The Doctors Got it Wrong

[Cow Poke]

We have a dear older lady in our Church who has been through a lot of trouble and grief. Her oldest son died just last year.

Last week, her next to oldest child - a girl - became extremely sick, and had been feeling badly for some time.

Margie (I'll call her that because that's her name) was greatly concerned, because her daughter was in San Antonio, in a hospital where there were no beds available, and hadn't been for weeks.
She was in a bed "in the hallway" waiting for a room.

The doctors had examined her and told Margie to prepare for the worst, because all indications are severely advanced colon cancer. Margie's daughter would call and tell her momma "I just want to die, I hurt so bad".

The report was "they will do surgery, but they said there is little hope" due to the blood loss, stats, and all the other doctor stuff I don't pretend to understand.

Long story short - they finally got her in a room Saturday night, had surgery first thing Sunday morning - and the doctors found no cancer at all. There was a (can't remember the name) polyp in her small intestine that had ruptured and was spewing nasty stuff into her system.

A very brief surgical repair, and the daughter began feeling better almost immediately, and is home with Margie as of noon today. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

[Cow Poke]

So, whatever this "thing" was - the surgeon explained that it's extremely rare, but usually only found in people who eat their own hair.

And, no, Margie's daughter does not eat hair.

[mossrose]

So. She's a zebra!

[Cow Poke]

So. She's a zebra!

Well, YEAH, I suppose so!!!

[mossrose]

Well, YEAH, I suppose so!!!

You know why, right?

[Cow Poke]

You know why, right?

I'm familiar with the concept.

[Cow Poke]

You know why, right?

For clarification, you're talking about the fact that most medical cases can might be described as a "horse of another color", but, a horse nonetheless.

Then, every once in a while, there comes along a "horse" that is so different and unexpected that they declare it a zebra.

Hospital staff love the occasional zebra because it's always such a challenge.

That?

[Sparko]

So how did they determine she had advanced colon cancer? Didn't they do X-rays?


Thank God, though!

[Cow Poke]

So how did they determine she had advanced colon cancer? Didn't they do X-rays?


Thank God, though!

I don't know all the details, but it was a combination of things, and, apparently, this thing had blocked her small intestine but "leaked" stuff all over the place, so the x-rays were a mess.

[mossrose]

For clarification, you're talking about the fact that most medical cases can might be described as a "horse of another color", but, a horse nonetheless.

Then, every once in a while, there comes along a "horse" that is so different and unexpected that they declare it a zebra.

Hospital staff love the occasional zebra because it's always such a challenge.

That?

https://www.npjournal.org/article/S1...287-9/fulltext

As you were first learning about the differential diagnosis process, you were likely exposed to the maxim, “When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.” In other words, when diagnosing patients’ signs and symptoms, remember that many diagnoses (horses) are common, and the chance that a patient has a rare diagnosis (a zebra) is small. This wise phrase is attributed to Theodore Woodward, MD (1914-2005), a respected physician, researcher, and teacher at the University of Maryland who also was a charter member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. His work greatly advanced the science and care of many serious infectious diseases (IDs), including cholera, typhus, bacterial meningitis, dengue fever, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
²

[Cow Poke]

https://www.npjournal.org/article/S1...287-9/fulltext

As you were first learning about the differential diagnosis process, you were likely exposed to the maxim, “When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.” In other words, when diagnosing patients’ signs and symptoms, remember that many diagnoses (horses) are common, and the chance that a patient has a rare diagnosis (a zebra) is small. This wise phrase is attributed to Theodore Woodward, MD (1914-2005), a respected physician, researcher, and teacher at the University of Maryland who also was a charter member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. His work greatly advanced the science and care of many serious infectious diseases (IDs), including cholera, typhus, bacterial meningitis, dengue fever, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
²

Yeah!