So Long, Farewell, Auf Weidersehen, Adieu: Last week, during an interview about medical blogging, I found myself speaking about Medpundit in the past tense. It surprised me a little, but not completely. Whether or not to go on with this blog is something that I've been mulling over for several weeks. I didn't want to admit it, but hearing myself refer to the blog as "was" and "has been" made me realize that deep down I had made my decision.

Long time readers will have noticed that the frequency and quality of posts have been declining over the past several months. That is because I no longer have the time needed to devote to it. The phrase "declining reimbursement and rising overhead," is repeated so often in medicine that it seems a cliche, but it's also a reality. I'm spending longer hours at work and seeing more patients to support my office and my family. The 1-2 hours a day it takes to keep up the blog are no longer there. I don't have any hope of that getting better in the foreseeable future. In fact, I anticipate that in the next 1-2 years, I'll be adding even more office hours until I've reached the limits of my physical and mental capabilities.

I've also come to realize that I've been neglecting my family too long. When I went to a conference last month, I took my children with me. The time I had alone with them reminded me how much I enjoy their company. And it reminded me of how much I've been missing. In another three years, my oldest will leave home and start his own life. The other three will follow in quick succession. I want to enjoy the time I have with them with as little distraction as possible. Work is a necessary distraction. Blogging isn't. My youngest son really drove the lesson home for me on Mother's Day, when he gave me his gift - a flower accompanied by a paragraph written in school. It said, "My mom's a doctor. She owns her own office. She spends all day seeing patients. When she comes home, she does paperwork. But she still has time for me when I scrape my knees."
I'd like to have time for him when he hasn't scraped his knees, too.

And so, it's with regret that I take the necessary step of closing down this blog. It's been fun, and I'll miss it, but there are other things in life that need - and deserve - my attention more. So long, farewell, readers. The pleasure has been entirely mine.