Thursday 21 March 2013

How many zeroes?

My wife was the one who convinced me to write these stories down.  It seemed that every day when I came home, I would have yet another stupid story to tell her.  Finally one day she said, "Doc (not his real name), why don't you keep a journal or something so you don't forget these stories?"

Hm.  Interesting idea.  So I started this blog for myself and my kids, but other people (this means you) have caught wind of it and started reading it too.  A lot of you.  So many of you, in fact, that as of today this blog officially has over one million page views.

A million.  1,000,000.  ONE FUCKING MILLION.

Never in a million years (hardy har har) did I ever think that my blog would be viewed a million times.  I'd like to thank each and every one of my readers for keeping up with my teeny tiny little corner of the internet and spending a little bit of your valuable time with me sharing my experiences.  It is a true honour, one that I wish I could repay somehow.

To everyone bothering to read this, please leave a comment telling me where you're from.  As always I welcome any email (docbastard1@gmail.com), even if it's just a few lines to let me know you were here.  Stories are even more appreciated, and pictures with your stories are almost sure to be published at some point.

Once again, thank you.

Best,
Doc

102 comments:

  1. Congrats, Doc! I followed your link from FML. Love your stories. I'm from Canada.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I also followed from FML. I live in Sumter, SC.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congrats!! I'm from Vancouver, Washington. I followed you from FML as well.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I came from FML too! Congratulations! You have great stories and comments and tweets.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Another FML follower... :P Oh and I'm from London!

    ReplyDelete
  6. california. Also from FML, and your entertaining stories are a great break from the day to day banality of life!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I live in FML and followed your link from Germany... or so.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sister led me here from FML. From Sacramento, CA. Love the stories, especially since I was one of those stupid patients who thought I was suffering from severe gas when it was pancreatitis caused by an angry gall bladder!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Stumbled on your name on FML. I'm from Switzerland and I'm greatly enjoying your content! I love reading stories about stupid people, and the fact I have a grandfather who was a surgeon himself I can only love this blog. Keep it up! :D

    ReplyDelete
  10. I live behind the Orange Curtain in Southern California and have been reading your stuff since you got started. Don't remember who pointed me in your direction, but haven't regreted it yet.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm from Castaic, California :) I was also amused by your comments on FML and followed your link!

    ReplyDelete
  13. It seems like we've all found you through FML, and I'm no different from the rest above. I've been following your blog for quite a while now, from here in New Jersey.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Congrats. I found your website last week on FML (like many, I was amused by one of your comments) and I enjoy the stories you tell. First year medical student in IL.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'm from Ipswich, UK :) Another one of the many from FML!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm an FML follower as well. I love these stories, I keep recommending them to my friends. I'm going to medicine after school and this blog as gotten me thinking of working in an ER. I'm from Munising in the UP of Michigan.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I first saw your comments on FML too. Congrats from NY

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hey doc it's me. You convinced my parents to take me to the doc when they wouldn't listen an I was coughing up blood. Just wanted to say I love ya doc! Thanks for saving my life!

    Sarah from graham wa.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Reading your blog here in Alabama!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm from Cardiff, Wales and I'm yet another person who found you through FML!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Congratulations on such a milestone! I'm from Finland and have been reading your blog for a year now. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I found your blog, forgot about it for almost a year, and stumbled upon it again a few weeks ago. Congrats from New York!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Fmylife.com is what led me to your blog. I love hearing your experiences! Hello from Georgia!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Wandered over here from FML, just enjoyed reading the often amusing stories. Been reading it for, perhaps, about 8 months now, but read every story in it. Thank you lots for it!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Michigan here! I found you from FML a long time back and have been an avid reader! I love all of the stories and check back daily hoping for new updates! Thanks so much for writing your stories up, and thanks to your wife for getting you to do so!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hey Doc, from Northern Wisconsin here. Followed you from FML. Looks like a little self advertising does in fact help.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hey. I'm from San Fransisco, and I love your blog. :) :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Also from FML. I'm from England

    ReplyDelete
  29. Who isn't from FML? Oh and congrats on a million! Now we just need every viewer to give just one dollar…

    ReplyDelete
  30. From FML like everyone else and from Salem, MA

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hey Doc. I followed you here from FML as well. I love your stories and I check back regularly for more stories.

    Congrats on over a million views from Pennsylvania!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Long time reader, first time I have commented. A friend of mine showed me this blog probably about a year maybe a year and a half ago (Not sure the exact time, time seems to have flown quickly when you look back at it). The point is, as soon as I read a few of your post's I became hooked. I now check back here everyday to see if you have posted anymore of you tales. Keep up the amazing work, also just know that you are affecting lives not just at your work, but also from a hobby on the internet!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Been following your blog for about two years (never thought of it like that, feeling a little like a stalker now) and found you by flicking through random blogs trying to find one worth reading. Definitely found one! Saved immediately and haven't stopped checking back since.

    Reading from New Zealand =).

    ReplyDelete
  34. Hi Doc!

    I followed you here from fml and a link posted by my friend. I'm from England! :)

    ReplyDelete
  35. I'm in Indiana, stumbled across your blog from your FML profile. I have been a dedicated reader ever since. Your stories have helped change my perspective on what doctors deal with and I now make great efforts to work with them to make their jobs easier. Thank you for this insight to the world of surgeons.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Hello from Tasmania, Australia!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Came from FML, but you probably already knew that. Congratulations on reaching 1 million! Reading from Canada.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Hi there. Like many before me, I found this from FML. I have been checking on this almost every day because I love all the stories you tell. I'm from Metro-Detroit Michigan.

    ReplyDelete
  39. I followed you from FML. I read in Pennsylvania.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Like so many others I too followed you from FML ^_^ Hello from Singapore! :)

    ReplyDelete
  41. To start off, lemme just say there was something about your comments on FML that makes you stand out and unique. And apparently I wasn't the only one thinks so, tons of other people do too. I could guess a comment was written by you before even looking at the commenter's username. So keep doing your shit Doc, your posts make my day :)

    P/s: I'm from Brunei (with a population of just half a million, I'm certain I'm your only reader from Brunei, you should be honoured Doc :P)

    ReplyDelete
  42. Hello from Sydney, Australia. Followed you from FML, I'm a junior doctor doing an ED rotation at the moment. Love hearing your stories about ED although I wish it wasn't so adversarial between ED and the wards. We definitely get told to "sell" our patients to the specialties to get them out of the emergency department within the four hour timeframe that has been set as the national benchmark for how long patients should remain in ED before moving on.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Hello from Chicago! I stumbled upon your "Mondegreens" blog post completely by accident about a year ago and couldn't stop laughing for weeks. Thanks for the delightful blog posts and for introducing me to FML!

    ReplyDelete
  44. I'm just a chemist studying in Liverpool [UK], and have successfully managed to not yet poison myself (not even with selenium! :D). And I also found you on FML; who'd've thought it would be such great advertising? Please keep posting, I love the way you think

    ReplyDelete
  45. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Hi Doc! Your posts are absolutely amazing and I'm so glad I found you on FML. I've been following you for roughly a year and I've laughed and enjoyed your posts every time. I'm from California and ready to start my journey to college studying chemistry. Keep on telling stories! (P.S., I'm terrible with technology, so if this doesn't work, I do apologize.)

    ReplyDelete
  47. Hello! I too discovered you from FML and promptly had to read everything you wrote. Thanks for the stories - always great whether they are funny or inspiring.

    I'm from British Columbia, Canada!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I also got to your blog from FML. I'm from Stevens Point, WI, and I'm currently recovering from sinus surgery. Your blog has definitely helped me feel more comfortable about having surgery and trusting my doctor. I look forward to each post! Thanks Doc!

      Delete
  48. Found you through FML .. I'm from Iowa. It was like almost 2 years ago - I think

    ReplyDelete
  49. Via FML! It really seems to have brought you a lot of readers, hahaha. I'm from England - I'm a lit student, but I have a lot of friends studying medicine and I keep meaning to send them a link to this!

    HK

    ReplyDelete
  50. I found your blog through FML, similar to a lot of people here. I'm a fifteen year old girl from Australia, and your blog is something I really enjoy reading. From the times you share stories about the sheer stupidity of some people, to the serious posts you write, I love them all. I only found this blog a few months ago, but I read all the posts you had written in a single day. I'd really like to thank you sharing your stories, as I now plan to pursue a career in the medical field as an anaesthesiologist.

    ReplyDelete
  51. From FML also. I'm from Las Vegas, Nevada.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Hi Doc! I loved your comments on FML and was excited to discover your blog about a year ago. Congratulations on reaching a million views. I am from Washington DC. Thank you for sharing a piece of your life with us. :)

    ReplyDelete
  53. I found you via FML too (don't have an account there though). I'm from Austria.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Congratulations Doc! I was thrilled to find your blog recently having enjoyed your comments on FML for some time. I am a primary school teacher but enjoy interesting, funny or stupid medical stories. I am from New Zealand. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Hello from a small rural town in New Zealand! Found your blog from a page I follow on FaceBook: Paramedics on Facebook. Am an EMT and enjoy all things medical. This is a fantastic page. Love how you write what we are all thinking! Great work!

    ReplyDelete
  56. *waves* Found you, as did many, on FML. I'm from Queens NY from The States, and I work at a K-12 school in PC support. I share your frustrations, but not nearly to your degree :-p. Thank you for your amusing posts :)

    ReplyDelete
  57. Hi doc! Here from Las Vegas!!! I read your blog to my paramedic boyfriend. Perhaps one day I may e-mail some of the stupid stories he comes home with for you to either enjoy or share here.

    ReplyDelete
  58. I love you on FML and on here! I am from Iowa!

    ReplyDelete
  59. Hi, Doc. I found your blog via FML (who hasn't?!?!). I'm from a small town in southwest Virginia :-) I find your blog very entertaining and informative...keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  60. Congratulations, Doc! I found you on FML. I'm from Brazil.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Hi :) I came across your blog via a google search and have also seen your comments on FML, I'm from Australia, Vic. I check back here very few days to see if you've put a new story up, love your blog, keep it up!! Congrats on the million veiws!!

    ReplyDelete
  62. Hi Doc'

    Another from London here. Congrat's on you first million - I'll bet you will be adding another digit before you realise it!

    Thanks - and keep it up!

    Ugi

    ReplyDelete
  63. Hi!
    I'm a 1st year med-student from Melbourne Australia and I've been following this blog for about a year now, keep up the great work :D

    ReplyDelete
  64. Hiya!

    Congratulations on one million page views!!
    I've been reading your blog for almost a year now, and every day I check to see if there's a new post because I just know it's going to be good!

    From Queensland, Australia

    ReplyDelete
  65. Hi!

    I'm a physics student from Austria.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh and I also found out about your blog on FML.

      Delete
  66. Hardly a surprise, but I'm also from FML. I love reading your stories because they remind me of the stories my parents (both nurses) told me when I lived with them. I'm from Atlanta, GA! Thanks for all the stories.

    ReplyDelete
  67. I'm from Erlanger, KY. Thank you for the entertainment your blog provides! It always makes my day to see a new story posted!

    ReplyDelete
  68. congratulations on hitting One Million Doc! I too found your blog through FML and have been reading it for the last year! I am from Wyoming :)

    ReplyDelete
  69. Congratulations doctor. I am a medical student from Oman. I had fun reading your blog in my preclinical years. They were eye opener and motivational.I just started my clinical rotations.
    Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  70. Congratss Dr, I love your blog! It is a nice thing to read after a long day! I am a med student from the UK.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Hey Doc :) I'm from Houston Texas and currently going to school in Atlanta Georgia. Congrats on the million views! You deserve all of them.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Congrats! I'm new to your blog but I've been reading your stuff on FML for a while now. I'm from Spokane Washington. Keep up with these awesome stories!

    ReplyDelete
  73. Reading your blog from Minnesota. I've got you bookmarked and love when I check in and see a new post. Always entertaining and often informative. Thanks for sharing your perspective with us, Doc!

    ReplyDelete
  74. Hi Doc!
    I'm from West Virginia, right on the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania. I love reading your comments on FML's and saw the link to your blog on your profile. I love hearing stories about stupid people. My boyfriend is a police office here so you can only imagine all the stories I get to hear from him. Thanks for sharing your stories!

    ReplyDelete
  75. Found you a few weeks ago through FML. I'm from a tiny town called Stonefort in Illinois.Reading your posts always makes me feel better about the surgeries I've been through. Keep up the good work with making people laugh!

    ReplyDelete
  76. Congratulations on hitting 1 million Doc! I'm a nurse from sunny QLD Australia, and like most I came across your post on FML! I've even sent you in an email:) keep up the great work!:)
    Mel

    ReplyDelete
  77. Reporting in from the South West of England (UK). One of those small slices of happiness to help the difficult days pass!

    ReplyDelete
  78. I've been reading FML for years and I think I first noticed you commenting during 2010. I've always loved how you intelligent commenters make sarcastic jokes and puns, brightening up my day. You are inspiring, Doc, and I would love to become a doctor too. From an average student coming from a family with below average income, troubled over whether to further study to pursue a degree in Singapore :(

    ReplyDelete
  79. Yep, FML! Yours are some of the best comments on there, and led me here!. Keeping up with your interesting days from my pharmacy tech job over here in Ohio. I also studied surgical technology for a little while, so between that and my current job, your stories are especially entertaining for me :)

    ReplyDelete
  80. From West Chester, PA in the US. Currently attend Lock Haven University.

    ReplyDelete
  81. My name is Sarah Engstrom and I am from Des Moines, IA metro area. I first came across your blog by reading some of your comments on FML. I really like your comments on there. I am also somewhat obsessed with medical stuff. I like watching/reading about strange things that happen in the ER. I also enjoy sharing your posts.

    ReplyDelete
  82. I too found you on fml. As a nurse, I love your blog!!! You say exactly what we all think and your sense of humour keeps my sanity on bad days...all the way from NSW australia xx love ya work

    ReplyDelete
  83. A little late to this post, but I found you on FML and have been reading your stories since then. I'm from KY

    ReplyDelete
  84. Extremely late to this, but like everybody else I found you on FML. I'm from Texas!

    ReplyDelete
  85. northwest Indiana, an hour from Chicago! followed you here from FML like everyone else :)

    ReplyDelete
  86. I too have come here from FML, & have enjoyed reading your blog from the moment I read an entry. I appreciate your advice & the stories you share. Much love from SoCal!!

    ReplyDelete
  87. Through FML! From Pendleton, SC

    ReplyDelete
  88. Congrats! I love reading your blog and am applying to medical school myself. I'm from Indianapolis, IN

    ReplyDelete
  89. Boo! Love your stories... I'm from a wee island named Ireland. Conas atá tú? :)

    ReplyDelete
  90. I found your blog yesterday while searching for information about Jahi McGrath and brain death. I was instantly hooked. because of you, I plan to send a thank you note to my primary care physician, her staff, and the administrator for their outstanding care of me very soon. greetings from the San Francisco Bay Area, California.

    ReplyDelete
  91. I, too, came across this blog yesterday, while searching for updates on Jahi McMath's 'condition' (other than being still dead). Like many, I am completely obsessed with her story & every day I wake up & google her name, hoping & praying that today will be the day that she is laid to rest and its finally over.
    Anyways, your page called 'Trials and Tribulations: Legacy of Jahi McMath' is listed in the search results when googling Jahis name. Your thoughts regarding the whole fiasco are very similar to mine, so after reading that page, I checked out your 'Stories from the Trauma Bay', fully expecting to read horror stories. What a very pleasant surprise!! I am hooked! I've read every story from 2012 & 2013 already! Keep up the great work.
    I live in Oakley, California (San Fran Bay area)

    ReplyDelete
  92. I am from Hungary. A friend (a doctor) recommended your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  93. Georgia (USA) here.
    I'm a dietitian at a level 1 trauma center and cover the trauma floor, so I thoroughly enjoy all of these posts! The stories are part of what I love about my job.

    ReplyDelete
  94. Respectful insolence: http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/

    I'm a regular there and stumbled on your 121 publications regarding autism in one of the comments there.

    Quebec, Canucksland resident.

    Al

    ReplyDelete
  95. Oregon! Found you while Googling for Jahi McMath news.

    ReplyDelete
  96. I realize I'm a little late to the party, but I'm from California. I discovered your blog several years ago while I was still in high school and decided to come back and start from the beginning. Your posts are great reading material and I thoroughly enjoy every one of them! I look forward to catching up to your more current posts

    ReplyDelete

If you post spam or advertisements, I will hunt you down and eliminate you.

Comments may be moderated. Trolls will be deleted, and off-topic comments will not be approved.

Web-hosted images may be included thusly: [im]image url here[/im]. Maybe. I'm testing it.

Not dead

I'll start this post by answering a few questions that may or may not be burning in your mind: No, I'm not dead.  No, I didn't g...