Carlsbad Family Medicine, A Professional Corporation
2808 Roosevelt St., Ste 100
Carlsbad, CA 92008
858-255-1595 (NEW Message Line)
760-645-6385 FAX
www.medicine-in-motion.com

 

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News Updates

4 November 2023

It's been quite a while since my last update and all of the news is good. Burning Man was awesome despite the rain and our neighborhood Halloween Tricks AND Treat shows were a hit, as well!

I completed treatments for my pancreatic cancer in June and was re-scanned in August and my tumor was stable i.e. had not grown, and there was no evidence of any spread. We did not expect the mass to simply disappear after the combination of intense radiation and adjuvant chemotherapy; rather, it seems to have become inactive and there's no way of telling if that will last months or years. As such, I will go in for CT scans and labs every 3 months (my next scan will be next week) to monitor my situation.

Otherwise, overall, I'm feeling good. Chronically anemic so dealing with some orthostatic dizziness issues, but building up enough strength that I went for a 3 mile combined walk/run the other day and survived (albeit with some muscle soreness....ok more than some muscle soreness!). My peripheral neuropathy has improved, but remains. Still some brain fog issues at times.

Enjoying our forced retirement very much - no more 3-4 hours of charting outside of office practice! We wake up every morning to what day is today? It's.....today! Watching lots of movies, working on magic and guitar work, and friends visiting a lot.

Got my flu and RSV vaccinations 2 days ago. Will get updated Covid vaccine when it becomes available.

Today's to-do list: make authentic homemade gnocchi...

That's all for now!

29 June 2023

About time for another Magic Doc update;

I completed an aggressive course of daily radiation therapy combined with weekly chemotherapy earlier this month and tolerated it well. Somehow managed to NOT lose my hair this go round! Plan is to repeat CT scans mid-August to see how we all did - hoping for a cure. Still have energy and other issues (neuropathy, myopathy, etc), but nothing insurmountable - looking forward to a (hopefully) good summer. I've been cleared to attend Comic-Con, Magic Live, and Burning Man by my docs and have taken extra care in preparing for the Playa (Shiftpod III shelter with air conditioner!). I won't be much help setting up camp, but - dammit - I can supervise...

Locals are welcome to visit Folgers and me at any time. Hope y'all have a good summer!

12 April 2023

It’s exactly one year since I first experienced symptoms/signs of my pancreatic cancer and I’m still standing on the top side of the turf. How am I doing? Let me point out that it’s better to be seen than viewed…

The latest:

I’ve been taking Rozlytrek (a gene therapy that targets my cancer’s genetic mutation type) since October 1, 2022. My cancer/tumor marker (CA 19-9) was running about 6000 at the time. By February, my CA 19-9 dropped into the normal range (<37) and I regained 35 lbs of lost weight.

This is - obviously - good news, but the goal of the gene therapy is not to effect a cure (in and of itself), but rather to shrink my tumor load enough to attempt a more definitive curative treatment.

That’s where we’re at now. Laurie and I have met with our team (oncologist, surgeon, and radiation oncologist) and have decided to forego the Whipple surgical procedure at this time (always a difficult thing to try with lots of potential problems) in order to pursue a more aggressive type of radiation therapy known as “chemo-radiation.” While radiation alone can destroy cancer cells effectively, the problem is that it does not address microscopic cancer cells that may be hiding within the region. Radiation alone would normally require only about 5 treatments.

My therapy will be more intense - daily radiation treatments for about 5 weeks and will be complemented by chemotherapy. Our thinking is that this should address any lymphadenopathy that may be present in addition to the primary tumor. With this aggressive course, my body will take more of a beating with the most common adverse effects including fatigue and delightful GI problems (nausea/vomiting and diarrhea). It’s estimated that I’ll need 3-4 weeks after the conclusion of the treatments to feel back to normal. I go in to “get mapped” for radiation next week and will most likely begin this regimen by early May. We’re hopeful that I’ll be over most of the nasty effects by late June and feeling well enough to attend Comic-Con (July), Magic Live (early August), and Burning Man (Late August).

I’m most fortunate that I’ve got so many friends willing to work with me in order to attend those functions, as I’m dealing with peripheral neuropathy, proximal myopathy, brain fog, dizziness, and other things that I won’t bother you all with. I’m very fortunate in that I’m not experiencing any pain whatsoever (pancreatic cancer is known as one of the more painful types with which to deal) so I’m not bitching and moaning all day long, much to Laurie’s relief.

Spending my time gardening and watching lots of classic movies (e.g. Akira Kurosawa - directed ones being the most recent). We recently had to put one of our cats (Lucyfurr) down following significant injury. As you can see, our other feral cat (Phoenix) is picking up the slack and is keeping a close eye on me all day long. Our friend, Richard, also continues to visit daily to keep an eye on me when Laurie must run out.

When I was first diagnosed, I had a 5 year survival chance of somewhere between 15 - 45% at best. This month marks one year down and - to quote the Bard (Sir Elton John) - “I’m still standing…”. [Of course there’s always a consultation from Detective Harry Callahan: “ Do you feel lucky punk?”]

And now you’re all caught up!

Thanks, again, for the jokes that many of you have submitted. Please keep ‘em coming!

Magic Doc

16 February 2023

I remain on the top side of the turf! My targeted genetic therapy with Rozlytrek (happily) is effective and the new year has seen my cancer marker continue to drop and I'm now in the "normal" range (my CA19-9 is 28; normal is 0-37; I was at 6000 on October 1, 2022!).

Fortunately I'm not experiencing any pain whatsoever, but issues with peripheral neuropathy and myopathy have progressed (I'm dropping guitar picks!) that affect gait stability at times. Fingers and toes numb; upper arms and upper legs fatigue easily. I noted that I dropped 65 lbs due to my disease; however, since starting Rozlytrek, I've put 30 lbs back on and look better. My hair has re-grown, too! Creon has also been a lifesaver - it allows me to eat normal foods without horrible GI side effects.

Still very appreciative of my patients and friends checking up on me so often. It's been nice getting together for lunches, etc. Spending my days working on paperwork and watching lots of movies with a friend most afternoons. Laurie has been an absolute lifesaver in the caregiver department (she tries not to laugh to hard when I wobble and fall down!).

Plan is to remain on Rozlytrek for a few more months to see how much benefit we can crank out from it and then get the Whipple procedure performed for a definitive cure when cancer has shrunk enough.

Thanks, again, for all of the calls of support - Laurie and I miss y'all (but NOT the charting!).

18 November 2022

Wonderful news in this Magic Doc update!

Let's recap, shall we? I diagnosed myself with pancreatic cancer at the very end of April, following a bout of painless jaundice due to biliary tract obstruction. The obstruction was dealt with by placement of a stent and we (Laurie and I) met with a team of excellent docs (specialists in hematology/oncology, Transplant surgery, and radiation oncology) to plan out a treatment strategy. We went with 3 months of chemotherapy with the intent of getting a Whipple Procedure if the tumor burden had been adequately reduced.

Vascular port placed in my RIGHT upper chest leading to my superior vena cava and chemo visits 3 week out of each month. My initial tumor load/burden was 7,092.58 (normal CA 19-9 is 0- 37) back in June. After 3 months of chemo, it dropped down to 2,450.85. Good, but was hoping for much better.

And then came my gastric outlet obstruction whereby I was unable to hold down any food or fluids for close to two weeks. Transplant surgeons came to my rescue as I was admitted to Scripps Green in La Jolla and received a gastrojejunostomy bypass. Alas, the Whipple Procedure could not be performed due to poor tumor tissue consistency. :(

I recovered nicely from this procedure and was able to start consuming food and fluids once again. [Note that I could not appreciate taste due to chemotherapy (and possible residual from Covid in June) - everything tasted like salted cardboard.] Yecccchhhh! BUT, it was calories.... For the record, aside from the hair loss, chemo also induced peripherap neuropathy in my feet - not painful, mind you, but uncomfortable. In fact, I've been quite lucky and have not had to to deal with much more than a little discomfort through all of this.

My last chemotherapy was mid-August, hence my hair started to regrow towards the end of September (and it is still coming in as I type this). That's good news. The bad news is that lack of chemotherapy allowed the pancreatic tumor to start growing again. We considered adding radiation to augment the chemotherapy, but then my oncologist discovered that I have a very rare mutation in my cancer, something called ENTREK, and he was involved in studies of a medication that targets cells with this mutation that demonstrated hopeful results.

What's new? I started the Roslytrek ( 3 capsules once daily) 5 weeks ago and felt better immediately. The pressure in my abdomen totally disappeared and my appetite perked up. Mind you that i had dropped about 60 pounds from the beginning of May until this time. I weighed approximately 160 lbs at the start of this therapy and looked like a concentration camp survivor. At our oncology visit, my physician announced that my most recent lab demonstrated a PROFOUND reduction in my tumor marker after only 4 weeks; my CA 19-9 dropped from 5,505.10 on October 19 down to 193.84 on November 14!!! Furthermore, thanks to my improved appetite and slowly improving taste buds, my weight has increased up to about 177 and holding steady.

I'm still nowhere's near my normal strength and endurance, but I'm working out with light weights at home and going up/down stairs at the beach with a friend. Aside from the muscular atrophy associated with the dramatic weight loss, the orthostatic side effects (dizziness) from my therapies have also made me a significant fall risk and I'd taken several good tumbles earlier this month resulting in some emergency department visits. Fortunately, nothing broken or bleeding yet (had to make sure b/c I'm also on a blood thinner to dissolve a cancer related thrombus in a mesenteric vessel).

What's ahead? We're naturally enthused by this news! I'll be re-scanned mid-December and if images good and marker reductions hold/continue, we'll re-evaluate the possibility of a curative Whipple procedure (with all that entails - feeding tubes, drains, etc) in January. The recovery from that surgery will take several months. After that, I hope to remain above the turf long enough to continue tormenting my Laurie. I've spent 40 years devoted to medicine; that's gone bye-bye and it's Laurie's turn!

I will NOT be returning to the practice of medicine. I've officially retired in the eyes of my malpractic insurance carrier and starting to receive disability payments. Time to enjoy life even more than before.

Laurie and I want to (again) thank all who've been so supportive of our needs. Were I not experiencing chemobrain/brainfog from all of the treatments, I'd at least make an attempt to thank specific individuals, but you know who you are. Thanks for all of the food, rides, and other means of support that have been given to us.

 

18 September 2022

I was discharged from Scripp's Green Friday afternoon. Yes, I still have pancreatic cancer and - unfortunately - we were unable to perform the planned Whipple procedure due to complications of a gastric outlet obstruction and tissue changes. Instead, I received a gastrojejunal bypass and dealt with ileus complications following (necessitating another NG tube insertion). Finally able to eat again, I'm back at home and slowly progressing my diet and regaining strength/energy. I want to say that the staff at Scripp's Green were absolutely wonderful to me (even by those who did not know that I was a physician). While I was there, I provided buckets of clown noses to the staff!

To remind all: Medicine in Motion practice was permanently closed as of May 3, 2022. Patients were given 4 months to download their records and while I was able to do so for a brief while, I am no longer able to renew any medications for any patients. [If you've not already notified your pharmacists about this, please do so immediately.]

The Onpatient Patient portal is no longer available for access. Laurie and I have limited access to the electronic medical records. If you still have need of personal information, please send a request via e-mail to manager@medicine-in-motion.com and we'll do our best to accomodate. The Google phone # remains active (858-255-1595) so patients can leave messages on it, as well.

Laurie and I are extremely grateful for the support of you all during these difficult times, especially for the jokes that many of you have sent! I'll continue with a new chemotherapy regimen with another future attempt at getting the Whipple procedure performed eventually.

After 40 years of practicing medicine, I'm offically retired and on disability. I consider it an honor to have cared for so many wonderful patients over the years. Likewise regarding the oh-so-many medical professionals-in-training that I've mentored. I'll miss you all (but not the charting)!

1 September 2022

Today finds me at Scripps Green (La Jolla). Per my Facebook page this morning:

Just had my first solid sleep in a week - thank you NG tube!

Basically, my tumor created gastric obstruction which resulted in its dilation and all of that discomfort and heaving. It also increased my wbc count to 20k and my lipase to over 2000. I was alkalotic from loss of so much stomach acid which dropped my potassium, as well. This morning’s labs show significant improvements already. Goal is to get me into fighting shape for Tuesday (hopefully)…

Thanks for all of the love sent my way!

After getting me beefed up and hydrated over the next days, I'm scheduled for my Whipple Procedure on Tuesday. I expect to remain in the hospital for at least a week following that, then home on feeding tubes for about 4-5 weeks. (Oh joy...)

I cannot respond to Onpatient Portal messages. Sorry!

Thank you all for being there for me.

Jeff

18 August 2022

Spectrum follow -up: We're resorted to obtaining a Google Phone number as Spectrum cannot get their act in gear. In order to contact us, please dial 858-255-1595.

Incidentally, I've completed my chemotherapy and will get re-scanned next week.

Thanks to all for your continued support!

jeff and Laurie

4 August 2022

1. Spectrum screwed up and accidentally discontinued our office phone #. Therefore, please call 442-333-9075 to reach our office voicemail to leave messages for us. I'm still monitoring the Onpatient portal for messages (the preferred way to contact us until .... #2).

2. We will be maintaining the DrChrono electronic medical records system up until early-September. If you've not already done so, you may download your progress notes for your personal records thru the Onpatient portal.

On the cancer front, I am just beginning my third round of chemotherapy and it seems to be effective. Plan is to rescan me at end of this month and perform surgery around mid-late September. A hearty thank you to all who've sent messages or dropped by the house to offer support for Laurie and myself.

 

24 June 2022

Phones finally straightened out. Resorted to forwarding office phone to residence with answering machine. This is the text of our message:

-----

You’ve reached Medicine in Motion, the family and sports medicine practice of me, Dr. Jeffrey Pearson, and my trophy wife, Laurie!

If this is a medical emergency, please hang up and dial 9-1-1.

We regret that our practice has been forced to close permanently due to health reasons, the details of which can be found on the Latest News page of our website, www.medicine-in-motion.com. Most of our patients have been notified about this through the Onpatient Portal. If you’ve not read this (or cannot access your portal account), please refer to the web site.

Obviously, we can no longer accept patients into the practice. Existing patients have been instructed to seek out new primary care physicians and have been reminded that they can download their progress notes thru the Onpatient Portal messaging system.

I will continue to renew patient medications until July 1 with the exception of HRT; I’ll continue to renew HRT until my designated replacement prescriber is able to do so administratively. I will not be able to renew any controlled substances after this time, either.

Existing patients should contact me thru the Onpatient Portal with any non-urgent concerns.

If you must speak with me about a truly urgent matter, please dial 760-740-2341 to contact our answering service and they’ll page me.

Thank you for your time and for all of the thoughts that so many of you have sent to us in this difficult time.

-----

Completed my first cource of chemotherapy yesterday. Hair gone since 2 weeks ago. Feeling some fatigue so my activities are somewhat curtailed. Nice sleeping in!

 

21 June 2022

Experiencing telephone issues; working on porting office phone to residence. If you're trying to reach me on an urgent basis, please call our answering service at: 760-740-2341. Nonurgent matters: please use the Onpatient portal for messages.

9 May 2022

Let's get to the bad news first: Laurie and I have no choice but to close our Medicine in Motion Family & Sports Medicine practice for medical reasons. As suspected, my diagnosis of pancreatic cancer was confirmed this past week and any treatment (should I elect to do so) will impair my ability to provide care for patients. I thought that I had another five years in me, but apparently my pancreas felt otherwise - word is that it finally got fed up with so much charting. I've been cared for by the truly excellent staff at Scripps Encinitas since last Tuesday and hope to make it back home either later today or tomorrow.

Laurie and I have never had to close a practice before. Fortunately, many of our patients do have other physicians upon whom to fall back, but some do not. It seems appropriate to remind folks about an article that I wrote about 35 years ago about "How to Choose a Physician." [https://medicine-in-motion.com/Choosing_a_physician.htm]

I'll continue to monitor the Onpatient portal for messages to handle renewals during this transition period, but there's no guarantee as to how long I'll be able to keep that up. All of our patients' medical records are accessible thru the Onpatient portal and we'll post instructions on how to download your records from the Dr. Chrono EHR system that we employ.

Laurie and I have been overwhelmed by the show of support and sympathy on our Facebook pages (Medicine in Motion; Jeff Pearson) and text messages. The so many offers of assistance are greatly appreciated. It feels so good to know that we've been appreciated for our efforts to help so many over the years.

I'll end with a medical joke (kinda hard to avoid, actually): A man walks into his physician's office with a celery stick in one ear, a carrot stuck in the other, a green bean up one nostril and a french fry up the other one. He says "Doc, I feel like crap. What's wrong with me?" The doctor looks him over and says "Isn't it obvious? You're not eating right!"

2 May 2022

Happy Birthday to me!!! I officially join the ranks of Medicare recipients!

That's the good news...

Our top story tonight....I developed an acute biliary tract obstruction over the past week or so, totally painless, but itches like the dickens. Lab work confirmed what I suspected and imaging performed this past Friday demonstrated the dilated obstructed ducts along with a 2.5x4.2 cm "hypoechoic density" (i.e. a mass) immediately adjacent to the head of my pancreas. There are several possible diagnoses ranging from bad to very bad.

Turning my self into Scripp's Encinitas tomorrow to let them have at me. Will get better scan (MRCP) and biopsy so that we can figure out how to proceed.

And that's all of the news that fit to print at the moment. Obviously, we will not be able to see patients during this time. Laurie and I will be monitoring the Onpatient Portal and we'll arrange for a physician back up for phone calls, if necessary. Any patients with PPO, straight Medicare, and non-HMO plans can consult with local urgent cares if they feel a need to be seen by a physician.

Hope to returns shortly with good news...

jeff and laurie

5 April 2022

Wow, those first few months zipped by. BTW: Do you know why we're all so tired in April? Because we just finished a 31 day March!

A few things dates to keep in mind coming up: the office will be closed on the following days in the upcoming month or so:

Friday 4/8 - Monday 4/11: Laurie will be attending the Lucidity music festival whereas I'll be taking continued medical education courses. [She'll have a lot more fun...] We'll return to see patients on Tuesday 4/12.

Wednesday 4/20 - Sun 4/24: attending Bequinox, a "mini-Burn" sponsored by the Los Angeles Burning Man community.

Sunday 5/15 - Thursday 5/19: attending Magic Live convention in Vegas.

Friday 5/20 - Sunday 5/22: attending the first Behootenzie Folk Festival (Steve Poltz' event at Joshua Tree).

As usual, I will be available by pager to handle emergencies and will monitor the Onpatient portal for messages whilst away. [I may have another physician covering me when at Joshua Tree due to poor cell coverage.]

In other news: I recently attended the American College of Osteopathic Family Medicine continuing medical education conference and I'm currently participating in a certifying course in Endocannabinoid Medicine i.e. appropriate counseling and prescribing of medicinal cannabis products for patients with a variety of conditions.

Finally, we were recently highlighted in the Coast News' Faces of North County: https://thecoastnews.com/faces-of-family-sports-medicine-jeffrey-laurie-pearson-medicine-in-motion/

That's all for now. Stay safe and get yourselves vaccinated (this ain't over yet...)

20 December 2021

Happy Holidays to all! We're going to end the year with the office space in nearly full repair following the unplanned "drive thru" experience that occurred in September.

The office will be closed on Friday, December 24 (Christmas Eve) and Friday, December 31 (New Year's Eve), but - as the norm - I will still be available by page for urgencies and will monitor the Onpatient portal for non-urgent messages.

Please be aware that everyone who works in our office (Laurie, myself, Dr. Gamboa & Ashley) has received Covid booster vaccines. Please note that because we do treat patients who may be either infected or carriers of SARS/Covid 19, that masks are required to be worn in the common patient areas such as the waiting room. [Patients who are up-to-date with their vaccinations may remove their masks once inside of the examination room.] We strongly urge that all of our patients get vaccinated to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their fellow human beings. [There is ALOT of disinformation being spread through the internet and various social medias. For an excellent brief presentation that clearly debunks much of this disinformation with science, check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iIR4GYn6_4. Please watch and share.]

Remember that the goal of vaccination is to help hasten population herd immunity and to keep the hospitals from being overloaded. We cannot/will not be able to stop the spread of this virus, but we can help the population adapt to it and increase survival significantly through vaccination. And, as health care professionals, we want hospital beds to be available to those who truly need them (e.g. acute heart attacks) rather than some twentysomething-year-olds who brag that they were invincible and didn't need the vaccine. Yes, while it's true that vaccinated individuals can contract a SARS infection, the data is clear - the people who get sick enough to require hospitalization are far more likely to be unvaccinated individuals. Bottom line: please be smart and get boosted.

 

Unrelated, I'd like to thank those who've donated either money, clothing, or supplies for our bi-monthly ventures to provide volunteer medical care to refugees in Tijuana.

 

Let's go out on a lighter note:

What's every elf's favorite type of music? Wrap!

What do Santa's elves learn in school? The elf-abet!

What happens if you eat Christmas decorations? You get tinsel-itis!

 

That's all for now. See y'all on the flip side in 2022!

 

23 November 2021

First things first: the office will be closed this Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving and Black Friday. I will still be available for urgencies - simply call the office and speak with the answering service. For non-urgent communications, please use the Onpatient portal system (which I will be monitoring).

Good news - the office repairs are nearly complete! We've got a new front window installed (this one is tempered glass so it shouldn't break as easily when the next car decides to drive through) and the front office desks are almost fully rebuilt, as well.

And now it's time to think about seasonal stocking stuffers:

Just in time for the holidays, this fine wok of literature is available for only $4.99 (cheap!) from your favorite Magic Doc! You'll also be supporting a good cause as a portion of the proceeds will be put towards needed supplies that we use to provide medical care for refugees camped in Tijuana. [NOTE:while the hardcover edition looks fantastic, save your money and pick up the inexpensive e-Book version instead. Follow this link to preview a portion of the book and then please proceed to purchase [This e-book can be viewed on most devices.] So, please share with friends and help out a good cause. https://www.blurb.com/b/4100523-woks-up-doc?ebook=377691

 

And, once again, we have The Original Chick Magnets and The (somewhat naughtier) Pussy Magnets available! Usually sold for $12.98, we have them at the office for just $9.99 (or 3 for $25)! You can learn all about these little suckers at www.sprainedangles.com. [Do not order them from that site yet, though, as the PayPal is screwed up]

 

One final note of caution for the "unvaxxed:"  the upcoming winter months will bring people closer together indoors significantly increasing the chances of contracting this infection. Despite what you may read on social media, the risk of serious illness requiring hospitalization or dying from Covid lies mostly in the unvaxxed population, compared to their vaccinated counterparts. I've had 3 close (healthy) friends die from Covid and have cared for countless others who were not "happy campers" when they caught the bug and felt like absolute crappola for 6-8 weeks. Please consider protecting yourselves.    

Laurie and I hope that you all have a happy and safe holiday season.

p.s.

What do you call a turkey's ghost? A poultrygeist!!!

28 October 2021

Well, it's about time...more than a month after Laurie was almost killed when that large SUV drove thru our front office facade, work will FINALLY start on the repair/rebuild process. Demolition is slotted to start on Monday 11/1/21. As such, we expect dust to be flying everywhere. We're having to adapt to the situation so rather than close down completely, we're going to try seeing patients in the morning (only) on Mon and Tues to see how it goes (good thing we're already wearing masks, I guess).

Halloween jokes: 

What do ghost pandas shout at you?     BamBOO!         

What do  you get when you cross a vampire and a snowman?     Frostbite!

Why can't witches get pregnant?    Because their boyfriends have hollow weenies!

Here's to a fun and safe trick or treating  experience!

 

 

11 October 2021 

Laurie and I are feeling back to normal and have been back seeing patients again in the office since this past Friday. Those recent days of illness served as a good reminder as to the importance of handwashing to prevent spread of common infections. 

This week will also be a shortened one (although this one was planned in advance); We will be attending the American Osteopathic College of Family Medicine (CA chapter) conference in Anaheim from Wednesday thru Sunday (gotta keep up with my continuing medical education credits). I will continue to monitor the Onpatient portal for non-urgent messages and be available for any patient urgencies/emergenices via the answering service.

 

 

4 October 2021

We regret that our office is suddenly closed for at least a few days due to illness.   Many of you are aware that I provide volunteer care to refugees housed in shelters in Tijuana every few month. This past Saturday, we ventured down for another clinic where I saw many children dealing with viral gastroenteritis and - voila! - my body decided to carry the bug back home to the states - fevers, chills, body fluids emanating from both the "basement" and the "attic."  Not a lot of fun.

I will monitor the patient portal to handle concerns and renewals. Laurie and I will try to arrange for videomedicine conferences for those who really need my assistance.

If you have a NON-urgent matter, please contact us thru the Onpatient Portal. If you have an URGENT matter, please call the office directly (760-688-0411) and the answering service can reach me faster.

 

 

22 September 2021

We're back up and running! ServPro guys cleaned up all of the broken glass and constructed barriers in front of the office. Laurie and I spent most of Tuesday trying to reconnect computers, phones, etc. Further demolition and construction will be coming soon (hopefully), but at least we're able to care for patients once again.

 

 

21 September 2021

 EMERGENCY (TEMPORARY) OFFICE CLOSURE TODAY (Tuesday)

  This happened on Monday 9/20/21:

More pictures can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/medicineinmotioncarlsbad

We hope to be able to see patients in the office again on Wednesday (after we get all of the glass, etc cleaned up). I'm still available if needed - please call office if you have an urgent need (otherwise, please contact me via the Onpatient portal system).

Thank you for your understanding. The next time that I tell somebody that I want to practice the "card thru window" trick, I'll remember to enunciate better...      :) 

30 August 2021

Pandemic requirements: please be aware that some sort of face covering (e.g. mask) must be worn when in the common areas of the office(e.g. the waiting areas). All of the staff members who share our suite are vaccinated against Covid. If our patients are also vaccinated, they may be given the option of removing the mask once we're in the the privacy of an exam room. Otherwise, masks will be worn throughout the entire visit. [This is mainly for the protection of our patients as I do care for Covid patients in the office and want to protect my other patients from contracting this infection. We do spray down our rooms and equipment after every patient, of course!]

The office will be closed on Monday, September 6th, for Labor Day. As usual, I will be available for urgent messages (please call office and speak with answering service) and I'll be checking the Onpatient Portal for non-urgent issues. We will be in the office for the entire month of September, but we will be attending a medical conference in October (details provided at a later time).

We're pleased to note that our office internet has been up and running fine thus far, compared to the problems that we had in the spring, and our cybersecurity systems are intact.

That's all for now. Stay safe!

1 July 2021

The office will be closed from Thursday (7/1/21) until we re-open Tuesday (July 6/21) for the 4th of July holiday celebrations (AND celebrating our wedding anniverary. I will be available for urgencies should patients need to reach me thru the answering service. If you'd like to have me paged, call 760-740-2341 and follow the instructions.

Our phone and fax systems are both back up and running (and are HIPAA compliant). Yay!!!!

30 May 2021

As usual, the office will be closed tomorrow (Monday) for Memorial Day. The office will also be closed from Thursday, June 10 thru Sunday, June 20, for family visits. We'll also be doing some upgrade work on our office cybersecurity and the DrChrono electronic medical records system that week in light of the major health care systems all being hit by ransomware. I will be in town, however, and will respond to answering service pages to address urgent matters, as well as non-urgent Onpatient Portal messages.

Update: our phone system is currently working, but Spectrum Business is still having issues in transitioning to our new 1 GB fiber connection.

I've added a mini-crash course to our patient education section (responding to popular request). It's for the adults in the room and it's all about the lube... This ties in with an updated FAQ entitled "I believe in sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll. Will you talk "dirty" to me?

Now that more of the region has been vaccinated, my nurse friend, Pamela, and I have resumed our visits to Tijuana to care for Guatemalan refugees in their camps. We usually venture down south every 2 months or so for a Saturday. We are always looking for donations of clothing, toiletries, and toys. If you have anything that you'd like to donate, you many drop them off at our office. Monetary donations are always helpful to help us purchase medications when we're treating these poor families and 100% of the funds go directly to their care. [To donate: please Paypal: one_smart_girl@yahoo.com. Thanks!]

13 April 2021

We're experiencing problems with our phone system. We can now receive calls, but are unable to call out from the system. Best to use Onpatient portal for nonurgent messages.

9 April 2021

It's taken a lot of time and effort, but - voila! - our site is back up, stable, and (hopefully) secure. [You'll notice the small lock just to the left of the url address. This indicates that the data transferred between you and our website is encrypted.] Most of the files and links are working again, and I've cleaned up and deleted outdated files. Not 100% yet, but damn close...

Out of necessity, Laurie and I finally bit the bullet and decided to participate in some insurance plans. There were far too many patients who wanted to see us, but felt obligated to instead use a provider within their insurance networks as they pay so much out to the insurance companies on a monthly basis. We were simply inadvertently turning too many people away.

This introduced a whole new level of complexity to the running of our office and steps had to be taken in order to maintain the goddess' sanity. Specifically, we had to hire a billing company to handle coding and billing responsibilities. This, in turn, added significantly to our overhead requiring a modest raising of our charges for our patients. [Despite this, according to numbers provided by fairhealth.org, our charges remain signifantly lower than other local practices and urgent care clinics. And, per our online reviews, we apparently remain an excellent value for the services that we provide!]

So aside from accepting assigment from Medicare (including "Medi-Medi" patients) and Tricare, we are now considered as "in-network" providers for: Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross, Healthnet, and United Healthcare. (There are a few other plans pending.)

Back to cybersecurity: if you've been following the news reports over the past year or so, there's been a marked increase in computer systems compromised by malware launched by overseas agents. These have affected all levels of government, large corporations and industry, financial institutions, colleges/universities, countless mom/pop businesses, and many more victims. Local hospitals (Rady Children's and Sharp) have been the victims of unscrupulous ransomware attacks. Healthcare providers and clinics have been prime targets of foreign agents trying to harvest protected patient data.

To help us to beef up our protection against such intrusions, we're working with a cybersecurity expert, Nir Daliot. He's doing wonders to insure the integrity of our patients' personal information. We're also working together on a project (under the auspices of MIM Technologies, a new division of Medcine in Motion) to provide simple, yet secure, physician-patient communications for remote office visits. [After all, who wants to waste 20 minutes of prescious time learning how to use Zoom Meeting? BTW, I recently had a cybersecurity article accepted for publication in Medical Economics Magazine. You can read the pre-publication draft here.]

On the pandemic front, All of our office staff have been fully vaccinated. However, it is still important to follow the safe practices of wearing masks (when indicated) and hand washing. [One benefit of the latter is that I've seen only one patient with flu thus far since December. Handwashing clearly has benefits!] Masks remain required for entry into our office.

That's enough for now. Laurie and I thank all of you for your patience as we go through these processes, as well as your glowing practice reviews and referrals. We are most appreciative and will continue to do our best to live up to the image that my dog had of us!

Oops! Almost forgot - where does one send rainbows that go "bad?" To prism, of course!

Stay safe!

Magic Doc & Folgers

27 March 2021

Due to unavoidable forces beyond our control (the internet has been under attack over the last weeks and compromised millions of host servers around the globe), this site has been down. E-mail has also been down, as a result. We are graduallly coming back on line with a new hosting company. Hence, please bear with us as we assure that our cybersecurity measures are in place properly. As such, some of the links may not function correctly. Rest assured that we're working diligently to fix it all!

Our mobile site (www.medicineinmotioncarlsbad) remains available for viewing for cell phone access.

IMPORTANT: ABSOLUTELY NO PATIENT INFORMATION HAS BEEN BREACHED (It's hosted on a different server).

Thank you for your patience. We hope to be fully functional again within a matter of days.

 

26 November 2019 

It's nearly Turkey Day so Folgers and I must participate in the ritual of migrating eastward so as to recharge our accents for another year!  The office will be closed Wednesday 11/27 and will reopen on Wednesday 12/4. As I will not be wandering off in the desert this time, I'll be able to take my own call the whole time, with the obvious exceptions of when we're cruising around 38,000 feet above the continent. That being said, please try to hold off on phone calls, e-mails and portal messages until I return, if possible. 

Same goes for bar magic at the Grand Avenue Bar & Grill (The "G-Spot") - no bar magic for the next two weeks. I'll return behind the bar on Tuesday, December 10.   

Thank you for all of the positive/5-star reviews on Google, Yelp, and others. It's certainly nice to know that we're succeeding in our mission to help patients and go the extra distance to do so.

Now, off to tryptophan heaven...  

23 October 2019

On the first of this month, we celebrated our one year anniversary of the opening of our new office! We are most appreciative of all who've follow us or discovered us since that time and of the reviews that you've left us. Apparently, most of you really like us! We'll continue to try and earn your trust.

Laurie and I will be attending Youtopia/Bootopia, the San Diego Regional Burning Man event held out in the high desert near California City over the next 4 days. There is no cell phone coverage out there. Should you need to speak with a physician for advice, Dr. Shaun Sanucci will cover my phone calls. Her contact information is on our office voice message. She will not renew any controlled substances or chronic medications so please do not call her for that. Best to save any nonurgent messages until we return to the office on Monday, October 28. Thank you for your understanding.

10 August 2019

The Man burns in 21 days. Just sayin'...

I am, of course, referring to the upcoming Burning Man event that Laurie and I participate in every year. In 2 weeks, we'll be "home" rejoining old friends [and 80,000 (or so) half and fully naked hippy-wannabees] on the Playa in the middle of friggin' nowhere, Nevada, to set a giant wooden man on fire at the end of the event!

OK, so that might be a slight exaggeration...(but not by much)... (Check out this 4.5 minute video for a taste of what it all looks like, then read about the Guiding Principles of Burning man here).

Laurie and I will be out of town to attend this craziness from Wed 8/21 thru 9/4. I will not be available for urgent telephone calls for this absence, but will leave the contact # for a covering physician (for after hours needs). This information will be on our answering machine. Should you need to be seen by a primary care physician in our neck of the woods, I recommend Dr. Lawrence Wong (located around the corner from our office).

We listened to our patients and finally created a Facebook business page for our practice. On it, we'll post news items, pictures of fun charity events, etc. Feel free to leave comments! Look for it here.

Important announcement for our senior patients: We've made the decision to participate in Medicare AND accept assignment.

[We felt that asking our seniors to go thru the "joy" of completing government forms (so that they could be reimbursed), was too much of a hardship for many. We'll begin with this as soon as we receive the final information from the Medicare administrators, most likely early to mid-September. Until that time, we will continue on as previous.]

And, that's all for now. Laurie and I hope that you all can enjoy the rest of the summer!

28 June 2019

Summer has finally arrived so "good bye" to June gloom and "hello" to all sorts of fun activities!

First, some business items: the 4th of July is next week; as this is also our wedding anniversary, my wife will abscond with me for an extended weekend, hence the office will be closed on Thursday (7/4) and Friday (7/5). We will return on Monday (7/8). I will remain on call for emergencies - simply follow the instructions on the office message machine. We ask that you please do NOT call/leave messages for routine prescription renewals or appointments as we'll be unable to do anything about them until we return on Monday anyway.

We are pleased to offer cryotherapy once again for small skin problems such as warts, skin tags, and other superficial lesions. We have purchased a cryopen for this which employs a cannister of nitrous oxide, rather than the usual liquid nitrogen. It's not as uncomfortable and can be used in a more precise manner for difficult to reach areas. In keeping with our philosophy of trying to keep charges reasonable for cash patients, we charge $130 for the destruction of benign lesions up to #14 (most practices in our region charge insurances approx $200 for the same CPT code, 17110) and $125 for destruction of skin tags up to #15 (most offices would charge insurances about $240 for the same, according to https://www.fairhealthconsumer.org).

Thanks to those who've taken the time to share their reviews on social media sites such as Google, Yelp, and others. To quote Sally Fields: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl_NpdAy3WY. Please, feel free to keep those reviews coming!

We are so lucky to have several wonderful venues for music and the arts nearby, and we gladly support them in light of the cutbacks in Federal support. Currently, the New Village Arts Theatre (Carlsbad) is performing the musical version of "The Little Shop of Horrors" and the Moonlight Amphitheature (Vista) has Mel Brook's hysterical musical, "The Producers." We've seen both and they're excellent with quality on par with Broadwayi - please go see these!

Also, Carlsbad hosts the TGIF Concerts in the Park series, rotating parks around the city throughout the city. Check these out as well at https://www.carlsbadca.gov/services/depts/arts/events/tgif.

In the meantime, Folgers and I will be counting down the days until Burning Man! Have a wonderful summer!

1 May 2019

Happy (almost) Birthday to me! The goddess in the front office will be whisking me away for the upcoming weekend hence the office will be closed this Friday (in addition to the normally closed Thursday). The office will re-open on Monday, May 5.

Other upcoming events in May: my son will be graduating from Sonoma State and the office will likewise be closed on Friday, May 17th). The following week is the excellent Pri-Med conference, a continuing medical education event for primary care physicians on the West Coast. I'll be in attendance, hence the office will also be closed from after noon on Tuesday (May 21) thru Friday (May 24).

I will remain available for urgent telephone calls for each of these absences. Information will be on our answering machine. Should you need to be seen by a primary care physician in our neck of the woods, I recommend Dr. Lawrence Wong (located around the corner from our office).

Finally, apparently you still like us - thanks for those great reviews on Yelp and Google!

8 April 2019

Next week's schedule: I will only be in the office on Monday, April 15, as I will be finally getting my knee 'scoped on Tuesday, April 16. I will be available to check for messages and urgent calls. For the same reason, I will not be performing bar magic at the Grand Avenue Bar & Grill that night, either.

23 March 2019

We made the most recent edition of the Coast News. Read about here!

26 February 2019

Patients often wonder what determines a physician's office visit charges and why we are not able to quote them an exact price. Office visits are characterized by the complexity of the issues that need to be addressed and can range from brief/simple to long/complex. It's difficult to quote a price without knowing what will be involved, but we'll do our best to provide a realistic range for you. [NOTE: you'll find a link below, in the Jan 11, 2019 update, that will allow you to see our usual charges.]

We've been receiving many calls of late inquiring about charges for HRT (hormone replacement therapy) consultation visits. Two prospective patients told us that their clinics are now charging them an astronomical $3000 per visit! (not including labs or medication!) In our office, a new patient 30 minute/detailed visit is only $150. [Be aware, that per Fair Health Org, the typical office charge in our region is $285 for the same service. We're able to charge less because our overhead is low by not dealing with insurance companies.]

For most women starting HRT, no special labs need to be ordered as the diagnosis is fairly obvious. If Dr. Pearson is your primary care physician, he might find that you're due for routine labs or other studies (e.g. mammography, DEXA) and might have to order those. If, on the other hand, you're a member of Kaiser Permanente (or some other medical group) and are seeing Dr. Pearson in consultation for HRT only, those studies can be ordered by your primary care physician within that system.

Men will need baseline studies (testosterone, CBC, PSA, lipids, CHEM panel) before the start of their therapy, however. We refer them to local laboratories. [For patients without insurance, we've found that West Pacific Medical Labs are the most affordable.]

Also, unlike many of those clinics, we do not sell any hormone products to patients. We prefer to support local compounding pharmacies for our bio-identical hormone (BHRT) prescriptions.

Further questions? Please give us a call at 760-688-0411 and we'll do our best to help you!

11 February 2019

I will be attending the Annual Meeting (for Continuing Medical Education) of the Osteopathic Physicians & Surgeons of California (OPSC) from Thursday 2/14 thru Sunday 2/17. Because of this, the office will be closed on Friday, February 15. It is being held locally, in San Diego, so I'll still be available for patient calls if needed.

11 January 2019

Welcome to the new year! We're back up and running after taking a few unexpected days off on account of my mom's passing. Thank you to those of you who have expressed your condolences.

We're very pleased that our patients appreciate our "no nonsense/old school" approach to practice e.g. no hassling patients at the front desk over insurance cards. After an initial glitch due to a practice code, patients with PPO's or HSA accounts are now finding it easy to get reimbursed for their visits. And our cash paying patients appreciate how we're able to keep our pricing reasonable and affordable compared to other practices and urgent care centers. [As a reminder, we proudly post our charges online here for purposes of comparison shopping. And, if you're not aware of it, there is a website (and phone app) called Fair Health that allows one to look up typical medical charges for a particular zip code.]

On a magical note, we are pleased to also offer appointments for personal 1/2 hour close-up magic shows for $100. Take advantage of a private entertaining show by a member of the Academy of Magical Arts (aka the Magic Castle). Also, we start another year of performing bar magic at the Grand Avenue Bar & Grill (aka the "G-Spot") in Carlsbad on most Tuesday nights starting at 8 PM. Please come join us for fun and good food/drink at locals prices!

Now, go out and do something fun!

 

18 December 2018

Happy Holidays to all!  Our office will be closing early (5 PM) on Wednesday, December 19, because I'll be performing magic at Senior Grubby's Charity event for Got Your Back San Diego.

We'll also be closed for the week starting Monday, December 24 (Christmas Eve) through Tuesday, January 1, 2019 (New Years Day). We'll be back treating patients again on Wednesday, January 2, 2019. I WILL BE AVAILABLE BY PHONE SHOULD A PATIENT NEED TO SPEAK WITH ME. Please all the office (760-688-0411) and follow the instructions in the message. This should be for urgencies only. Please do not call for routine prescription refills or to schedule appointments.

Finally, check out our new 1/2 page ad for Carlsbad Magazine starting in January!

 

21 November 2018

Aside from Thanksgiving, the office will also be closed on "Black Friday" (11/23/18). I will be available by phone if needed for urgencies. Call 760-575-4011. [NOTE: for emergencies, call 9-1-1. For routine things such as prescription refills, scheduling an appointment, please wait until Monday.]

27 October 2018

We survived our first 4 weeks! We've been slowly ramping up as we learn our software and things have been going very well. What a difference in the new practice, compared to working with the large group - much less stressful without having to deal with the hassles of the insurance companies. Our patients have noticed and their experiences have been overwhelmingly positive. We'll keep doing everything that we can to keep our patients' experiences as good as they've been in the past years.

Also, in the interest of returning transparency to medical offices, we've now posted our most common office charges so that potential patients can make informed medical decisions. They can be found here. Please note that effective November 1, 2018, a $5 processing charge will be applied to all credit card payments.

Finally, Dr. Desi Gamboa and his wonderful staff (at Carlsbad Chiropractic) couldn't be nicer to us. We love sharing their office with them and look forward to doing fun things together in the future!

16 October 2018

Another short week: must leave early today (Tuesday) for a doctors appointment and no office hours on Friday as Laurie and I will be attending Youtopia, the regional San Diego "Burn." [sdyoutopia.com]

Youtopia is being held at the La Jolla Indian Reservation off of Highway 76, near Palomar Mountain. I should be able to receive calls for emergencies while I'm away (Thursday thru Sunday), but if for some reason I'm not able to be reached, Dr. Curtis Buck (my former student!) will be available to handle questions that arise. His contact information will be on the office recording. Obviously, if a true emergency exists, the answer is always "9-1-1."

1 October 2018

"Soft opening" today! Giving our new software a testdrive and we're still waiting on some supplies and prescription forms to be delivered. We won't be entirely up to speed, but patients may now call office to schedule appointments.

Once we have your name and basic information, we'll send you a link to our patient portal, called "OnPatient' where you can complete the registration, history, etc from the comfort of your home. Don't have a computer at home? Arrive early for your appointment and compete this information on our iPad Pro tablet.

Reminder: we will be fee for service only. No insurances will be billed. We will, however, provide you with a "superbill" that you can can submit to your insurance company (or Medicare) for reimbursement, if applicable. We will be following the Medicare fee schedule for non-participating physicians, which is generally lower than those of private insurances (and, visits for the most common maladies will, for the most part, be cheaper than the average urgent care visit of $150 AND you'll get seen by an experienced/seasoned physician rather than a nurse practitioner or physician assistant).  Our fee schedule will be posted under office information soon - there are lots of codes to go through!

Also, we will only be open Monday thru Wednesday this week as the office will be closed from Friday thru next Tuesday because I will be attending OMED, the American Osteopathic Association's annual convention, here in San Diego. It's my opportunity to earn Continuing Medical Education credits and keep my skills sharp.

Laurie and I thank you all for being so patient with us.

 

 

19 September 2018

Ramping up to opening. Much closer, but still waiting on some important items such as business license, malpractice insurance confirmation, learning how to use new software for scheduling, etc. Shooting for Monday, October 1, to begin treating patients again. I've posted our office hours under the "Office Information" page and hope to post a fee schedule shortly, as well, so that there are no surprises (unlike the current state of health care management). I plan on following the Medicare limiting charge rates for services, which is fair and affordable for most patients.

Created new business cards:

business card front Business card back

Unrelated: Now that I'm back in the "default" world (following the annual venture out to Burning Man), I've resumed my Tuesday evening gig providing close-up bar magic entertainment at the G-Spot (aka the Grand Avenue Bar & Grill) in Carlsbad. The fun starts at 8 PM so please come by and share some laughs with us locals!

17 August 2018

Medicine in Motion has found a new home! I will be sharing space with Dr. Desi Gamboa, of Carlsbad Chiropractic, in the heart of the village. It is located in the Roosevelt Center, adjacent to the U.S. Post Office. Our suite will be next to Pronto's Deli. It is just a few blocks away from Interstate 5, Carlsbad Blvd exit.

The address: 2808 Roosevelt St, Ste 100, Carlsbad, CA 92008 [phone # pending]

Not sure of exact start date as of this time. Shooting for the 2nd week of September, but depends upon getting scheduling and other systems up and running. Still finalizing office hours. I'm going to try to offer at least one day of evening hours and a day of early hours. Will post details when available.

  CBad Chiro office  

PLEASE NOTE: Next week, I will be leaving the "default world" (i.e. falling off of the grid, so to speak) to attend Burning Man once again. I will not be able to communicate either by phone or internet/e-mail after Tuesday 8/21until a few days following Labor Day.

Sideshow Camp 2017 Magic Doc at Burning Man 2017 The Man burns 2012!
Want an insider's view of our amazing Burning Man experience? Check out Tom Franks' video diary of our camp here. [Caution: some parts might not be safe viewing for work.]

 

 

21 June 2018

Effective today, I have left the Graybill Medical Group and am taking a 3 month sabbatical to recharge my batteries and discover life once again.

As many of you have noted on Facebook, the past months have been quite stressful: while I enjoyed my Graybill co-workers and staff - they've been very good to me - the tremendous burden placed upon hard working physicians by the requirements of the insurance companies and the use of electronic medical records systems finally became untenable. There was simply no way to get caught up on all of the "scutwork" while still caring for full days of patients. All work and no play makes Jeff tired and irritable. This affected my attitude towards patients and I did not like this. The "Department of Funology" was suffering. I was losing my filters (while good in improv workshops and performances, not necessarily good in the office).

In any case, I'm taking the advice that I give to my patients under similar circumstances. Take some deep breaths and get off of the "treadmill."

While many older/"seasoned" physicians have elected to simply retire because of these conditions, I expect to reopen a smaller "wellness/boutique" practice in north Carlsbad around mid-September, after my return from Burning Man. Details will be posted when they become finalized. At this time, I'll note that I am planning a practice that will focus on preventive medicine and wellness, but will continue to offer Osteopathic manipulative treatments and other basics. [Because of the issues noted above, I will NOT be participating in any insurance plans. Patients will be required to pay at the time of service and, if applicable, can submit their receipts in order to receive reimbursement from their insurance companies. Those of you who've been around for a bit will recognize that this "fee for service" model (with very straightforward posted fees) is the way things used to be before being supplanted by insurance models (where the actual fees are hidden and manipulated by the insurance companies. I believe in transparency and fairness. This will also help us to keep our charges reasonable.]

Graybill Medical Group will continue to provide medical care to my patients in my absence. Please contact them with any medical concerns that you might have until I re-establish my new office location.

Laurie and I thank you for your caring, consideration and patience. We greatly appreciate the many "best wishes" that we've received in support of our decision.

For those who wish to share a laugh with me in the meantime, you can still catch me performing bar magic most Tuesday evenings at the Grand Avenue Bar & Grill, in Carlsbad. The fun starts at 8 PM. Enjoy good food and drinks at locals prices!

Magic Doc

 
Magic Doc & Folgers

February 27, 2018

My particular style of medicine (and teaching) in the Department of Funololgy was featured by Tabitha Lipkin on Fox 5 San Diego! Check it out here.

 

 

"Latest News" items prior to 2016 have been archived. You can find them here (2002-2005) and here (2006-2016)