HY 11/06: What Two Doctors Learned From Their Patients

The life lessons they share could inspire you, too

Have you ever failed to truly listen to someone? Felt certain you already knew all you needed to about a subject and didn't need to pay attention? If so, chances are it wasn't a life-or-death matter.

Failure to truly listen may have the potential to harm a patient, say neurologists and authors John Castaldo, M.D., and Lawrence Levitt, M.D. It almost happened to Castaldo in the case of a patient with an unusual tattoo. That’s when he reinforced an important life lesson: that a medical education should be a springboard for careful listening and lifelong learning—including learning from patients.

In their new book, The Man With the Iron Tattoo and Other True Tales of Uncommon Wisdom, Castaldo and Levitt share 13 patients’ inspiring stories and the insights they took away from these encounters.

“John and I used to keep a logbook of lessons we learned from our patients’ circumstances,” says Levitt, who was Lehigh Valley Hospital’s first neurologist and now teaches there. “Initially, they were medical lessons. But over the years, the lessons became more philosophical—such as how to be a better person.”

Here’s a sampling of the stories in the book:

Australian Blue Healer—Could a dog really detect the onset of a stroke in his owner? Castaldo’s patient clearly has had a stroke, but it’s not clear exactly when—and clot-busting drugs only work within a three-hour window. Is it too late to administer the drug? Castaldo has to base his decision partly on reports of the frenzied behavior of the patient’s dog, Blue. It’s a big lesson in how to add up clues and trust one’s instincts.

Encountering Leonard—As a first-year resident, Levitt invites the husband of a patient home for a warm meal. When he’s summoned to the hospital president’s office (usually a bad sign), he wonders if he crossed an unwritten line and risks losing his job. In the end, he learns that reaching out to families who may be anxious or lonely is an important part of medicine.

“I was profoundly moved to tell these stories, including one about my son, David, who was in a coma for 10 days after a tragic car accident,” says Castaldo, who heads the hospital’s neurology division. “Now, when I speak words of comfort to my patients’ families, it is from the heart as well as the head.”

Want to Know More? You can find The Man With the Iron Tattoo (published by BenBella Books) at area and online bookstores. For information on the neurosciences program at Lehigh Valley Hospital, click here. For information about taking care of your brain and nevous system, click here.