Thursday, June 29, 2006

Symptoms

Just once I want the doctors to actually be concerned about what I am concerned about, when I am concerned about it. Last night my patient became tachypnic (pronounced "tah-kip-nic", a word that's more fun to use instead of "rapidly breathing") and tachycardic (also a superb replacement for a racing heart). Using these big medical terms I was sure would reach to the brain of the neurosurgeon. My mind is already rapidly racing (um..tachycerebral?) through all the possibilities (or differential diagnosis). PE? Mucous plug? MI? Well, as is always the case, the Doc comes to check my patient out and all of a sudden these symptoms resolve. I swear, this happens to me all the time!! So, because he didn't witness it then it's not a big deal. Well, when the team came to round in the morning I did describe my little episode (well, the pt's episode, not mine...I'm more professional than that. I had my episode at home.) These symptoms seemed to stump even the team, even while using their collective brain powers. Then tests were ordered just to rule out any of the aforementioned conditions. I am however glad it was stumping the MDs and not just myself. Is this trivial of me? Most likely, that's why I love medicine so much, so many mysteries...

1 comment:

Jane said...

"The best-informed man is not necessarily the wisest. Indeed there is a danger that precisely in the multiplicity of his knowledge he will lose sight of what is essential. But on the other hand, knowledge of an apparently TRIVIAL detail quite often makes it possible to see into the depth of things. And so the wise man will seek to acquire the best possible knowledge about events, but always without becoming dependent upon this knowledge."
~Dietrich Bonhoeffer