A diamond in the rocks
Today at work I was seeing a 29 year old woman for a physical exam. When I entered the room I saw this frail looking young woman with tattoos on her legs and more tattoos showing on the chest through the shirt. The long sleeves were probably concealing more of this pigmented art on the hands. She didn’t waste time to tell me that the substance abuse program she was in needed me to certify that she got a physical. She had not brought any forms with her for this mandatory physical. Immediately she pulled up her phone and called someone at the program. They took our fax number to send the form. While awaiting the papers I began chatting with the patient. She told me she had used methamphetamines in the past but was clean for nearly 15 months. She was waiting to fulfil the last part of the substance abuse program so she could regain custody of her 4 kids. The kids were currently with her mother. As I gathered her reasons for the physical I was taking notes into her chart....
