Good job nurse. I’m glad you had the stomach to follow your nose to the stench that appeared to be emanating from the nether regions of the febrile diabetic patient.
Although often appearing to be well put together, you never know what lurks under the clothing of people. Thus, as unpleasant and against your natural instincts as it is, ER staff need to be willing to “go down there” to investigate a smell. This is especially the case with sick diabetics.
See, your nose led you to the source of her woe: fistulous tracks adjacent to the vulva that lead back to abscesses and a nice patch of fasciitis on the buttocks.
If you just listen to a patient’s vague abdominal pain complaints, you’ll end up barking up the wrong tree. Obviously, if you are a parent you have experience following bad scents-usually to a baby’s diaper. Good work putting that sniffer to the test McGruff!
Those definitely weren’t Fruit Loops down there.
Also to the point, thanks to the doctor who listened to the nurse!
Unless you’re talking about the imprints the feet of wild fistulas leave behind as they pass by the vulva [tracks], I think you mean ”tracts”.