<body><script type="text/javascript"> function setAttributeOnload(object, attribute, val) { if(window.addEventListener) { window.addEventListener('load', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }, false); } else { window.attachEvent('onload', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }); } } </script> <div id="navbar-iframe-container"></div> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://apis.google.com/js/platform.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> gapi.load("gapi.iframes:gapi.iframes.style.bubble", function() { if (gapi.iframes && gapi.iframes.getContext) { gapi.iframes.getContext().openChild({ url: 'https://www.blogger.com/navbar.g?targetBlogID\x3d15298599\x26blogName\x3dThe+Daily+Rhino\x26publishMode\x3dPUBLISH_MODE_BLOGSPOT\x26navbarType\x3dBLACK\x26layoutType\x3dCLASSIC\x26searchRoot\x3dhttps://dailyrhino.blogspot.com/search\x26blogLocale\x3den_US\x26v\x3d2\x26homepageUrl\x3dhttp://dailyrhino.blogspot.com/\x26vt\x3d3850501290576043056', where: document.getElementById("navbar-iframe-container"), id: "navbar-iframe" }); } }); </script>
The Daily Rhino
Saturday, February 04, 2006

Medical Student Teaching #4
GS is a 24 year-old female beach volleyball player who is referred to you, the on-call F1 in the Surgical Admissions Unit. She has been sent in by her GP, who writes “Dear Doctor, thank you for seeing this young lady.” Unfortunately, that’s all his letter says. He’s a pretty shit GP if one is to be honest. So, none the wiser, you go to see her and can immediately see she is hot, indeed the nurse tells you her temperature is ‘up’. She’s a pretty shit nurse if one is to be honest.

From her brief history, you learn that she recently had a belly-button piercing performed, after which her symptoms began. She has a chronic history of injuries sustained whilst playing beach volleyball, such as getting tanned and developing a toned body. She has no other significant medical history.

On examination, GS is a young lady wearing a bikini and is comfortable at rest. Cardiovascular and neurological exam are unremarkable, although you do notice she has a good pair of lungs on her. The abdomen is soft and non-tender and is Stefani’s sign positive. She’s is in no pain, but as her abdomen is so unlike any you ever saw whilst practicing with friends in medical school, you realise something is definitely amiss. Your doctey sense is tingling.

You recall the influx of acute pancake-itis that came in soon after Shrove Tuesday…but it doesn’t seem like that. As usual, you’re completely flummoxed. But just then, yes just then, Christopher Lloyd tells you the diagnosis. You’re about to ask him if the flux capacitor is real, when you realise that he’s right.





What’s the diagnosis?

A Cute Abdomen.

That’s right, GS has a cute abdomen. Be sure to remember this case as you will encounter it incredibly rarely if you practice medicine in Britain. The classic triad of a cute abdomen is a lack of distension, a waist:hip ratio of less than 0.7 and very often a cute pairitonice-tits. Management for this condition is very, very close observation, with conservative treatment. You know the Daily Rhino loves steroids, but this is probably one instance that you definitely, positively should NOT give them.


Previous teaching sessions:
Medical Student Teaching #1
Medical Student Teaching #2
Medical Student Teaching #3



Originally published in Medical Student Newspaper.
Technorati tags:

Labels: ,

 


Permanent link action

Comments:
Wow. Excellent!

Channelling Qfever in style, this is a terrific post.
 
Thanks Allen! I used to love Qfever, but I guess the staff are snowed under these days. So I'm doing my best to continue in their vein of non-medicine. Don't forget to check out the other teaching sessions ;)
 
GROOOOAAAAAN!!!
 
Post a Comment




Diversity Writer of the Year
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us
Runner-up Columnist of the Year
Nominated Features Writer of the Year







Bookcoversmall



Sepia Mutiny
It's the Pirates
Yam Boy
Video Wallah
Shiva Soundsystem
Within / Without


Currylingus
Saheli Datta
Random Acts of Reality
NHS Blog Doc
The Oracle


Cabein (Kunal Anand)
Turbanhead
HERStory
Ethno Techno


1. Much Apu about nothing
2. Rohinplasty (series)
3. Medical student teaching (series)
4. What your stetho says about you
5. Revision: IT BRINGS DEATH
6. Things you kids won't see (series)
7. Tsunami Politics
8. Churchill: Let the fakir die
9. If it looks like a quack...
10. Ten million missing girls



Herman the German Megabunny

I have attained Nirvana

Wrong sort of stars

Cheese & Onion Turns Legal

Wank muscles

Talent: Sofia Boutella

How's it Hanging?

How the Whale Became a Londoner and Other Stories

More Medics go on Strike

Medical students go on rampage










Subscribe with Bloglines

Top of the British Blogs



Rotate Your Mind




August 2005
September 2005
October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
November 2006
December 2006
February 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
October 2007
November 2007
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
July 2008
December 2008
-->



Web This site