The inner workings of a doctor's mind

Medical school does strange things to you. The same can be said of residency. What am I talking about? For example, today I heard Ozzie Guillen (manager of the White Sox) was taken to the hospital (my alma mater) for "back and side pains". Naturally, the doc in me starts coming up with my differential diagnosis. Later in the broadcast of the Sox game, Hawk mentions Ozzie was admitted for kidney stones. Yes! Not good for Guillen but good for me. Nephrolithiasis was at the top of my differential. You get a good feeling when you can decipher the underlying medical problem. Even with all the medical technology physicians have at their fingertips, the thing with the greatest yield (or the more bang for your buck) is the history and physical exam. A doctor can learn a great deal from just asking the patient questions about their present illness. Sometimes, the history taking portion of the doctor's visit gives one more information than the physical exam.

The same thing happened when I heard about Jason Giambi (a Yankees player) and his health problems. Apparently, he was diagnosed with intestinal parasites but was not getting better with the antibiotics. He complained about losing weight unintentionally, feeling fatigued, and just not feeling like himself. I did think about cancer. After several tests, he was diagnosed with some type of cancer and is receiving treatment. The type of cancer or the location of it weren't disclosed to the media.

Being a physician is like being a detective. Each patient is another case to investigate and solve. It can be very exciting and mentally stimulating.

I keep thinking it must be an awesome time to be a medical student or resident at Rush University Medical Center since those doctors are the official team physicians of the White Sox.