# What are some medical diseases/problems a patient told you



## patzyboi (Jan 17, 2013)

that youve never heard of before?

Like what are some things a patient had and they told you, and you are like "What is that?"

Like on the field, Im sure theres A LOT of things you never heard before.

For example, I can never remember the definition for cystic fibrosis. If a patient told me they have that when I ask about their medical history, Ill most likely ask to myself "what is this?"


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## Farmer2DO (Jan 17, 2013)

"Stage IV fibromyalgia."

When asked if it's terminal, the answer was yes (in a dead serious response).

Oh, and her physician/specialist that treats her is a "fibromyalgist".

I wasn't aware that was an available field now.  I'm guessing it's an Internal Medicine related fellowship.


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## NomadicMedic (Jan 17, 2013)

Dandy Walker Syndrome. 

I had to google it. Sad case.


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## JPINFV (Jan 17, 2013)

Conversion disorder.


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## EpiEMS (Jan 17, 2013)

JPINFV said:


> Conversion disorder.



Would not want to do a work-up on a patient with anything like that, if I could avoid it. How do you assess and treat for something that doesn't have a physiological etiology that is testable?


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## JPINFV (Jan 17, 2013)

EpiEMS said:


> Would not want to do a work-up on a patient with anything like that, if I could avoid it. How do you assess and treat for something that doesn't have a physiological etiology that is testable?




If it's already diagnosed and the symptoms aren't acute in onset, then you let well enough be.


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## EpiEMS (Jan 17, 2013)

JPINFV said:


> If it's already diagnosed and the symptoms aren't acute in onset, then you let well enough be.



Makes sense. It's a real shame that the EMT curriculum doesn't include much on psychiatric emergencies.


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## mycrofft (Jan 17, 2013)

patzyboi said:


> that youve never heard of before?
> 
> Like what are some things a patient had and they told you, and you are like "What is that?"
> 
> ...



Like, this is sort of elementary. That's like my favorite reply to stuff the last couple days. A lot of senior projects being chased through the site, like, you feel me?


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## joegrizzly (Jan 21, 2013)

Medical Plombage -  "practice of inserting an inert material (as paraffin or plastic spheres) into the thoracic cavity to exert sustained pressure on the lungs and induce their collapse that formerly was used as a treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis" (Cited from http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/plombage)

Basically a medical experiment in the 1950's with the belief that since tuberculosis cannot survive in an anaerobic environment, that we should start collapsing us some lungs. 

Insert my pt 90 y/o with her L flank starting to have these pellets appear and puncture their skin from the inside. Giving my report to the ER nurse was classic since I had to learn everything about this procedure from the patient. I've never heard of anything like it before and since. Gnarely.


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## Mr. Smith (Jan 22, 2013)

This is an interesting post. Thought i was in the ALS discussion area, would fit over there as well.

Neuromodulation for chronic refractory angina (had a SOB patient that said he had a device put in his back a week earlier to help with angina, I and the ER Doc thought he was confused, apparently not). 

And Zellweger syndrome (not good at all)


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## fububoy80 (Feb 9, 2013)

Neurocystercosis... probably misspelled it... parasite in the brain that causes seizures and other nasty stuff. usually from third world countries and raw pork...


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## Hunter (Feb 9, 2013)

Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) terrible side effect of flu vaccine's. Very rare though.


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## Wheel (Feb 9, 2013)

Hunter said:


> Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) terrible side effect of flu vaccine's. Very rare though.



You obviously don't watch house haha.

My favorite was a little kid who had eosinophilesophogitis. I had a good idea of what that would be, but it's something I had never heard of.


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## Hunter (Feb 10, 2013)

I do and I remember hearing it but never paid attention to it much.


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## Joe (Feb 10, 2013)

Stiff mans syndrome


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## EMT B (Feb 10, 2013)

just recently had a patient they were on "plasma diaphoresis" come to find out by someone on here that it was "plasmaphoresis". 


either way i had never heard of that before


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## ThirtyAndTwo (Feb 10, 2013)

This actually came from a friend of mine: 

Do you take any medications?: "Yes, insulin"

Besides diabetes do you have any other medical conditions?: "No, and I don't have diabetes"

Then why do you take the insulin:? "Because if I didn't, I would have diabetes"


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## chillybreeze (Feb 10, 2013)

ThirtyAndTwo said:


> This actually came from a friend of mine:
> 
> Do you take any medications?: "Yes, insulin"
> 
> ...





Wow....that sounds like some of my patients!!!!


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## CobraIV (Feb 28, 2013)

craniodiaphyseal dysplasia....


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## VFlutter (Feb 28, 2013)

Subclavian Steal Syndrome.


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## fast65 (Feb 28, 2013)

I was actually told this by one of the ED RN's because her daughter has it, but: systemic sclerosis.


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## Household6 (Feb 28, 2013)

*** Burger's Syndrome..


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## mycrofft (Feb 28, 2013)

fububoy80 said:


> Neurocystercosis... probably misspelled it... parasite in the brain that causes seizures and other nasty stuff. usually from third world countries and raw pork...



Spelled right, cerebral tapeworm, as seen on HOUSE,MD. Needn't be raw pork, (that's trichinosis), just poorly treated sewage getting into the food and drinking water.

I saw two cases of trench foot in a week, two cases of toxic shock (one male) due to snorting dirty crank in a week, had a kid cough up a tapeworm segment, white sweat, and a guy we thougbht had been shot times six in the forehead prove to have been beaten with a spike heeled shoe by a hooker.

Nuff?


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## mycrofft (Feb 28, 2013)

Hunter said:


> Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) terrible side effect of flu vaccine's. Very rare though.



AND I QUOTE from wikipedia:
" All forms of Guillain–Barré syndrome are autoimmune diseases, due to an immune response to foreign antigens (such as infectious agents) that is mistargeted at host nerve tissues instead, a phenomenon called molecular mimicry.[6] The targets of such immune attack are thought to be gangliosides, compounds naturally present in large quantities in human peripheral nerve tissues. The most common antecedent infection is the bacterium Campylobacter jejuni,[7][8] followed by cytomegalovirus (CMV).[9] However, 60% of cases do not have a known cause. Some cases may be triggered by the influenza virus, or by an immune reaction to the influenza virus.[10] There was increased incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome following influenza immunization during the 1976-1977 swine flu pandemic;[11] however, epidemiological studies since then have demonstrated either an extremely small increased risk following immunization (under 1 additional case per million vaccinations) or no increased risk".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillain–Barré_syndrome

My neice had it and has fully recovered.


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## mycrofft (Feb 28, 2013)

HOw about a rollicking case of dysdiadochokinesa?


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## Rettsani (Feb 28, 2013)

Lyell Syndrome :huh:


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## mycrofft (Feb 28, 2013)

Rettsani said:


> Lyell Syndrome :huh:



ewh34r:


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## Rettsani (Feb 28, 2013)

mycrofft said:


> ewh34r:



That Looks really disgusting, infected it smells also not really good. :mellow:
I had in the past 10 years, 7 patients with this syndrome.


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## mycrofft (Feb 28, 2013)

Never seen one nor heard of one firsthand.


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## Rettsani (Feb 28, 2013)

Oooo I am Sorry...

Lyell syndrome is caused by medications or a staphylococcal infection. It looks like a superficial  large area scalding, because of the bubble formation with detachment of the epidermis on 70% of the skin surface.


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## BateMan (May 22, 2013)

i heard of a condition where moss is grown on the skin.

not those really hairy black birthmarks...moss


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## Handsome Robb (May 22, 2013)

Charcot Marie threw me off the first time I heard it. Told the Doc he had "chocolate marry" and he laughed, corrected
Me and promptly pulled me aside afterwards and we went through some reference texts and learned something .

Nice to have cool doctors who understand that not every provider is a seasoned veteran that "knows everything".


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## Anjel (May 22, 2013)

Calciphylaxis.

Nastyyyyy.


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## saskgirl (May 24, 2013)

We had a frequent flyer in the last service I worked in with CREST syndrome. She would tell us she had this then get exasperated if we asked any questions about it and tell us to "just google it".


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## J B (May 24, 2013)

Had a psych patient who was "the victim of a homicide".


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## Jim37F (May 24, 2013)

J B said:


> Had a psych patient who was "the victim of a homicide".



Had a psych patient chief complaint be "homicidal ideations".


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## chaz90 (May 24, 2013)

Jim37F said:


> Had a psych patient chief complaint be "homicidal ideations".



But that's reasonable. Thinking of killing other people is a legitimate reason I want someone off the street.


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## wannabeHFD (May 25, 2013)

Inguinal hernia.

I was riding as a third and we had to look it up.


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## STXmedic (May 25, 2013)

wannabeHFD said:


> Inguinal hernia.
> 
> I was riding as a third and we had to look it up.



You're riding with HFD, aren't you? :unsure:


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## VFlutter (May 25, 2013)

wannabeHFD said:


> Inguinal hernia.
> 
> I was riding as a third and we had to look it up.



Really?:unsure:


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## JPINFV (May 25, 2013)

Jim37F said:


> Had a psych patient chief complaint be "homicidal ideations".




What's the problem with this?


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## wannabeHFD (May 25, 2013)

PoeticInjustice said:


> You're riding with HFD, aren't you? :unsure:



This wasn't HFD. I have ride outs with various local 911 services as well. I don't remember which one it was, only that it was during basic


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## Jim37F (May 25, 2013)

JPINFV said:


> What's the problem with this?



No problem, just new and interesting to me lol. And yes I rode in the captains chair behind this particular kid (didn't have to restrain him but still...)


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## wannabeHFD (May 25, 2013)

Jim37F said:


> No problem, just new and interesting to me lol. And yes I rode in the captains chair behind this particular kid (didn't have to restrain him but still...)



During an ER rotation I had one like that. He was mentally challenged got who apparently had a huge crush on his roommate and either in denial, or he didn't understand homosexuality.


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## jediwill (May 31, 2013)

*geez*



Rettsani said:


> Lyell Syndrome :huh:



Omg!


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## JPINFV (May 31, 2013)

jediwill said:


> Omg!




You do not want to Google Image Search Harlequin Baby nor click on that link that goes to the Google Image Search. What ever you do... don't do it.


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## Anjel (May 31, 2013)

JPINFV said:


> You do not want to Google Image Search Harlequin Baby nor click on that link that goes to the Google Image Search. What ever you do... don't do it.



Damn you JP! Damn you!


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## JPINFV (May 31, 2013)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGM8PT1eAvY[/youtube]


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## Bullets (May 31, 2013)

Episodic Ataxia

Interesting stuff


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