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Holding My Breath
204 pages, Unknown Binding
Published January 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 13, 2024
How quickly we process and compartmentalize an event like COVID. This book reminded me of how it all unfolded.
I enjoyed this actuality book for many reasons:
The fragility of life
The dedication of medical staff
Accurate insight into an emergency facility
And that Local is Lekker 🇿🇦
I enjoyed this actuality book for many reasons:
The fragility of life
The dedication of medical staff
Accurate insight into an emergency facility
And that Local is Lekker 🇿🇦
September 30, 2023
I loved the second book even more than the first. Anne’s writing just flows. It is a stark reminder to me of what we all went through as healthcare workers during the COVID waves. Almost seems surreal now, but not quite.
August 28, 2022
The shadows of COVID still lurk – while not major headlines there are still some worrying reports of new strains and rising numbers of cases. Perhaps we are less fearful now, what with vaccinations and all that - and many of us have slung away our masks. We are perhaps allowing the last two years to move into the shadows of our memories. But for the medical profession the good fight continues. Dr Anne Biccard’s ‘ Holding my breath - further exploits of an Emergency Room doctor’ is a very personal account of her Covid experiences from August 2020 through to January 2022. Biccard’s style is warm and uplifting but with many moments where my breath caught in my throat.
This memoir/journal sequel to ‘Saving a Stranger’s life’ – the diary of an Emergency Room doctor ‘ throws the reader into the whirlpool of what our frontline medical staff not only had to deal with during the crises of the pandemic, but what they are dealing with on a day to day basis. Though Biccard works at a private hospital it is still a gruelling job and, while conditions are somewhat better than in the public sector, it is hard to imagine where Biccard got the time to write. Over stretched, understaffed, even in this sector, has given rise to a feisty and well rounded, eminently readable book. One can only admire her skills in multi-tasking!
What I took away from this book is how much strength and fortitude these wonderful people have; how much they gave up during COVID and continue giving up to save our lives. The exhaustion, the commitment that is hard to imagine, but is so very vivid. Biccard has given us a bird’s eye view of life in the ER and often it’s not pretty. But she also acknowledges the bravery and dedication of staff on the continuous merry-go-round .
I would describe the book as witty, pithy and wise. Biccard is an older doctor – wise from experience, able to see the humour in situations, pithy as she cuts through some of the claptrap that must be part of her day but always the professional and never leaving anything to chance- doing the best for her patients despite all odds.
Wonderful anecdotes of her encounters add vibrant colour to the sterile corridors of the emergency room – one can see the dapper 80 year old who unashamedly flirts with her” ‘Doctor’ he says earnestly “I hope you know CPR – because you take my breath away’ – and the sad back story that he is recently bereaved and lonely… the young man whose nipple has moved - ‘The first customer today reports that, the previous night, his right nipple had moved away from its usual place. He noticed its absence when he looked in the mirror and later found it in his armpit. ‘Wow’ I say with a slight frown. I have never heard of a migrating nipple before. ‘Let’s have a look’. I slide the door shut and motion him to pull his T-Shirt off. ‘Oh, it has moved back now,’ he says’.
Yes, there are laugh out loud moments but also the tragedies that come with the territory. The heart-breaking moments when ‘Grim’ visits, an entity she despises and fears, and the indescribable torment of ‘what else could I have done’ and having to tell the waiting relatives.
The real ER is a far cry from the romanticism of some of the TV medical series but what they have in common is the energy and passion that has to be the driving force behind any doctor. Biccard reveals all of this in her no-nonsense way. She offers a gripping read, stories that are overshadowed by the pandemic, underlining the many tragedies that challenged the medical teams daily.
The second wave is exhausting –and by January 2021 she says: ‘It is still us. The same team of doctors and nurses for nine whole months. Leave is cancelled and I am beginning to feel like a caged animal. We are all thinner and greyer and worn down with the pandemic……no question this wave is worse than the first’.
Interspersed with what may seem doom and gloom, I hasten to add that this is not a depressing read, far from it there is wonderful upliftment with the humorous encounters, gosh, we humans can be very odd at times; and the opening up to Biccard’s home life – most definitely her sanity. The farm, her partner and the velvety snoopies, as she calls her rescue greyhounds, along with Pookie the pitbull, provide the balance to the exhausting ER routine. She opens the door to allow us into this hallowed world, and one can see how this woman keeps going. She laughs at herself when she tries surfing on a short break to the coast – an ill-fated trip if ever there was one! She shares her concerns – openly and authentically.
That medicine is a vocation can never be in any doubt but more than anything this book is one of courage, an accolade to the often forgotten, a reminder of sacrifice and memorable in its simplicity and humanity.
This memoir/journal sequel to ‘Saving a Stranger’s life’ – the diary of an Emergency Room doctor ‘ throws the reader into the whirlpool of what our frontline medical staff not only had to deal with during the crises of the pandemic, but what they are dealing with on a day to day basis. Though Biccard works at a private hospital it is still a gruelling job and, while conditions are somewhat better than in the public sector, it is hard to imagine where Biccard got the time to write. Over stretched, understaffed, even in this sector, has given rise to a feisty and well rounded, eminently readable book. One can only admire her skills in multi-tasking!
What I took away from this book is how much strength and fortitude these wonderful people have; how much they gave up during COVID and continue giving up to save our lives. The exhaustion, the commitment that is hard to imagine, but is so very vivid. Biccard has given us a bird’s eye view of life in the ER and often it’s not pretty. But she also acknowledges the bravery and dedication of staff on the continuous merry-go-round .
I would describe the book as witty, pithy and wise. Biccard is an older doctor – wise from experience, able to see the humour in situations, pithy as she cuts through some of the claptrap that must be part of her day but always the professional and never leaving anything to chance- doing the best for her patients despite all odds.
Wonderful anecdotes of her encounters add vibrant colour to the sterile corridors of the emergency room – one can see the dapper 80 year old who unashamedly flirts with her” ‘Doctor’ he says earnestly “I hope you know CPR – because you take my breath away’ – and the sad back story that he is recently bereaved and lonely… the young man whose nipple has moved - ‘The first customer today reports that, the previous night, his right nipple had moved away from its usual place. He noticed its absence when he looked in the mirror and later found it in his armpit. ‘Wow’ I say with a slight frown. I have never heard of a migrating nipple before. ‘Let’s have a look’. I slide the door shut and motion him to pull his T-Shirt off. ‘Oh, it has moved back now,’ he says’.
Yes, there are laugh out loud moments but also the tragedies that come with the territory. The heart-breaking moments when ‘Grim’ visits, an entity she despises and fears, and the indescribable torment of ‘what else could I have done’ and having to tell the waiting relatives.
The real ER is a far cry from the romanticism of some of the TV medical series but what they have in common is the energy and passion that has to be the driving force behind any doctor. Biccard reveals all of this in her no-nonsense way. She offers a gripping read, stories that are overshadowed by the pandemic, underlining the many tragedies that challenged the medical teams daily.
The second wave is exhausting –and by January 2021 she says: ‘It is still us. The same team of doctors and nurses for nine whole months. Leave is cancelled and I am beginning to feel like a caged animal. We are all thinner and greyer and worn down with the pandemic……no question this wave is worse than the first’.
Interspersed with what may seem doom and gloom, I hasten to add that this is not a depressing read, far from it there is wonderful upliftment with the humorous encounters, gosh, we humans can be very odd at times; and the opening up to Biccard’s home life – most definitely her sanity. The farm, her partner and the velvety snoopies, as she calls her rescue greyhounds, along with Pookie the pitbull, provide the balance to the exhausting ER routine. She opens the door to allow us into this hallowed world, and one can see how this woman keeps going. She laughs at herself when she tries surfing on a short break to the coast – an ill-fated trip if ever there was one! She shares her concerns – openly and authentically.
That medicine is a vocation can never be in any doubt but more than anything this book is one of courage, an accolade to the often forgotten, a reminder of sacrifice and memorable in its simplicity and humanity.
July 19, 2022
After watching the television series This is Going to Hurt this book landed on my desk. I was immediately intrigued as I enjoyed the series based on the bestselling book written by Adam Kay who previously worked for many years as a junior doctor in Britain.
Anne Biccard used much the same recipe in drawing the reader in with her witty commentary about her busy life as a doctor in one of Johannesburg’s busiest emergency rooms. She is open, honest and very real about her experiences creating an unputdownable book. It was both uplifting and inspiring to read.
I enjoyed her wry, cynical humour and even though some of the interactions described in the emergency room are cringe worthy, she managed to make me laugh out loud at the absurdity of some of her experiences. It really gives the reader a straightforward approach to a day in the life of an emergency room doctor with a good dose of dark humour.
The last chapters in the book touched on the Covid-19 pandemic and reading it now (after Covid) seemed so surreal. I was reminded once again that we had no idea what our frontline workers experienced. No idea.
Dr Biccard has worked as an emergency doctor in Johannesburg for more than 30 years. She lives with her partner on a small farm where they provide a home to rescued greyhounds (and some other creatures). Some of their adventures are intertwined in her memoir about life in the ER, giving you a glimpse in her personal life and love for the snoopies (what she calls the dogs).
Holding my breath is her second book after publishing Saving a Stranger’s Life: Dairy of an Emergency Room Doctor in 2020.
Anne Biccard used much the same recipe in drawing the reader in with her witty commentary about her busy life as a doctor in one of Johannesburg’s busiest emergency rooms. She is open, honest and very real about her experiences creating an unputdownable book. It was both uplifting and inspiring to read.
I enjoyed her wry, cynical humour and even though some of the interactions described in the emergency room are cringe worthy, she managed to make me laugh out loud at the absurdity of some of her experiences. It really gives the reader a straightforward approach to a day in the life of an emergency room doctor with a good dose of dark humour.
The last chapters in the book touched on the Covid-19 pandemic and reading it now (after Covid) seemed so surreal. I was reminded once again that we had no idea what our frontline workers experienced. No idea.
Dr Biccard has worked as an emergency doctor in Johannesburg for more than 30 years. She lives with her partner on a small farm where they provide a home to rescued greyhounds (and some other creatures). Some of their adventures are intertwined in her memoir about life in the ER, giving you a glimpse in her personal life and love for the snoopies (what she calls the dogs).
Holding my breath is her second book after publishing Saving a Stranger’s Life: Dairy of an Emergency Room Doctor in 2020.
November 22, 2025
Very readable, although gear changes sometimes felt a bit jarring and unsatisfactory. But that is the nature of the Emergency Department work. You don't always find out what happened to the people you get interested in. And then you go home enjoy the landscape. As a journal it gives a very good insight into the experience of an 'ER' doctor at the height of the Covid pandemic in South Africa. The writing is very good.
June 12, 2022
Loved it. Laughed out loud. Love her wry cynical humour
July 1, 2023
Almost as brilliantly poignant as the first book.
March 13, 2024
I think this one was even better than the first one! 😃 a really enjoyable read!
July 8, 2022
Dr Biccard's wry, cynical humour is a dream to read. I could not help but laugh aloud at the absurdity of some of the interactions described, appreciating the lighthearted side of medicine that few may get to experience. Her writing is straightforward, describing everything the reader needs to know with the keen, detail-oriented eye one would expect of a doctor. A thoroughly good read that gave me an insight into how the covid-19 pandemic affected my home country, stories of which I had only heard from family and friends.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews