Doc Shing

18/07/2025

Pumunta ako sa drugstore para bumili ng gamot ng nanay ko. Pumila ako sa priority lane ng PWD/Senior/Pregnant.
Napatingin sa’kin ang dalawang SC na wari’y sila’y nalilito na may halong paghuhusga. Kulang na lang i-head to foot ako, eh. Kaya para malinawan ang lahat, sinabi ko nang malakas, na parang anunsyo sa loudspeaker - “Bumibili po ako ng gamot para sa nanay ko.”
Sabay ngiti sa kanila. 😃😄
Pagkatapos no’n ay hindi na nila ako tiningnan.

22/06/2025

WHY SOME DOCTORS BILL MORE THAN OTHERS

Title: “Just Five Minutes?”

Mila stormed out of the clinic, clutching the white prescription paper in her hand and shaking her head in disbelief. “Five minutes. I paid ₱800 for five minutes,” she muttered, eyes wide with exasperation.

She sat on the nearest bench and began venting to her husband over the phone.
“Alam mo, he just asked me three questions — ‘Saan masakit? Kailan nagsimula? May lagnat ka ba?’ Then he listened to my back, looked at my throat, and wrote this! That was it. I didn’t even get to finish explaining everything I googled!”

On the other end of the line, her husband tried to calm her down. “Baka naman magaling ‘yung doctor?”

“Magaling? E ni hindi ako tinanong tungkol sa diet ko o lifestyle,” Mila snapped. “I could’ve done that myself.”

What Mila didn’t see — and what many never do — was the unseen work behind that “five-minute” consult.

The doctor had reviewed her chart the night before, recognizing her name from previous visits. His years of internal medicine practice told him which symptoms pointed to something serious and which ones didn’t. He noticed her breathing pattern as she walked in, the slight hoarseness in her voice, the subtle wince when she shifted in her seat.

He asked the right questions, examined the right places, and gave the right treatment — not because he was rushing, but because he had trained for decades to be that precise.

What took him five minutes took him twenty years to master.

And that’s what many patients don’t understand: you're not just paying for time — you're paying for expertise.

That’s also why some doctors bill more than others. It’s not just the title "doctor" that sets the fee, but how much they’ve invested in their training, their subspecialty, their experience, and the accuracy and safety they can offer in return. A more experienced doctor can often make the right call faster, with fewer tests and fewer errors — and that kind of efficiency isn’t cheap.

Mila’s ₱800 paid for more than five minutes. It paid for the confidence that she didn’t need an unnecessary lab, or a wrong medicine, or a week of worrying. It paid for a quick diagnosis made with precision — the kind only possible through long years of study, failures, learning, and patient care.

Sometimes, the best doctors make it look easy.

That’s the cost — and the value — of true medical expertise.

08/06/2025

Sinasabi ko sa mga pasyente ko, “Hindi naman po required na may dala po kayo para sa akin, ha. Gagamutin ko pa din kayo.” (Wala naman akong choice - JOKE 🤪😁😂) Sagot nila, “Ok lang po, Doc. Tanggapin nyo na po, maliit na bagay lang po ‘yan. ‘Yan na din po ang paraan namin para mapakita sa inyo na kami ay lubos na nagpapasalamat sa mga ginagawa nyo para sa amin.”

I have nothing to say but, really, “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.” Minsan nga, naiisip ko, habang buhat-buhat ko pauwi ang mga bigay nila, parang nabubuhay na din ako sa mga ayudang bigay ng mga pasyente, eh. 😂😍 Nakakaaliw din kasi nagugulat na lang ako sa mga binibigay nila. Minsan may nagbigay ng bra (Totoo! Kasama ko nga, binigyan ng isang set ng panty). May nagbigay ng gulay minsan, na akala ko tanim nya, yun pala hiningi lang nya sa kapitbahay nilang may garden para lang may maiabot sya sa’kin. 🥹 Syempre, hindi nawawala ang mga prutas, chicharon, tinapay, ulam, desserts, at isa sa mga paborito ko, ang bagoong. 🥰 ‘Yang photo frame na may picture, bigay yan ng pasyente ko. I find that a very thoughtful gesture. She took the picture during our Christmas Party last year, had it printed, and placed it in a frame. Sa panahon ngayon na halos lahat ay nasa smartphone na, pati mga larawan, kakaiba na ang dating sa’kin na nireregaluhan ako ng ganito. This is just MY share of the story, by the way. My co-fellows have their own unique versions of heartwarming - and sometimes hilarious - stories that surround the gifts that they have received from their patients.

Nakakaantig ng puso na kung sino pa ang pinagkaitan sa buhay (at nagkasakit pa ng kanser), ay sya pa’ng nakakapag-isip na magbigay. May mga panahon nga na mas positibo pa ang pananaw nila sa buhay kaysa mga nakakaluwag at walang sakit.

Okeeeyyyy, tama na ang drama 😂 at tapusin na ang essay of the day. 😂 Bubuksan ko muna itong mga bigay nila. Thank you for reading this far. Amping mo! (You all take care!)

08/06/2025

She wakes before the sun,
packs lunches in silence,
ties tiny shoes while her coffee goes cold,
then drives to work where no one knows she cried in the car.
This is for you.

He sits in traffic with a crumpled suit and a
tired heart,
already late, already behind,
thinking of bills he can’t talk about,
and dreams he no longer mentions.
This is for you.

She just turned 27 and wonders if she missed something,
scrolling through friend’s posts
as she eats dinner alone in a dim apartment
with too much quiet and not enough answers.
This is for you.

She looks in the mirror and sees someone
different now.
Not weaker, just changed,
shaped by heartbreak,
loss,
and battles no one saw.
This is for you.

He measures out his mother’s medication
with steady hands and tired eyes,
aging faster than he planned
because duty left no room for dreams.
This is for you.

She makes the group laugh,
sends the best memes,
but avoids her own reflection,
because the sadness is always louder at night.
This is for you.

He’s 56, sitting in a quiet kitchen
with a fresh resume and no replies,
wondering if the world still has a place for someone like him.
This is for you.

She lights a candle for someone who isn’t
coming back,
sets an extra plate out of habit,
and smiles gently at memories
that still bring tears.
This is for you.

And you,
reading this right now,
wondering if anyone notices the quiet fight
inside you.
I don’t know your story,
but I know it’s real.
This is for you.

You’re not alone.
You’re not too late.
You’re not the only one.
This is for you.

06/06/2025

Nu’ng isang araw sa clinic, nagsusulat ako ng reseta habang pinapayuhan ko ang pasyente na umiwas sa pagkain ng “fatty food” kagaya ng lechon. Ibibigay ko na sana sa kanya ang reseta, buti na lang nakita ko na ang nasulat ko sa kanyang first name ay “Lechon.” 😂

06/06/2025

Enjoy the long weekend, everyone! 😃

01/06/2025

June 1 is National Cancer Survivors’ Day.
Today, we celebrate the life of all cancer survivors, as well as the life of the people around them, family and friends who support them and hold their hand during their cancer journey. Mabuhay kayong lahat!

01/06/2025

Pasyente: Doc, ano po ang mga bawal kainin ng pasyente’ng may kanser?
Sagot: Iwasang kumain ng mga
mga hilaw na pagkain at mga “processed foods”. Ugaliing presko at masustansya ang kinakain.

31/05/2025

30/05/2025

Depression hates a moving target.
So get up, show up, and galaw-galaw naman dyaaan!
Kaya mo ‘yan, kid!
‘Wag kang panghinaan agad ng loob. Gaya ng napagdaanan mo’ng mga pagsubok noon, malalampasan mo din ito ngayon.