As some of you may have noticed, my rate of posting has been relatively slow for the past few months. There has been, as you might imagine, quite a few things competing for my time, some of which I hope to discuss forthwith.

My most immediate focus is a legal one. As I mentioned some time ago, I have been involved in a medical malpractice lawsuit for the past year. The wheels of justice — if you can call it that — turn slowly, and many months have passed with little more than an extraordinary plethora of paper which accompanies such a legal adventure. I have, quite literally, no less than 3-4 feet of paper accrued, including countless pages of chart notes, hospital records, court records, and communications from both attorneys. Keep in mind that this is in addition to the daily avalanche of paper accumulated through the normal running of a medical practice. Despite this torrent of tort-related tree products, the actual lawsuit itself has generally been a background matter for me for months, predominantly handled by my attorney.

Last week, however, in preparation for my upcoming deposition by the plaintiff’s attorney, and I had a several-hour prep session with my attorney. While very helpful, it significantly raised my anxiety level by putting this lawsuit front and center. Keep in mind that one cannot simply shut down a medical practice to focus on such things, so the cumulative stress is significant.

Of course, I cannot disclose any of the details of this case — a mistake imprudently made by another physician blogger. We believe our case to be very strong in defense, but of course the legal system can be something of a crapshoot, and the chess game of an interrogation by a plaintiff’s attorney is enough to give even the most steely-nerved defendant a serious case of the butterflies.

These are the matters which also challenge one’s faith, and all of the easy spiritual bromides and Bible verses about trusting God and His protection and provision are put to the test in the crucible of such a confrontation. As you can imagine, the knees on my trousers are getting significantly more wear of late. This road is far from easy; I cannot imagine enduring it without the pillar of my faith — shaky as it may be — and the love and support of those of like mind and belief.

So if you are of the praying sort, and feel inclined to do so, I would be most grateful for any whispered intercession on my behalf before our Creator.

My deposition is this coming Thursday.

God bless, and back soon.