QUACK QUACK

[wedrinkbitter]

Test yr medical knowledge wif deez tr00 case studies from my jobb!!!

Yr Medi-Sleuth Decoder Ring tells you Depo-Medrol is a steroid injection that puts you at risk of adrenal failure, vascular collapse, and death every time you use it, along with the usual chronic effects of steroid use! Good luck!1. A patient comes in complaining of 10 years of

Comments

[sp0rk0]

Your boss sounds a little like the GP that ttam and I see. We've affectionately nicknamed him Dr. Walkitoff.

Typical visit sounds like this:

ttam: I, uh, seem to be having this weird skin problem.
Dr. Walkitoff: (looks at eye) Hm, yep. That does look kinda weird.
ttam: Any idea what it is?
Dr. Walkitoff: Hmm, nope. Here, have some samples of [cream]. Rub this on it for two weeks and call me if it hasn't gone away.

or

Me: I've been experiencing some heartbeat irregularities lately. My heart sometimes races and skips beats or flutters and stuff. This goes on for sometimes upwards of 20 minutes, and I can't make it stop.
Dr. Walkitoff: Uh-huh.
Me: There's a long history of cardivasculuar disease in my family, on both sides. My mother suffered from Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. My paternal grandfather had heart problems and died of a stroke in his late 40s.
Dr. Walkitoff: Hmmm.
Me: Should I be concerned?
Dr. Walkitoff: Nah, it's probably nothing.

[wedrinkbitter]

Actually, that first one isn't terribly bad, because a lot of times you can diagnose and treat stuff in one step; if it gets better, it was A), and if not, you try something else. Sometimes the diagnosis and treatment are the same.

Did you ever have an EKG? A simple EKG can usually show if it's WPW, otherwise, uh, it may be nothing, but, uh, it's usually better to be sure.

[robin_rule]

W-P-W- is the most dangerous of the tachcardias and that person should have a EKG, glad you brought that up. (gosh, i'm playing doctor with you). mentioning the flutter tho, makes me think it COULD be atrial flutter. both of these tachys are curable with a simple abalation. just hope our "patient" is either on decent insurance or so poor is on medi-cal. medi-cal has done three abalations for me and a private insurance did my WPW. now, if the AMA will just perfect the abalation for atrial fib i will be perfect, with a twelve year pacemaker changa-roo...

"dr. walkitoff", god i love it...

[wedrinkbitter]

Eh, most palpitations are fibrillation at worst, but all you usually gotta do is either EKG or Holter somebody to catch it, no biggie. Usually if they won't pay for even that I tell 'em to drink less coffee and see if it goes away. It usually does. But yeah, y'know, I don't like just guessing when it comes to that shit.

[robin_rule]

yeah except if their mother really did die of WPW. like i had it, my son was born w/ heart stuff, surgery at seven weeks old (try that on for size) and again at five years. i just never mess with people telling me they have this lil ol heart tachy. i hollar 'em into some form of doctorin'. if i like 'em, or they got kids they are supporting. it's the heart, ya know you guys are mechanics when it comes to the heart: you know what it's supposed to look like and act like , thus you can re-build 'em. most of the time... you guys are good at that. me an my 20 year old hunk are living proof. and we got gratitude...