Hello. My name is Jason Swink, and I’m a 44-year-old physician based in Kansas. I say “based in” because it sounds cooler than living somewhere. Whenever you hear about celebrities, they are always “based” somewhere. Somewhere awesome, like Malibu or Seattle. As if simply living somewhere would be too pedestrian for someone of their wealth and importance. I want to be wealthy and important too, or, failing that, I want to appear to be wealthy and important. So, I’m based in Kansas.
Why am I starting this blog? Well, I kind of think of it like a diary. I read that it is healthy for a person to put his thoughts to paper, so to say. To undergo this regular mental catharsis, to see my thoughts on any subject, should do wonders for my mental health.
I’ve never kept a diary, partly because it sounds like a lot of work, and partly because it sounds nerdy. Like something an acne-ridden 12-year-old would do. Also, I would worry about someone finding my diary and reading it and finding out who I have a crush on, and all the other secret parts of my life. But to take your diary and publish it online, where literally tens of people might read it, admittedly mostly family members and horrified coworkers, removes the fear of having your diary read. So, a blog it is. I’m pretreating any mental issues, and preemptively letting my diary be discovered. Way to take power over my life!
I hope to serve as well. I realize, that in this cynical day and age, this might not be common wisdom: doctors seek to help people. I have years of knowledge and experience that might be useful to people. Fourteen years into my medical career, and I’ve encountered more patients with questions than without. My time throughout the workday is limited, and I can only talk with each patient so long. Perhaps if I can remember some of the topics people frequently ask about, I can outline them in a way that is understandable. I would hope that these articles might then be available to those with that particular question, and therefore make information available to more people than I am able to see in a workday.
Why am I qualified to spew words onto the internet? Well, I would think it’s obvious; the barrier to entry is low. The internet is the great equalizer. Any idiot can send his thoughts out into the world wide web for consumption and ridicule. And this idiot is going to do just that.
A little about me – I was born two months prematurely in Hays, Kansas, in 1974. I don’t remember the event, but I do know that neonatology was nowhere near as advanced as it is now. I picture a 4-lb baby in a cardboard box,under a heat lamp. They probably fed me tiny pieces of French-fried potatoes and hamburger sandwiches. Wait, was that the fifties?
I survived infancy, despite limited medical expertise. I traveled through life as we all do, helped by many. I went to college and have worked at various times as a chemical engineer, a fast food worker, and a mover of furniture. I taught physics and algebra at the college level. I was a standup comic for most of a decade, traveling throughout the US. I went to medical school and became a father and a radiologist. And now, I suppose, I’m a writer. I hope you find this entertaining and/or informative.