"It's indigestion", he uttered to himself, "from disagreeable food". He ignored the pain and helped the kids with their homework. |
 |
Episode 001 The Extraordinary Story of Dr. Roberts It had been a typical interest filled day of work and enjoyable family activities for Dr. Roberts, a prominent Massachusetts physician. It was 6:00 pm. A sharp stabbing pain developed in the pit of his stomach as he was finishing dinner with his wife Susanne and two kids Colby and Brent. He had a small amount of dessert in hopes of pain relief. Wrong idea, it didn't work. "It's indigestion", he uttered to himself, "from disagreeable food". He ignored the pain and helped the kids with their homework. The pain relentlessly worsened and worsened. It was a constant knife stabbing pain straight to the back. Sipping water and taking antacids had no effect. It was midnight. He threw up. The pain stopped and Dr. Roberts drifted to asleep. It was a deep sleep, but short-lived. He awoke two hours later doubled over with pain and soon writhing on the bathroom floor. He packed the kids into the Jeep and went to the 24-hour drug store for something stronger than an antacid. It did nothing. By now the pain was unbearable, 10 on a scale of 10. It was 6:00 am. Chills had started. For the first time since he was married, he told Susanne his wife "Could you get me to the hospital?" He threw up one more time. It gave him enough relief to get the kids to school and the 40 minute drive to the hospital. Dr. Roberts was totally bent over as he walked down the hall to his own hospital's Observation Unit. He was put on the stretcher. Intravenous fluids were started. It was nice to see a friendly face as the gastroenterologist arrived. He brought the surgeon, a wonderful friend and colleague who Dr. Roberts thought was there to say hello. It's "gastritis", Dr. Roberts kept thinking to himself. The skilled hands of the physician and surgeon examined his belly. The doctors left the room and quietly returned saying reluctantly "You probably have a perforated ulcer". There was instantaneous disbelief by Dr. Roberts. He never had an ulcer. He never had prior symptoms. However, with a rigid abdomen and excruciating pain straight to the back, it was a diagnosis that he recalled learning in medical school. He had an injection of a pain killer and sent for an x-ray to see if there was "air" in the abdomen to clinch the diagnosis of a ripped and gashed stomach. As Dr. Roberts sat in the wheel chair for the x-ray, he had reached a desperate state. His abdomen was in a violent uproar. He was severely nauseated. He had the chills. He thought he had developed an infection and was going into shock! He stammered to Susan, "I feel like I'm dying". He added dramatically, "Don't put me on a breathing machine." He had the x-ray. There was no air under the diaphragm! This was good news, no leaky stomach from an ulcer. The analgesic began to take effect. The pain was subsiding. Would it recur? He was wheeled to radiology for the abdominal CT scan. As the study was completed, the chief of radiology came in with the "look" on his face. A look that Dr. Roberts did not realize until after he received the bad news, but it was the "look". The chief said reluctantly, "You have a bowel obstruction". Dr. Roberts acknowledged this completely unexpected finding with a moment of silence. For the last 16 hours, this relatively common diagnosis never entered his mind. It should have. Dr. Roberts had anticipated this dreadful moment on countless occasions over the years - in medical school, working in the jungles of the Amazon and taking care of patients in the plains of Africa. |
