Huzzah!

I sometimes think med school should start in the clinics first. Without this pre-clinic class business. I guess I'm fortunate I only have 8 months or so left. 

I was at preceptor a week ago, and this 14 y/o girl came in with a massively swollen right leg. Apparently her muscle had been hurting for two weeks but the night before, her leg started to swell. Ankle reflexes, peripheral pulses intact. So why was the leg swollen? The doctor spent a few minutes looking up numbers for lymphangitis centers and getting a few consults when I was like - "What about vascular issues?"

She ended up being transported to TXCH ER with a possible DVT in her right leg. If you don't know what that is (long-haul airplane passengers should), it's a clot in the venous return that may become an embolus and go to the lungs and block off blood supplies (pulmonary infarct) or the coronary vessels (myocardial infarct). Her legs were swollen from venous obstruction. 

In my mind, I kept screaming 'CALL FOR A CHOPPER!'

But, I guess the mother driving her there was good enough. 

At first I didn't think much of it, and I still don't, but I guess I played a minor part in that story, more than the usual "Oh, your foot hurts? Let me get some details so I can do my write-up."

I should get back to studying so I can be of more use.