Residents are often asked to present interesting case
reports, and even though I’m not in med school yet, I’ve come across a medical
mystery that should be written about.
First case presents itself about two months ago,
patient Mr. Sauber – my next door neighbour, actually. I’ve obtained consent
from his next-of-kin, my friend Kyle Sauber, to log what I feel is a very
interesting case. Mr. Sauber was kind of our Patient 0.
Mr. Sauber is a frequent flier given his diabetic
condition and old age. Even if I hadn’t lived next to him for my entire
childhood, I’d know by his medical records that he was always teetering on the
edge of poor health; generally, our clinic is well-equipped to help him or keep
him overnight if need be, but in July he was taken to the hospital out in the
city out of concern that his kidneys may be failing.
He was held for three days before being sent back
home; according to his file, it had been a false alarm, but Kyle had been
raising concerns since the day he got back. Since I do a lot of the appointment
booking, I was able to get Mr. Sauber in once a week for check-ups (it would
have been twice a week if they could afford so many medical bills).
I observed for myself Mr. Sauber’s steady
deterioration. I watched him go from a 230 pound man to a frail skeleton.
Towards the end, his skin was a few shades paler and flaking right off; his
hair (or, what was left of it) was thin, dry, and fell out; I could see his
bones when he moved. We’d given him a walker to use because it seemed like he
just didn’t have the will to support himself.
All the while, his bloodwork, his vitals, urine
samples – they all came back normal.
Mr. Sauber died one week ago.
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