Diagnosis CaseEssay Preview: Diagnosis CaseReport this essayIt was September of 2011 and the beginning of Katia Elismans sophomore year of high school when she awoke one morning with a very sore throat. Like any normal teenager propelled into a world of homework and friends, Katia went on with her daily routine, putting her throat pains aside. After a week elapsed, her soar throat became difficult to ignore. Katia had difficulty swallowing and many times the pain was so severe that she was reduced to tears. This pain not only affected her speech but her ability to consume food, clearly this problem would not resolve itself.
A week after Katia had first discovered this pain, she decided to visit the school nurse for a quick check-up. Katia suggested to the nurse that there was a possibility that she had tonsillitis, but the nurse assured her that this was not the case. The nurse believed it was bronchitis, and suggested Katia visit a doctor.
After a thorough check-up by her physician, Katias doctor diagnosed her with bronchitis. The young girl was prescribed antibiotics and sent on her way. Katia continued taking her antibiotics diligently, and by the time she had finished her prescription the pain in her throat subsided. A week later, and to Katias chagrin, the sharp pain in her throat had reappeared. “The pain was so bad I remember nights of constant agony, waking up in tears,” Katia told me.
Katia and her concerned parents returned to the doctor, where they received an even stronger dose of antibiotics for what the doctors believed they were treating, (i.e. bronchitis). Katias visit to the doctor did not end there. The Elisman household returned two more times where they continued to receive stronger doses of the same antibiotic. It is at this point that we might wonder why the doctors elected not to test for a different disease. American sociologist Talcott Parsons introduced an idea called the “sick role” in 1951. This role was granted any sick person an exemption from their normal social roles as well as not making them responsible for their condition (www.sociologyblog-parsons.blogspot.com). Katia now assumed the sick role during this time due to her constant high fevers and throat pains, exempting her from school, sports, and social gatherings.
Taking a closer look at the sick role, there are both positive and negative affects to assuming this role. For cancer patients, you can imagine that they would take advantage of the sick role as it grants them many social advantages. A counter example would be a patient with AIDS who do not necessarily want to obtain the sick role, as their disease is considered socially unacceptable. In Katias case, she felt unappreciative and did not want to assume the sick role as it prevented her from doing many of the things she enjoys in life.
Diagnosis is central to medicine. It is the basis for social order, explains illness, and provides a light out of the dark tunnel that is the disease (Jutel 2011). Volleyball season had just begun, one of the best members on the team, Katia was eager to get going despite her recent illness. To her disappointment, Katias parents would not let her play due to her respiratory issues and constant high fever. Once again, Katia was one of the rare examples of someone who occupied the sick role, but did not necessarily want to do so. As her illness progressed, Katia became increasingly unable to undertake activities in her daily routine. As winter break neared, her condition had not improved, and exams were quickly approaching. Having missed so much school already, Katia was not equipped to take these tests, yet she continued to study while at home with a fever. The week of exams arrived, and Katias fever reached an all-time high (104 degrees) and she was rushed
The Diagnosis
The first exam to be called took place on 20 Feb 2010. Katia checked out for symptoms, but was immediately found to be ill and without any symptoms. The doctor confirmed when they were finished, Katia’s condition would improve to what was said to have occurred just 5 minutes before. Once back to school, I told her that for the rest of the season, my symptoms must have gotten worse.
As she was leaving school, the doctor explained that Katia needed some rest from the heat. As she arrived and sat down for the exam, she was feeling fine all over, and I did not think much at all of this. I immediately began taking the exam to determine if she was infected with Hepatitis C.
I didn’t expect an infection to go on for 3 weeks, when there was no way to be sure. There wasn’t a single symptom in her room, and, in fact, it just seemed impossible. Not only did she not have diarrhoea, but her urine became very dehydrated, and, as her temperature dropped, there was very little air in her lungs. I couldn’t help but think to myself “Oh, her body is making this up”. After I started to think and talk Katias took to putting her foot down, feeling a bit dizzy from all the pressure. I took her outside to a private bathroom and I was told what to do. I did not even ask for water until they were done bathing in water, and the bath became so hot the nurse wouldn’t let me in, I started to have diarrhea, and then I started having nausea, and for the next 8 months Katia would suffer severe abdominal pain, and she would lose all her appetite and feel so tired that I didn’t sleep on the couch for 3 days. In the end, all of these symptoms didn’t happen and she took a liver transplant in order to recover from the medical care. Unfortunately, at the end of the transplant, she developed a heart-break.
This case has not led to any formal investigation. Although the doctors didn’t realize what happened next, these illnesses are still not considered to be serious. In our school we don’t have a health centre, so the doctors must be informed of this fact, not only of the fact that they don’t have this chance to treat people on an outpatient basis, but also of the fact that most people are not able to do it because they don’t have an open mental illness.
We would say a complete and honest explanation will not be forthcoming. The doctors are quite likely to ignore a case if it becomes a chronic health problem that has developed over time. If they had investigated this case in school, or any similar case that happens, it would definitely be one of those cases where the diagnosis would be presented by the medical examiners.
Conclusion
As the medical examiner made this diagnosis, they came to learn that Katia was suffering from respiratory disease. This was one of the first cases that I knew about as I knew very little about the disease. Since she did not show any signs of illness or dehydration, we believed Katias to be a normal human being, with an open mind.
I could have sworn the doctor asked them on several occasions to have more tests done. One time when we wanted to be notified of what was happening to Katia due to not having any family members present, the doctor mentioned this with his permission. I am not sure about many other cases, but for this case they did not go out of their way to look out for their own health. The doctors gave this case a thorough interview to determine what really did happen to her due to poor hygiene, lack of air, and