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Take Care of Yourself Mark J. Fleming, DDS

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Take Care of Yourself
by Mark J. Fleming, DDS

On May 8, 2009, I had a blood test to follow up on an unremarkable physical exam I had on April 10. I promised the MD and my wife after that appointment I would have a colonoscopy, which was long overdue since I was 58 and had never had one up to this point. On May 12, I spoke with my MD and found there might be something wrong with my red blood count. He said it could be a fluke since everything else checked out well at my physical. We had another blood test done the next morning and it confirmed that I had less than one half the red blood count that was normal. I was going on a business trip that I refused to cancel and told him to line me up for a transfusion Monday morning. I planned then to have a colonoscopy that following Friday since he suspected some sort of bleeding.

I returned from my trip Sunday and since I was not feeling well, and decided to go to the emergency room. It was decided to give me the transfusion then since I now had only one-third the red blood cell count I should have had. I was scheduled the next morning for a colonoscopy.

A blockage was found during that procedure. The surgeon told me that there was a large tumor, undoubtably malignant, in my large colon. Needless to say, I was quite surprised and upset. A surgical procedure was scheduled the next day. A 7cm tumor was found and a bowel resection was done. Before the surgery, the surgeon told me I would be in the hospital two weeks and out of my practice for another six to eight weeks. I had no contingency plan to cover my practice in my absence. Friends called and said they would cover a few days here and there, but I had no plan how to utilize their help. I was worried, not only about my own health, but about how this would affect my wife Lori and my kids, and also how it would impact my practice.

The surgeon came to my room two days after surgery to give me the results of the pathology report. Margins of the resection were clean and there was no infiltration into the blood supply or lymph nodes. He said if everything went well, I could be released on Sunday, six days after surgery. I was back to work in two weeks. In the meantime, the hygienists saw the patients they were allowed by law to see without me being in the office and two local dentists covered for me for emergencies.

Details were not told to patients unless the staff knew I was close with them. We only informed them that I had a medical emergency, which required some time off.

So why am I telling you this story? As a profession, we constantly advise our patients to do preventive treatment. But do we ever follow our own advice in caring for ourselves? It was somewhat embarrassing for me to tell patients what had happened because I had not done preventive tests/procedures, which could have been beneficial for me.
Author's Bio
Dr. Mark J. Fleming is a 1978 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Dentistry. He maintains a full time practice in Sarasota, Florida. Dr. Fleming is a regular contributor to the message boards of Dentaltown and has spoken to several international dental groups. He also serves as a consultant to a variety of dental manufacturers helping in product evaluation and design. Dr. Fleming can be contacted at mjfddsinc@aol.com.		 Since my illness, I set up a network of dentists to cover my practice in case I’m faced with another long-term absence. I have made the commitment to follow all medical recommendations concerning my health. I have decided to undergo six months of chemotherapy as a preventive measure. While it has not been debilitating, it has been no picnic either.

It is my intention in sharing this story that you will benefit from my mistakes and seek medical advice as it pertains to you. Practice what you preach. Your life and your practice might just depend on it.
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September 2025
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