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Sayed Tabatabai, M.D.
@TheRealDoctorT
Physician (nephrologist), writer. My debut book “These Vital Signs” @harpercollins is available now in stores and online.
Houston, TX
Joined October 2013
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  • user avatar
    Sayed Tabatabai, M.D.
    @TheRealDoctorT
    Sep 11, 2019
    The medical student shadowing me looks over my clinic schedule. She sighs exaggeratedly. “Doctor T, your YOUNGEST patient today is 70. Don’t you get tired of only seeing older patients?” I look down at my patient list, and smile. I don’t see what she sees... 1/
  • user avatar
    Sayed Tabatabai, M.D.
    @TheRealDoctorT
    Jan 23, 2020
    The surgeon’s hand is visibly trembling. The scalpel’s blade glints as it catches the light. I’m a medical student, scrubbed in on the case. I’m not going into surgery, I know that. I’m here for him. He glances at me and notices I’m holding my breath. He grins. “Relax.” 1/
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    Sayed Tabatabai, M.D.
    @TheRealDoctorT
    Feb 20, 2020
    There is a car, in the hospital parking lot. It is a faded red, covered with dust. Other cars have parked and left on either side of it, every day, but this car remains. I pass by it, as I find parking, on my way in to work. I know what it means. 1/
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    Sayed Tabatabai, M.D.
    @TheRealDoctorT
    Aug 7, 2019
    TW: pet animal death. My last patient of the day sits across from me in the exam room. A hulking tree trunk of a man, his arms are folded across his massive chest and he has his usual irritated look. He leans back in his chair. We begin the rituals of the office visit. 1/
  • user avatar
    Sayed Tabatabai, M.D.
    @TheRealDoctorT
    Sep 11, 2019
    Replying to @TheRealDoctorT
    “Don’t you wanna see young patients? Isn’t it rough seeing old people, on so many meds with so many medical problems, all the time?” I look up from my patient list, and my reverie, to respond. “This... is a privilege.” My student doesn’t seem to understand. Someday, she will.
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    Sayed Tabatabai, M.D.
    @TheRealDoctorT
    Dec 9, 2021
    “They just told me I have cancer. It’s everywhere in my body. And you say you’re a kidney doctor? What the hell are you doing here?” His voice is gruff, and as he looks at me, I feel the weight of his gaze. For a moment I hesitate, then ask. “Mind if I sit down?” 1/
  • user avatar
    Sayed Tabatabai, M.D.
    @TheRealDoctorT
    Sep 16, 2020
    “Why do you want to be a doctor?” I answer without hesitation, “I want to help people.” “There are many ways to help people.” “I want to save lives.” “There are many ways to do that too. So I’ll ask you again, why do you want to be a doctor?” “Because I believe in it.” 1/
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    Sayed Tabatabai, M.D.
    @TheRealDoctorT
    Sep 23, 2024
    I glance down at the paperwork my patient has filled out before his visit. Occupation: Retired harbour master. Two things: I’ve never met a harbor master before. And “harbour” with a “u.” Interesting. It’s the little everyday mysteries that I love most. That reveal us. 1/
    1.2M
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    Sayed Tabatabai, M.D.
    @TheRealDoctorT
    Dec 9, 2021
    Replying to @TheRealDoctorT
    Days later, as I round in the hospital, I find myself glancing at his room number when I walk past it. Remembering. The longer you practice medicine, the more faces never leave you. The more memories linger. “What did it take?” Nothing at all. Time. Every last thing.
  • user avatar
    Sayed Tabatabai, M.D.
    @TheRealDoctorT
    Jan 23, 2020
    Replying to @TheRealDoctorT
    It’s 2020 and students are rotating with me now. I feel the awesome responsibility of trying to impart something meaningful. I try to draw upon the wisdom of the many incredible teachers I’ve had along the way. The students will learn the science. It’s the art that’s elusive.
  • user avatar
    Sayed Tabatabai, M.D.
    @TheRealDoctorT
    Feb 20, 2020
    Replying to @TheRealDoctorT
    Sometimes I wonder. How much gas is still in the tank? How many journeys were still planned, or unplanned? Where did it go? Where was it going? It was a beautiful car, once, I can see that. As I drive past it, I pray for rain. (For all the love we leave behind - ST, 2/20.)
  • user avatar
    Sayed Tabatabai, M.D.
    @TheRealDoctorT
    Jan 6, 2022
    There’s a ghost on the corner of 3rd and Broadway I noticed him the other day, as I made a left turn at the light. He wasn’t there a week ago. He must be new. Nobody I recognize, but then again, his face is blurry and indistinct. I look at him now, and I drive past. 1/
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    Sayed Tabatabai, M.D.
    @TheRealDoctorT
    Jun 25, 2024
    Nephrologist here. Avoid coaches like the guy in the tweet below, and familiarize yourself with heat stroke warning signs: usnews.com/news/health-ne… This is the 3rd leading cause of death for high school athletes. Don’t die because your coach doesn’t understand basic physiology.
    user avatar
    QENNY | THE SPOOKY LAWYER ON YOUTUBE
    @AKBrews
    Jun 25, 2024
    Imagine your kid's high school football coach posting this on Facebook.
    usnews.com
    Parents, Coaches: Help Young Athletes Avoid Summer Heat Hazards
    356K
  • user avatar
    Sayed Tabatabai, M.D.
    @TheRealDoctorT
    Sep 23, 2024
    Replying to @TheRealDoctorT
    He laughs. “Beer and Skittles, doc.” He shakes my hand, we say our goodbyes, and I sit down in my office to chart. Name. Date of birth. Diagnoses. Data. Forms. Structure. None of it conjures the image. A dog, a car, a way home. Three wishes. Ships in a harbor. Harbour.
    77K