06/04/2024
Yep. 😞
I am broken hearted to hear the sudden & tragic loss of one of my own - a LSU Veterinary School classmate, colleague, & friend.
You see, this profession...
It takes & it takes until we have no more to give. Until we feel we have no where to turn, & no way to live up to what is expected of us as veterinarians that it seems that the only viable option is to take our own lives & finally put these struggles behind us. We want so hard to have a "normal" 9 to 5 gig that allows us to decompress outside of work & not think about the handful of beloved pets that we had to humanely euthanize &/or lost to horrible diseases or years of neglect earlier that day. Or to forget about that outrageously negative & untrue review that a client left, but it's words cut deeper & for longer than they will ever bear, or care, to know. The amount of pressure on our shoulders oftentimes can be unbearable, especially in the long run. There are people who think we are out for their money, when all we want to do is shake them & have them realize we personally will never see any bit of that money & genuinely want to help their pet live a better quality, longer life...which is why we joined this profession in the first place! Believe it or not, our journey to become a Veterinarian was not cheap. 8 years of further education leads to financial burdens of up to several $100,000s on average of student loan debt that we are suffocating in. We will owe the rest of our lives to 'Sallie Mae'....& all of that, because we have an extraordinary passion for animals that led us to this calling to help your pets. This part was not something anyone told me about when I was 6 years old & decided I was destined to become a Vet...they definitely left that part out & the burdens that come along with it - & boy is it heavy. On top of this all, too frequently we are expected & demanded to come up with immediate answers & diagnoses all while having our hands tied behind our backs with no permission to pursue diagnostics in order to help get us those answers. Unlike human medicine, some people seem to forget that OUR patients do not talk. We have to play detectives day in & day out...& part of that warrants various testing to be performed to put all the clues & pieces of the puzzle together for you & your pet. When you limit us because of this stigma that we are only out there for the money, you limit our capabilities to do such. You limit our abilities to develop the perfect treatment plan, to discuss the prognosis, & long-term expectations for your pet. We offer plans A, B, C, & D & most of us do our best to help guide you to make the most realistic decision for your family & current situation, but we are still obligated to remind you that any option other than A can have downfalls, now or in the future. Although not everything comes down to life or death, we do our best to help your family & your fur babies with our limitations at hand.
In our profession, we wear many hats...we are your dog's surgeon, ophthalmologist, dentist, endocrinologist, cardiologist, oncologist, & oh so more -- all in one day. We have to walk out of one exam room where we help walk a family through one of the most painful & selfless decisions we ever have to make as pet parents to humanely end their suffering into the next exam room with a family who is elated to have a new 8 week old puppy addition...all with a smile on our faces. We are human, but god forbid we let our guards down & dampen anyone else's day with what we've had to see or do the room prior. I always say..."It's not all puppies & kittens folks" - it is tough, demanding, & exhausting living up to these expectations every single day of our lives. We struggle oftentimes with depression, anxiety, & burnout in this field. & Time off? What is that!? We work incredibly long hours, oftentimes don't get a single 5 minute "break", & constantly struggle to have a work-life balance. One way or another, whether intentionally or not, we always take our work home with us. It's there running back & forth through our minds at 3AM when we can't sleep - what we could have done better, where we 'dropped the ball' along the way....but, the truth is: We are perfectionists & beat ourselves up about things that no other decision would have changed the end outcome. With that, who needs online reviews & client complaints afterall?! We are our very own toughest critics. We pour our entire heart & soul into every dog, cat, bird, rabbit, or iguana that we see as if it were our very own. Compassion fatigue is real...& it's deadly. Did you ever realize that one person could care TOO MUCH? Well, it's a thing - & we suffer from that too.
Yesterday, myself, my fellow Veterinary colleagues, & my profession lost another sweet soul far, far too young. Lindsey Thomas Frugé was always the happy one (...or at least always appeared that way on the outside looking in) & had a smile that would light up a room. My heart hurts knowing that these were likely just some of her daily struggles. She had a heart of gold & it saddens me to know this world now has to go on without it. She owned her own Veterinary hospital (which comes with a whole slew of additional challenges & struggles) & was a mother to 2 adorable young boys. She wasn't the first to succumb to such difficult expectations that's hit close to home for me & unfortunately, I know she likely won't be the last. I love this profession...but I hate seeing what it does to it's own people. Veterinarians are up to 3.5 times more likely to die by su***de than members of the general population - that's a fact. Something has to change & fast. Until that time comes, I choose to educate & share with the public just some of the struggles that we, as Veterinarians, have to deal with on a daily basis. I choose to spread awareness that it is so much more than puppies & kittens all day everyday, & I suggest that people start helping this problem by simply being kind to their Veterinarian & Veterinary staff. You have no clue what a simple act of kindness, respect, sympathy, understanding, or even a hug can do for a person. You have no clue what we had to deal with the exam room prior to your own. 💔
By Erin
