Just A Colleague

Fidelity

Victoria

"She's irritable and sleeping 18 hours a day." Dad looks at me. "Don't worry it's not about you" I scoff.

"What's interesting about that? Hypersomnia's usually accompanied by irritability in depressed patients." Foreman sits and out his coffee on the table.

"True, but not relevant. She's not depressed." Dad limps with coffee in hand to whiteboard.

"Hello. She's sleeping 18 hours a day."

"Fever. Clinical depression does not cause fever."

"She could be sick and depressed " Foreman shrug with mug in his hands.

"She's sick." Dad exclaims " Damn it. Why didn't I think of that?"

"Yeah, that's what I meant." I want to laugh how Foreman ironically replied to dad's question.

"Elevated sed rate indicates inflammation." Cameron suddenly says.

"Hypersomnia and personality changes point toward the brain." Foreman state as a fact.

"Not the spleen? Thank goodness we hired a neurologist. Brain symptoms... Hmm. Could this be a brain problem?"
Dad ask.

"No other systemic sings of inflammation. Probably not vasculitis." Cameron looks at us.

"What about parasites? Malaria, Chagas." Chase suggest.

Cameron takes of her glasses and say "But the patient's never been outside of the United States, especially the tropics."

"You mean she claims she's never been outside the U.S." Chase states.

"Very good." Chase looks at dad surprised that he agreed with him.

"Doesn't matter. Blood and CFS smears show no sign of parasites."
Cameron says.

"Has to tumor then." Dad says.

"It's not tumor"

"A tumor sitting directly on top of the brain stem that three ER doctors, two neurologists and a radiologist missed?" Foreman states meanwhile I throw my hands in the air for ignoring what I've said.

"Partridge in pear tree missed it to. Redo the blood work and get a new MRI with 2mm cuts through the mesodiencephalic and check for evil stepmothers. This much asleep usually indicates poison apples." Dad leaves.

....

"The MRI reveals nothing." Wilson says while looking at the monitor.

"That we were able to detect." Foreman says.

"It's not a tumor "

"What did I said?!" I fold my arms at Wilson's answer.

"A small glioma could hide from contrast. We could do a PET scan." Foreman looks at dad.

"Yes. That's how a responsible doctor would waste his time in this situation." Dad says

"Suddenly test and radiologists are incapable of error?"

"A glioma not presenting on a contrast MRI would have to be smaller than a gain of sand, which does not make a gravely ill person make."

"It could be just postictal disorientation." Chase ask.

"We would have seen improvement by now." Cameron answer.

"Lage-stage Lyme disease can cause seizures." Chase slightly shakes his head.

"Does the husband care about her?"
Dad ask and looks at us.

"He hasn't left her bedside." Cameron replies.