When I discuss patients on here, it often sounds as though I am speaking about a particular patient in great detail; I even give names at times. The central thread of each story is always true. However, I have never and will never share any personally identifying information on this blog. To that end, the names are made up and I regularly change the more specific details like gender, age, and organ system (e.g. a 43-year-old woman with gallbladder cancer might become a 47 year-old man with pancreatic cancer or a 52-year-old woman with cervical cancer, while other elements stay the same). Occasionally I will make a composite story when I have seen many of the same type of presentation. If I find there are too many identifying features that I can't change because it would alter the main theme/ plot of the post, I simply don't write about that encounter. It means I don't get to share some of my best stories!
In short, if you think you recognize elements of a given patient story and think it might be about you or someone you know, it's not.
