Fluke

Part 2

Over the next few days, Maria took her pills morning and night, just as the prescription said. Slowly, the lump on her stomach started to grow smaller and less distinct. However, instead of feeling better, Maria began to feel ill. At first it was nothing that she could put a name to; a slight queasiness, perhaps. Then, as the days passed, Maria felt worse. The queasiness became a full-blown nausea. She felt dizzy and sick. Finally, Maria made an appointment with the doctor and explained her symptoms.

"You say it started when you went on the medication?" the doctor asked. "It's probably an allergy to the medication. What about that cyst?"

"It seems to have gone down."

The doctor felt around Maria's abdomen, poking and prodding. "It does. Normally I would tell you to finish that course of antibiotics; but, given the effects they are having on you, I'm going to tell you to stop taking the pills. Hopefully they've dealt with whatever is causing that cyst. However, we'll still go with the specialist, yes?"

Then the doctor sent Maria home.

As the doctor had predicted, Maria's sickness soon faded. However, the cyst came back. This time it was larger and definitely moving. As Maria watched, the lump would rise to the surface of her abdomen, then fall back again. Also, it was as if the skin around the lump had taken on a different texture. It now had a greasy sheen, while the individual skin cells had become large and granular.

When the time for the appointment with the specialist arrived, Maria was almost frantic with worry. "I don't know what it is," she explained.

The specialist examined the patch of skin and scratched his head. "I'll have to take a sample," he said.

Maria lay down on the examination table and watched as the specialist prepared a biopsy needle. "Will it hurt?" she asked.

"You might feel a slight stinging sensation, but that should be it."

But, when the specialist pushed the needle into her flesh, spearing the strange nodule, Maria felt a harsh pain. She cried out and arched her back in agony, before passing out. The next thing she saw was the specialist's face, pale and concerned at her predicament. He eased her into a sitting position. "I'm sorry," he said. "I never saw anyone react that badly." Then he looked down at Maria's lump. "If you need to rest ... ?"

"Thanks. If I could just have a minute?"

"Of course."

It took more than a minute for Maria to recover enough to leave the examination room. The specialist waited until she felt well enough, then escorted her to her car. "I'll get the results to you as soon as I can," he said before watching her drive away.