Author Archives: drsensintaffar

Fall of 1988 We had just moved into a rental house in Hallsville, Missouri, just a few miles outside of Columbia. The house, a tiny, 2 bedroom ranch, wasn’t much to look at but at $250/month rent, it was within our budget. The house was just barely passable until the cold chill of early NovemberContinue reading “A Chainsaw Misdemeanor”

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Be aware. Get your mammogram. And then consider this. . . A few years ago I had a 50-something aged couple in my clinic. They were there for him this time and I was talking to the gentleman about recommended preventive screening. We got to the topic ofContinue reading “Of Prostates and Breasts”

May 1997 The families queued up in the early morning hours, lining up at the front door of the little church in the Caribbean coastal town of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua. The line soon stretched around the side of the church and down the hot, dusty lane, out to the main road. They were there toContinue reading “The Pink Dress”

It invaded my sleep again a few nights ago, as it has dozens of times over the past twenty-five years. Maybe this time it was triggered by recent events in Las Vegas. Maybe it was the vicarious pain of friends who have suffered great loss. I don’t know. This time it wasn’t the full dream.Continue reading “The Little Hand Beneath a Blue Drape”

Fall, 1998.  Marsure, Italy. Diana and I had just returned from dinner and a movie. We had left the kids (Gabe 15, Lee 12, Hannah 10, and Zoe 6) at home. We walked in through the front door into a quiet house around 11:30 pm. The kids were obviously asleep. To our left, on theContinue reading “A Duct Tape Escapade”

My name is unusual. Years ago, there were 3 “Lowell Sensintaffars”—me, my grandfather, and a distant cousin. My grandfather and distant cousin have passed away, so now I’m the only one—the only Lowell Sensintaffar on the face of this earth. And this uniqueness presents its own challenges For example, the ritual of spelling my lastContinue reading “I am Spartacus!”

We medical folks can be a strange group. I’ll admit it. Doctors and nurses discuss sensitive and delicate matters among ourselves with the same comfort others do sharing a recipe or discussing a recent sporting event. It is just the way we are. Here’s an example: Many years ago, I was at an Air ForceContinue reading “Luxury Cars, Gynecology, and Casual Conversation”

In August of 1982 I was a sophomore at the University of Missouri-Rolla. I received my work-study assignment letter. I was assigned to work at KUMR, the public radio affiliate at the university. I initially just pulled and filed albums. Over the next three years, I gradually assumed more duties, eventually promoted to a studentContinue reading “Technical Difficulties”

It was the spring of 2000 and I was traveling with my parents on a quick whirlwind tour of Austria, Southern Germany, and Switzerland. We pulled off Autobahn 6, north of Stuttgart to get directions. Snatching a map from a convenience store rack, I quickly scanned for what I needed. “Exit 40, just 50 kmContinue reading “Dr. Swamp Dweller?”