Writing a blog makes me a little uneasy. Every time I hit “Publish,” I feel exposed. Sharing personal stories in such a public forum doesn’t come naturally to a digital immigrant like me– especially one whose professional code of conduct requires the keeping of secrets.

Which brings me to the subject of confidentiality. I want to assure everyone who may think they recognize themselves in a post I’ve written—family members, friends, colleagues, and, particularly, patients—that the situations I describe are based on actual events, but any similarities to any person living or dead are merely coincidental. In certain cases, incidents, characters, and timelines have been changed for dramatic purposes. Certain characters may be composites, or entirely fictitious. I throw all the personal details into my brain’s Vitamix blender, and they come out unrecognizable from their original form.

Except when I talk about my dogs. Everything I write about them is 100% true. They don’t seem to mind as long as I feed them.