Year End Summary, 2010 Edition

This post marks the two-year anniversary of this cardiology blog.  For the last 104 Mondays I’ve faithfully and painstakingly distilled from numerous reputable sources the latest in clinical advice, scientific research, and highly applicable medical news and put it all into a concise and easy-to-read format.  Then I promptly toss it aside and instead scribble the gibberish that typically shows up on this website every seven days.

Last year I came up with a great idea to con my way into a week off from my writing obligations: The Year End Summary.  This is a clever device that allows me to recycle old posts so that I don’t have to bother thinking up original topics.  Below you’ll find a summary of some of the more interesting articles from 2010, organized into questions that I know each of you has asked yourself on at least one occasion:

How will my doctor back home know if I contract beriberi in the Belgian Congo?  Mar. 1

My feet turn into popsicles at night.  Should I worry more about my heart or my spouse’s warm thighs?  Nov. 22

I saw an ad on QVC for stroke screening.  Should I sign up now or wait till they bundle it with the Snuggie?  May 17

How bad is it really if I become gravely, seriously, critically ill?  Feb. 8

Am I the only one who can’t pronounce ximelagatran or rofecoxib?  Jun. 28

Is there such a thing as a blog about cholesterol that won’t bore me to death?  Nov. 29 and Jun. 7 (the short answer, by the way, is no)

My life insurance beneficiaries bought me a full-body CT scan for Christmas.  Should I have asked for a gift receipt?  Jan. 11

Do I have any control over whether I suffer a stroke?  Oct. 25

Will a hole in my heart prevent me from making a stage dive into the mosh pit?  Jun. 1

This won’t hurt a bit?  Sure.  What do doctors know about being patients?  Mar. 8

If we get rid of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation what will Hollywood do?  Aug. 9

What’s your best advice on dieting and weight loss?  And if you’re so darn smart why don’t you have a best-selling book?  May 10

I suspect my doctor is trying to poison me.  Any advice?  Oct. 11

What rhymes with “foxglove” and what in the world does that have with my heart?  Mar. 22

My doctor says I need an angiogram (Mar. 15 and and Nov. 1).  Should I ask for a second opinion?  Jul. 26

Can a trip to the ICU make me go batty?  Jul. 6

Is it possible to develop congestive heart failure with a normal ticker?  Sep. 13

My doctor hears a murmur—how much should I freak out?  (Sep. 27)   And will that trigger a heart attack?  Jul. 12

I want to attend medical school someday.  Can I major in outdoor recreation rather than microbiology?  Aug. 16

I’m trying to pick a new doctor.  I’ve come to trust the internet for everything else in my life—will it help me with this choice?  Jun. 21

My doctor’s last name has 18 letters and only 2 vowels.  Should doctors from remote countries be a cause for concern?  Aug. 23

How do you suggest I stay in shape in the winter when I live on the icy tundra of the Midwest? Nov. 8

Will I cut my risk of heart attack if I just stand on my toes?  Jun. 14

If the human body were an airplane, where would the black box be located?  Apr. 26

How many of modern man’s medical maladies are preventable?  And, please, avoid additional annoying alliterations among your advisory answers.  Sep. 20

What does a right bundle branch block have to do with Star Wars?  Sep. 7

Is my niveusvestitusaphobia (fear of white coats) warranted?  Feb. 15

If my cardiologist defects to a full-time career in public radio (or cleaner of outhouses—Nov. 15) can I replace him with a robot?  Dec. 6 and May 24

There you have it.  All the crucial questions in the universe answered in one year’s postings.  More importantly I get to kick back and avoid my bloggerly duties for the next 7 days—I might actually do something productive for a change.