Case Studies 2

Click here for the first 25 Cases

### Case 26: Dry Hands

A healthy 30 year old man went to his doctor with a complaint, he said he was feeling pain and experiencing very dry and cracked skin on his hands. He continued to say that he was experiencing this pain for approximately three weeks to a month. He said he first noticed this when he got up in the morning to reach for his tooth burhs to brush his teeth. The doctor then looked and examined the area of pain and he noticed that there were also cuts on top of the dry skin.

### Case 27: Bob's Burning Feeling

Your patient, Bob, tells you that he is experiencing a burning feeling in the chest, especially when lying down and swallowing usually at night and occasionally during the day. He also says that he has occasionally thrown up stomach acids.

### Case 28: Soccer Struggle

A young boy is at his soccer game. As he is running his chest began to feel heavy and tight, but he just ignored it and continued to play the game. As his chest continued to get heavy he had a lot of trouble breathing. A wheezing sound began to occur when he would exhale. He asked his coach for a quick water break then went back to the game. Once he got back on the field and started to run he started to cough a lot. He was not able to breathe anymore, so he fell on the floor attempting to breathe. His mom runs on the field and brings him to the hospital.

### Case 29: Scratching a Red Spot on My Leg

Over the past few days, I have been experiencing a red spot on my leg. It’s been itching a lot and it appears dry. I tried to ignore it the past few days but I couldn’t because it started itching. At one point it started itching so much that it started to bleed. At this point I was scared and it was very nasty. I could never wear shorts because I didn’t want anyone to see it. When I take showers or when it gets wet it gets very dry and makes the pain ever worse. Overall my leg hurts and I notice a red rash. What could this possibly be?

### Case 30: Dropping Glasses and Dropping Weight

A man went to his family doctor because he has been feeling different lately and wanted to see if anything abnormal was happening to him. The man noted that he’s been rather fatigue and had a fair share of muscle twitches/cramping that he wasn’t used to. He also noted that he’s been dropping things like glasses or even his phone beyond his command. He’s been maintaining his regular diet but has been losing weight. The man has been told by family members that he’s been slurring his words and has had a rather thick speech.

### Case 31: Sore and Sweaty

A 44-year old male visits his family doctor regarding some symptoms that have recently appeared. They include: shortness of breath, pain in the side of the chest, trouble swallowing, excessive sweating and fatigue. Upon further examination by the attending physician, it was revealed that he has a fever in excess of 103 degrees Fahrenheit.  Based on his last physical exam six months ago, he had lost 15 pounds. A chest X-ray and a blood test was ordered. When the results came back, T-lymphocytes showed an increase and the chest X-ray showed abnormal thickening or deposits of calcium on the lining of the lung. Furthermore, a CT scan was ordered which indicated fluid in the space between the chest wall and lungs of the left lung.

### Case 32: Not Just the Flu

I am a 40 year old women and I have lately become very concerned for my health. I have experienced many abnormal symptoms that are not related to just the normal flu. Some abnormal symptoms that I have been encountering include, pain in the chest, rapid heartbeats, the feeling of heartburn, and choking and some flu like symptoms. Those being sweating, vomiting, and dizziness. I am worried because I have been experiencing chest pain for a while now and I am scared for my safety. My dizziness has become more frequent and is worsening each time. I also have other health problems but have never experienced these symptoms. Some include high blood pressure, pre-diabetes, and overweightness. High blood pressure and diabetes runs in my family and I feel as if it may be the cause of some of my symptoms or leading up to something worse. I have undergone a lot of stress from work and I am currently seeking help for that. My mother was diagnosed with coronary heart disease before the age of 65 and has had close heart attack encounters in her lifetime. I am worried about my safety and health.

### Case 33: On the Run

Once upon a cold day in November I decided it would be a good idea to go for a jog. I was just jogging along and felt a sharp pain, I felt the pain after I started to really run hard. It was unbearable to finish my run. When I had returned home after limping the entire way, I took off my pants and my leg was super red and swollen. Then it had started to bruise, all this was happening on my ham string. I now have thought back and come to realize that I did not stretch and warm up. It feels like my pain is right on my muscle.

### Case 34: Office Collapse

**Patient Initials: GAC**

**Initial Date of Patient Consult/Treatment: February 16th, 2016**

**Patient Age:** 26              **Gender:** Female                               **Occupation:** Office Worker

**Presenting Complaint:** The patient was rushed to hospital in the General Care Unit after she had collapsed in the middle of her office.

**Case Presentation:** The patient is a female in her mid-20s who lives with her fiancé in an apartment in the city. She completed high school and university receiving her undergrad in Finance and Accounting. She is an office worker for a small financial aids company who is saving up money, and working long hours in preparation for her upcoming wedding. Her parents live in the city about 45 mins away from her, but are out of the country at the moment. The patient’s immediate emergency contact is her fiancé.

The patient is 5’8” tall, and weighs 168 lbs. This is her first time in hospital experiencing pain. Patient has been experiencing very bad headaches along with a terrible fever that is still present. And also shows a loss of appetite resulting that she is not in taking the proper nutrients which are necessary to be able to function properly. The patient was taken to hospital after she collapsed in her office. When the patient was admitted into the hospital she was presented with mid pain in the spleen as well as swelling around the eyes.

### Case 35: Sidelined Soccer Star

Joshua, a 16 year old boy, went to the doctors complaining of joint pains that he had never felt before. Joshua is an extremely fit teenager who plays on a rep soccer team, works out regularly and loves participating in gym class and other extracurricular actives after school. He has recently been feeling rather stiff and that he isn't as flexible as he was when he started playing soccer and different sports 5 years ago. He says that he thought it was just a typical stiffness from lack of hydration, or sleep so he continued to attend his weekly physiotherapy sessions and stretching every night. Recently he says that he has had to sit out during his soccer games and participate less in gym classes due to the pain. Some mornings he claims that he feels that he is struggling a lot more than normal to get out of bed. Joshua stated that he feels as though he is struggling to breathe at points in time when he is being active, and when he isn't there is a resistant feeling in the joints around his knees, hips, and thighs. Joshua's mother also mentioned that she's noticing that Joshua is running on his toes more than usual. Joshua's father is currently in a wheel chair due to the inability to move his lower body well and he also has a shoulder brace. Joshua and his family have the feeling that this might be a hereditary problem that has been passed down from Joshua's dad to him.

### Case 36: Coughing up a Storm

John, a thirty five year old man was walking his dogs in the cold last week when all of a sudden he started to cough up mucus. He figured that he was just getting sick so he took some cough syrup. As the week progressed, his cough started to get worse. He was constantly feeling tired/nauseous, shortness of breath, chest pain, and a faster heartbeat. He was worried because he kept on getting worse so he went to his doctor to possibly find out what he had. I am having strong chest pains and I am constantly coughing up mucus. Do you have any suggestions of what it can be?

### Case 37: 'The Abuse of Cough Syrup' or 'Too Lousy Off Promethazine'

I am a 17 year old male. A month ago I had a nasty cough and had been prescribed with promethazine with codeine. My cough had finally gone away but I am still currently using it. I have noticed that I’ve been having more painful headaches than usual. I’ve noticed that I can’t focus as much as I should be in class. Lately I’ve been having trouble breathing, and sometimes my body feels contracted. Sometimes I wake up randomly at night feeling out of breath.

### Case 38: Heart of a Child

Tucker is a healthy young child, but when he was born doctors heard a murmur in his heart. The doctors had decided that there was nothing to worry about. Tucker has been fine for 6 years, but his parents fear that something has gone wrong, and their main concern is the condition of his heart. Tucker is now 7 years old and he has been experiencing some questionable complaints. Tucker experiences some flu like-symptoms and this has been effecting his school habits. He has been home sick with what his parents hoped was a common stomach flu, but when it seemed to have gone away he was having a problem with his digestive system and could not hold food down. Also, his parents noticed that during that time Tucker was not his active athletic self, as he was having a hard time with his breathing, and was experiencing shortness of breath even from simply walking up a set of stairs. Tucker does not seem normal to his parents, he has been complaining about discomfort in his chest, and he is experiencing irregular heartbeats at some points of the day. Tucker has stopped all physical activity, and hopes to recover from whatever this may be as soon as possible.

### Case 39: Ms. Molina's Mishaps

Ms. Molina is a 30 year old white woman, living in Northern America. Over the last two years she noticed that there were significant changes in neurologic functions. She goes to the doctor with the following complaint. She’s been working in a cubicle on her computer for months now, but she noticed that her vision has started to get increasingly blurry. Ms. Molina has been very stressed and backed up on her work, due to the fact that she can’t control the movement of her fingers to hit the correct keys. She says that getting to work is complicated because she has a tendency to fall. Ms. Molina says that her muscles have been decreasing in strength and she’s constantly exhausted. She also says that eating is hard because she is unable to hold objects in her hands. The doctor checked her family history and genetics, they have a history with neurological problems on the female side only.

### Case 40: Not-So-Sweet Sixteen

I was at my friend’s sweet sixteen birthday party this past Saturday. It was at a banquet hall and my friends and I got to get all dressed up in fancy dresses and brought to the hall in a limo. About three hours into the party I started to feel a little uneasy. I started to feel very nauseous and started to feel dizzy. I told one of my friends but they told me it was because I hadn’t eaten that day. Half an hour later I ate a bit of the pasta that came to our table. Half an hour after that I rushed to the bathroom feeling as though I was going to barf. Two of my friends rushed to the washroom to make sure I was ok. They said that I looked very pale. She then took the back of her hand and felt my forehead. She said I felt as though I was running a fever. I called my mom to pick me up from the party because I also started to feel cold in my bones and I also started to sweat which was weird because I was cold at the same time. The whole way home I used up a whole tissue box because my nose was running and when I got home I barfed. I stayed in bed all day and still feel the same and I don’t know what’s wrong with me.

### Case 41: Good Shape, Bad Pains

Steve is 36 year old man who is in good shape who plays hockey and baseball but doesn’t eat well. Steve has difficulty swallowing and is getting chest pains up to twice a week. Steve started getting these chest pains in his early 30’s. When Steve went to the doctor to see what was wrong with him he asked why might the be getting symptoms.

### Case 42: Dirt Bike Disaster

Tony goes to the dirt bike track one day after school. He rides with his friends for 3 hours and does tricks and flips. He does a trick and falls off his bike. He experiences pain in his arm and goes home. Once Tony gets home he notices swelling over his radius bone. He also notices as the day goes on, there is pain in the injured area and it gets worse when he moves his radius bone or when pressure is applied. Days pass and Tony begins to lose all function in the injured area. He starts to get worried and goes to the doctor.

### Case 43: Impatient Gains

Anthony is an active 15 year old who plays hockey. To improve his skills Anthony likes to exercise frequently and go to the gym to put on size and improve his overall health. Over the past couple of months Anthony has been going to the gym and has done a large amount of weightlifting. During this time he has been doing the same weight, but now he feels like he should up the weight for more of a challenge/effect. Next time Anthony went to the gym he upped his deadlift weight by a significant 100 pounds. When he did 1 set of the exercise he felt a lot of pain/ pressure in his left hamstring. He continued to finish his workout and when he went home his hamstring still had a lot of pain. The next morning his hamstring was swollen and red. He felt pain whenever he walked and even when he was resting. He also felt weakness in his hamstring. Anthony was confused and did not know what had happened, because of this he went to the doctor to see what was up.

### Case 44: Sliding Into Them MDs

Tom was walking down the street on a cold winter’s day. He was walking to school when all of a sudden his front foot slipped on ice and flew forward making tom do the splits. He felt pain in his leg and was unable to move his leg quickly without it hurting. During school he was unable to participate in his gym class because it was hard for him to stand on it. Even when he was not moving it still hurt for him. Tom’s leg was red and swollen with bruises. He went to the doctor after school and told him what happened.

### Case 45: The Woes of Winter

Akera is a 15 year-old high-school student who enjoys winter. As of lately, he’s been experiencing a somewhat painful sensation throat in his throat. Akera goes to visit the Jane @Wilson Medical Center to have the doctor check the problem. First, Akera tells the doctor his symptoms. He has dry cough, a raw sore throat, a hoarse voice and a fever. The doctor asks him when these symptoms started. Akera replies that they started two weeks ago when he contracted a cold. He was outside tobogganing when the temperature was lower than usual. Ever since, he’d been coughing and sneezing, he had a runny nose, and his voice became hoarse.