The Hypochondriac
Beverage alert: swallow before reading.
34-year-old man, confirmed hypochondriac, presents with less than twenty-four hours of sore throat and fever. No cough; no nasal symptoms.
Vital signs:
- Weight: 151
- Temp: 99.7
- Pulse: 84
- Resp: 12
Ears with pearly TMs bilaterally; throat somewhat injected, but without exudates or lesions; nose clear, pink turbinates, no discharge; lungs clear; heart regular without murmurs or gallops.
I go to palpate his neck for enlarged lymph nodes and as I do, I ask, "Does it hurt here?"
His response: "Should it?"
posted by #1 Dinosaur @ 6:30 PM
11 comments
11 Comments:
Watch - he'll be the one with the retropharyngeal abscess that turns into mediastinitis.
I assume he got an antibiotic, amoxicillan for ten days, maybe zithromax? Maybe kickndhiney?
He got a strep test -- which was negative -- followed by instructions to drink plenty of fluids, rest, take tylenol as needed, and a huge laugh from me. (I've known him a very long time.)
(And yes, he specifically said I could blog it.)
Funny and he is obviously a good sport! :)
glad I toook your advice about not drinking!
Sounds like he was following the lead of some of our presidential candidates.
I am glad that not everyone gets an antibiotic for every rapid strep negative sore throat. BTW, I love your Dinosaur rules.
lmao!
So I'm curious, he understands he's a hypochondriac. Knowing that, doesn't he ever say "That's just the hypochondria blowing this sore throat out of proportion?"
That was funny, though.
I wouldn't bet 100 percent on the rapid strep test.
A few years ago I had what appeared to be strep on the tonsils - painful and covered with white blotches but no swelling, no fever, no other symptoms.
The rapid strep was negative but they cultured it anyway, and two days later they called me to say yes, it was strep.
It happens.
What part of the neck were you palpating? I've had "sore throat" patients who turned out to be DeQuervain's thyroiditis.
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