, and that you can solve problems in time. You have one place you can go for most of your concerns, and you can do that together in the course of time.
SPEAKER_04:Unless they move and then you have to find a new one every two years.
SPEAKER_01:I know. That's bad. That's not how it should be done. But like that, also like, you know, there's a lot of problems with the system, it's not perfect, and you know, it is what it is, but that's my romantic view of medicine, and I'm very romantic about it.
SPEAKER_04:We know.
SPEAKER_01:I know. How cute. Okay. Well, you know, in a little bit of a different episode than usual. Thank you for coming back to another episode of Your Checkup. Hopefully, you were able to learn something for yourself, a loved one, or a neighbor. You can reach out to us by email, yourcheckuppod at gmail.com. You can find us on Instagram, you can follow us there. Also active on threads where we share, you know, themes of our episodes and different collections that we think connect to each other. And most importantly, stay healthy, my friends. And happy holidays. Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, happy Kwanzaa, and whatever holiday you celebrate with your family this time of year. Happy New Year. And most importantly, stay healthy, my friends. Until next time, I'm Ed Doleski.
SPEAKER_04:I'm Nicole Ruffo.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you and goodbye.
SPEAKER_04:Bye.
SPEAKER_01:This information may provide a brief overview of diagnosis, treatment, and medications. It's not exhaustive and is a tool to help you understand potential options about your health. It doesn't cover all details about conditions, treatments, or medications for a specific person. This is not medical advice or an attempt to substitute medical advice. You should contact a healthcare provider for personalized guidance based on your unique circumstances. We explicitly disclaim any liability relating to the information given or its use. This content doesn't endorse any treatments or medications for a specific patient. Always talk to your healthcare provider for a complete information tailored to you. In short, I'm not your doctor. I am not your nurse. And make sure you go get your own checkup with your own personal doctor.
