He then enrolled at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, where he discovered his interest in ophthalmology. She first came across Dr. Glaucomflecken four or five years ago. Q: A lot of the doctors you portray have very specific personality traits. Honestly, it's surreal. Honestly, its surreal, Flanary told CTV National News in a video interview from his home in Portland, Ore. Flanary had been doing stand-up comedy intermittently since high school, but always wanted to go into medicine. Flanary is the one and only Dr Glaucomflecken. Since then, it has evolved to incorporate satire of the US healthcare system, academic publishing, and the interpersonal conflicts that are pervasive in the medical system. Although they may not want to admit it, "powerless" is exactly how many medical professionals, patients, and their families often feel. So this all feels really low-stakes. The paramedics broke down a door and carried Flanary, who is 6 foot 4, from his bed to a hardwood floor downstairs. Dr. Glaucomflecken had the audience laughing as soon as he took the stage, resplendent in his TikTok-famous emergency physician costume. Written by: It also introduced him to the intoxication of a "like" at that time, on Facebook. Will was in cardiac arrest. Neelesh Misra, Written by: Flanary, 36, has about 2.5 million subscribers across TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter, where his pointed satire of medicines many absurdities has ballooned into a cast of characters and a cottage industry. Its wrong, but its also true, said the surgeon. In the end, he went through with the surgery and underwent hormone replacement therapy. For example, neurologists may have a slight rage stroke hearing someone described as having an altered mental status, which they describe as garbage terminology because it could mean anything from slightly confused to comatose. The second time around wasn't quite so easy. In front of a standing room-only crowd, Dr. and Lady Glaucomflecken delivered an opening keynote session packed with laughs (so many laughs!) Power of Social Media with Family Physician Dr. Mike | Knock Knock, Hi! He and his wife shared two kids at the time, and they weren't sure if they wanted more. He grew up in Houston, the son of a teacher and an engineer. [2][5] After graduating from Dartmouth, he completed his residency at the University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences in 2017. A: I dont think of myself as a survivor, really. People want the opposite. This time the diagnosis was a stage 1b seminoma, and he had surgery to remove his remaining testicle, followed by hormone replacement therapy consisting of a weekly self-administered injection of testosterone. Who are these people?" Flanary is hardly alone among doctors with TikTok accounts. When she realized he was unresponsive, she called 911. Q&A with William A. Flanary, MD, aka Dr. Glaucomflecken, provides a glimpse into his experience surviving cardiac arrest. Dr. Glaucomflecken (@DGlaucomflecken) November 21, 2021. "There are a lot of weird words in ophthalmology," Flanary says of his decision to riff on a glaukomflecken for his internet persona. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. Theyre also put to use in Flanarys tried-and-true format, dating back to the insurance video: pithy clips in which a reasonable person encounters a preposterous system, and comedy ensues. 'The second time was much harder,' he admitted. Then all of a sudden, it just comes crashing down on you.'. 2023 Glaucomflecken | Web design by Edge One Media | Privacy Policy. A: Thats a good example of one that surprised me. The idea is in the very early stages, Flanary said, but hes been working with an outside firm to press things forward. William Sharp. A doctor who who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and survived cancer twice has become a viral TikTok star, after sharing hilarious stories about his health woes in an attempt to raise awareness among others. The Night Telecommunicator-CPR Saved My Husbands Life, Lady Glaucomflecken Honored with American Heart Associations Resuscitation Champion Award, Power of Social Media with Family Medical Physician Dr. Mike. As Dr Glaucomflecken's popularity has grown, so has his prop inventory. At the time, Flanary told CTV News, "If Id known that it would turn into this I would have chosen an easier name to say. Power of Social Media with Family Physician Dr. Mike | Knock Knock, Hi! In them, he dresses up as different types of doctors and acts out funny and awkward made-up scenes between the doctor and a patient. It was the spring of 2020, and the nascent Covid-19 pandemic had shuttered businesses around the country, including Flanarys private practice. It feels good to laugh. That likely means television, whether live-action, animation, or some combination thereof. Severe Weather The Glaucomflecken repertory theater began to grow. Chetan Bhagat. Sarah Cooper, a comedian who rose to internet stardom by lip-syncing to President Trump, parlayed her success into a 2020 Netflix special that was not particularly well-received, and then the election came and went along with her moment. He has a passion for educating non-ophthalmologists about ophthalmology and is a frequent speaker at medical conferences across multiple specialties, including emergency medicine, primary care, and critical care medicine. And I trust myself. More recently, Flanary joined TikTok, which has allowed him to showcase some of the skills he honed over years of live performance. "That's kind of the way it works with me with humor.. Ophthalmologist Portland | Dr.William E. Flanary | EHNPC Home Our Doctors William E. Flanary, M.D. Welcome back to the Doctor Rich channel! After all, you got an ophthalmologist to come in on a Saturday!, I've learned a lot about emergency medicine and the role you play in your communities, really acting as a safety net for society. A doctor who who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and survived cancer twice has become a viral TikTok star, after sharing hilarious stories about his health woes Will Flanary, 36, has gained more. 6 months ago Why turning off anesthesia is more complicated than flipping a switch - Reaction to. I started doing the video format at the right time especially with the pandemic, more people have been on online. From then on, he knew he wanted to be a doctor the first in his family. In 2010, when he was 25 years old, Will was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Written by: Dr. Flanary is an ophthalmologist who specializes in satirizing the medical field with hilarious social media skits. "It was such a powerful thing for me, and I saw the good it does for me and the people I do that trip with," he says. If you are asking a question, don't forget to check the sub FAQs, or do a search of the sub to see if your question has been answered already.. Failure to follow rules may result in your post being removed, or a ban. Social media is a great way to show that side, because you can reach a big audience and it shows the public that we have things that suck about our job or that we hate health care, and it allows the general public to relate to us, and thats something thats been missing for a long, long time. He registered for a Twitter account out of boredom while attending a conference several years ago during medical school and began using it as a surrogate for telling jokes on stage. That's how they found First Descents, a nonprofit outdoor adventure program for people aged 18-39 with cancer or other serious health conditions. In February alone, Dr Glaucomflecken released nine installments of his ongoing 60-second video series, in which a hapless medical student is thrown into the deep end by various specialists, from an elbow-patched psychiatrist to a mountain-biking emergency medicine doctor. He described the diagnosis as 'really hard' - especially since he was healthy and athletic at the time and didn't see it coming - and he recalled everything 'crashing down on him.'. Lillian Gissen For Dailymail.Com. In the last year, that platform became more important than ever. The audience was rapt as they listened to her 911 phone call. Thats why I love building this Glaucomflecken General Hospital of characters, Flanary told STAT. It meant that he would have to go on hormone replacement therapy for the rest of his life." Each is deployed as a comedic foil for whatever point Flanary wants to make, whether a high-minded critique of prior authorization or a farcical look at how residency works. After surgery to remove the cancer, they were ready to move forward. "And then I remember getting to know him and going, 'Oh crap.' Please enter a Recipient Address and/or check the Send me a copy checkbox. I get to go home at a reasonable time and develop meaningful relationships with my family. But at some point you just have to go for it. Its been a little bit surprising how popular the characters are its taken on a life of its own. She was alone, he said. There was no medical explanation for the sudden cardiac arrest. 23.1K Likes, 784 Comments. He practices in Oregon City, Oregon and lives in Portland, Oregon. Its just been a very serious field. Daniel Kahneman. If you trust your content, if you trust the message, then youve got to just go with it and accept that. DEALING WITH CANCER AND A HEART ATTACK. Dr. Glaucomflecken hasn't responded to me and probably won't. Go ahead and share this so he gets the message. This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties. Welcome back to the Doctor Rich channel! He has described his own experiences using the organization after being diagnosed with cancer as "a lifeline". Now, he is telling his story so that other men know what to look for and can catch the disease early on. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer twice the first time was when he was in his fourth year of medical school at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, and the second time while he was in his third year of residency at the University of Iowa. You must declare any conflicts of interest related to your comments and responses. [2], In May 2020, Flanary suddenly went into cardiac arrest in his sleep. But cancer is not the only challenge Flanary has faced. I made one too many jokes, got sent to the principals office, and received a conduct report to be signed by my dad. I saw, Oh theres a big appetite for this. That has gotten a lot better, but it took a few weeks to get there. As a bonus they are also joined by Will's wife Kristen Flannary, aka Lady Glaucomflecken. Koral Dasgupta. After surviving testicular cancer twice, Will suffered a cardiac arrest out of the blue last year, and his wife, Kristin - whom he calls his 'superhero' - saved his life by performing CPR. Contests & Promotions, 2023, Pikes Peak Television, Inc. Colorado Springs, CO, USA, Pedro Pascal appears delighted that Sarah Michelle Gellar remembers working with him on Buffy, Man accused of killing 2 police officers and a deputy dies in Kentucky jail. For some reason, the powers that be thought it would be a good idea for my mom to teach her kid, who also happened to be the biggest class clown in school. And you present that to other people and you share a laugh about it on your own terms. Daily Briefing Glaucomflecken alter ego began as a creative outlet to tell painfully specific ophthalmology jokes and to cope with my own health challenges. But Will's health problems didn't end there. He'll do it all under the guise of his signature, top hat-wearing ophthalmoscope. In the pre-op room before his second surgery, Kristin began looking for support groups for her husband. Will Flanary, aka Dr. Glaucomflecken, at home in Portland, Ore. Aye Grsz for STAT Reprints W ill Flanary's days are spent conducting eye exams and cataract surgeries at a private practice. Written by: How do you know the little idiosyncrasies so well? [6], During his third year of residency, Flanary was diagnosed with testicular cancer again. To comment please, Comments on Medscape are moderated and should be professional in tone and on topic. Despite his best efforts, Flanary's irreverent style occasionally catches flack. They dont like the portrayal of the some of them as overworked, underpaid sympathetic figure, always doing some sort of fellowship. A glaukomflecken is a change in the lens of the eye after an acute angle closure, whereas Dr Glaucomflecken is a social media sensation. "I would say it's been harder for my wife, in many ways.". "I was sitting down," he says with a sense of wonder. Product type. A: Its been a little bit surprising, Ive just done it as a creative outlet. Once at the hospital, he underwent hypothermia treatment, which involved cooling his body for 24 hours to reduce damage to the brain. You've successfully added to your alerts. Glaucomflecken, a term for a sign of glaucoma. It was comedy that helped me through a diagnosis of cancer during med schooland again during residency. After he recovered again, their family was dealt another blow when Kristin awoke in the middle of the night to find her husband unresponsive, breathing irregularly and making strange noises. Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. Flanary isnt terribly concerned that his caricatures will ruffle feathers among his peers, in part because hes never far removed from a joke at the expense of his own specialty. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community Guidelines | KRDO Jobs | FCC Applications |, KRDO FCC Public File | KRDO FCC Applications, Breaking News He had raised over US$100,000 for the organization as of January 2022. Flanary is willing to take the gamble. This is my life with aphasia. In December 2015, he made his first (anonymous) contribution to GomerBlog, in the form of a satirical news report headlined "Ophthalmologist Accidentally Agrees to See Inpatient Consult. Ive gotten the most backlash from family medicine/primary care doctors. I had this bad thing happen, I made it through, and now Im OK. What means more to me is that Im able to reach out to the public using my platform to create some meaningful change, and also sing the praises of my amazing partner. Everyone's happy." But mainly, the young, mellow-voiced doctor focuses on the strong personalities involved in everyday medical practice. 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