Dr. Moore finished conversing with one patient and then moved on to exam room #4. Her next patient was Lauren, a middle-aged woman who seldom had need for an appointment due to her generally healthy lifestyle and condition. The doctor knocked lightly on the door and walked in. She and Lauren greeted each other and engaged in some small talk.
“What are you here to talk about today?” Dr. Moore asked, looking at her tablet where she had pulled up Lauren’s records. She frowned.
Lauren sighed. “What am I not here to talk about?” She launched into a laundry list of health problems. Pain in her right leg and knee. Hearing loss in her left ear. A persistent cough. An ache in her lower back.
She paused, and the skin around her eyes turned red. Dr. Moore noticed tears gathering at the corners of Lauren’s eyes. “All these things are going wrong with me, and I think I’m a lost cause if you know what I mean,” Lauren said, then failed to hold back a brief sob. “What if this is the beginning of the end?” She covered her mouth with one hand. The doctor could see real distress in those green eyes.
“I don’t know about that,” Dr. Moore said. “Let’s take these one at a time. When did the pain in your leg start?”
“Just a couple of days ago. I think I pulled something—maybe permanently messed up my knee because that hurts, too.”
The doctor asked her a few more questions, then directed her to sit on the exam table where she helped Lauren lift and exercise the leg. Finally, she watched Lauren walk around on it. “Well,” Dr. Moore said, “It’s working fine, and you don’t seem to be experiencing any sharp pain. I think you worked it a little too hard. Take it easy for a few days, and it should feel better.”
“Okay,” Lauren replied slowly, apparently skeptical. She sat down again.
Dr. Moore asked a few questions about Lauren’s hearing and learned that she had been too near a firecracker when it went off prematurely during a small celebration. She looked into Lauren’s ears with an otoscope though, just to be safe. “Your hearing will come back soon,” she told Lauren. “I don’t see any indication of permanent damage.”
“So about this cough,” Lauren continued. She cleared her throat and then coughed a little. “It’s been persisting for the last week. My throat’s been a kinda scratchy.”
Dr. Moore put her stethoscope in place and listened to Lauren’s breathing, then shone a small light into her throat. “Your breathing sounds clear. There’s a bit of inflammation in your throat. It looks like it was a little worse recently and it’s healing. I expect the cough to go away in the next few days. Now, let’s talk about your back. Where exactly has it been hurting?”
Lauren turned a little and ran her index finger across her back about two-thirds of the way down. “Across here.”
After having Lauren stand again, Dr. Moore probed at the area with her fingers, asking, “Does it hurt when I do this? How much?” She also asked questions about Lauren’s daily routine and what kind of employment she had. When she finished, they sat down again. “There can be multiple causes for the kind of soreness you’re feeling.” She went on to describe some possibilities, and she said she would refer Lauren to a specialist to do some further examination.
Lauren’s expression became somber.
The doctor rolled her stool close to Lauren so they were sitting knee to knee. “I’ll email you some information, including some simple treatments, that will help ease the symptoms that you’re experiencing. But Lauren, rest assured that none of these problems are terminal in and of themselves, nor are they signs of a terminal disease.” She gently squeezed Lauren’s forearm. “Let’s reserve judgment here. You aren’t a lost cause. Nothing that’s wrong with your health right now is permanent—the fact that you’re here is a start.” She gave a confident smile.
“Thank you,” Lauren said. She took a deep breath and managed to smile back.
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