Chest pain? Of course

Back pain? Sure, often times

Abdominal pain? Occasionally

Syncope? Yep

Those are the easy ones.

OK, how ’bout recurrent cough that won’t go away after two weeks and a course of antibiotics? No pain anywhere. Yep. Had a dissection.

See, this is why we often order random stupid studies. It only takes one of these cases and you are so humbled (even if you don’t get sued) that you start scanning everyone. It never ends!!!!

This Amazing Story was forwarded to me. Absolutely incredible.

Joplin Missouri, A Doctor’s Story

“My name is Dr. Kevin Kikta, and I was one of two emergency room doctors who were on duty at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin, MO on Sunday, May 22, 2011.

You never know that it will be the most important day of your life until the day is over. The day started like any other day for me: waking up, eating, going to the gym, showering, and going to my 4:00 pm ER shift. As I drove to the hospital I mentally prepared for my shift as I always do, but nothing could ever have prepared me for what was going to happen on this shift. Things were normal for the first hour and half. At approximately 5:30 pm we received a warning that a tornado had been spotted. Although I work in Joplin and went to medical school in Oklahoma, I live in New Jersey, and I have never seen or been in a tornado. I learned that a “code gray” was being called. We were to start bringing patients to safer spots within the ED and hospital…..

Read the rest HERE.

Normally, I prefer interesting, sick cases over the routine stuff. Not between the hours of 11pm and 4am though.  Not when they come in all at once. Not when I am by myself on the overnight shift.  I’ll take some regular ‘ole CHF any day over:

1. Sigmoid sinsus thrombosis in someone who randomly fell and hit their head.

2. Severe hypocalcaemia from an overenthusiastic thyroidectomy with carpoedal spasm, seizures, and strabismus.

3. A baby with intussusception

4. A young man with likely toxic shock syndrome from God-know’s where.

5. A woman with a big ball of half chewed spagetti and Italian bread lodged in her esophagus.

6. A guy with a recurrent head bleed that no one can figure out what the cause is – despite massive MRI and angiographical workups.

7. A guy with a giant thrombosed haemorrhoid – well, that one was cool. I incised it and got the mother of all clots out.