Melissa Johnson: A Medical Case Study

HISTORY OF PRESENT ILLNESS: This 46-year-old gentleman with past medical history significant only for degenerative disease of the bilateral hips, secondary to arthritis, presents to the emergency room after having had three days of abdominal pain. It initially started three days ago and was a generalized vague abdominal complaint. Earlier this morning, the pain localized and radiated to the right lower quadrant. He had some nausea without emesis. He was able to tolerate p.o. earlier around

HISTORY OF PRESENT ILLNESS: This 46-year old gentleman with past medical history significant only for degenerative disease of the bilateral hips, secondary to arthritis presents to the emergency room after having had 3 days of abdominal pain. It initially started 3 days ago and was a generalized vague abdominal complaint. Earlier this morning the pain localized and radiated to the right lower quadrant. He had some nausea without emesis. He was able to tolerate p.o earlier around 6am, but he now

History of Present Illness: The patient is a 27-year-old male complaining of right lower-quadrant abdominal pain, nausea, and

History of Present Illness: The patient is a 27-year-old male complaining of right lower-quadrant abdominal pain, nausea, and

T.B. is a 65-year-old retiree who is admitted to your unit from the emergency department (ED). On arrival you note that he is trembling and nearly doubled over with severe abdominal pain. T.B. indicates that he has severe pain in the right upper quadrant (RUQ) of his abdomen that radiates through to his mid-back as a deep, sharp boring pain. He is more comfortable walking or sitting bent forward rather than lying flat in bed. He admits to having had several similar bouts of abdominal pain in the last month, but “none as bad as this.” He feels nauseated but has not vomited, although he did vomit a week ago with a similar episode. T.B. experienced an acute onset of pain after eating fish and chips

Melissa Roberts has many careers in being a professional hospice chaplain, meditation and stress-management teacher, and freelance writer. She has received a Master's degree from Virginia Theological Seminary in Theological Studies. Roberts currently shares her meditations and stress-reduction techniques at the Wellness Center and on the internet. She has created a college course that covers the topic on relaxation and a stress-management and she presents the information to local businesses and organizations.

was awakened from her sleep by sharp left sided chest pain. The pain worsened with motion and

Mr. Johnson is a 28 y/o African American man, presents with an 8 month history of heart burn in the epigastric region. Pt. reports “I have heart burn after each meal and it’s painful to swallow at times” Pt. reports a productive cough. The pt. throat is reddened. Pt states the pain worsens while lying down and rate pain 8 out of 10. Pt takes 3 antacid a day. Pt. has a history of hypertension and Asthma. Pt. reports sour taste in back of throat and regurgitation.

A 54 year old black female presents with dyspnea and chest discomfort on exertion, postural lightheadedness, palpitations and a functional limitation of less than one flight of stairs. She denies fever or chills. Further questioning reveals she has been experiencing worsening shortness of breath for one week. Past medical history includes hypertension, Epstein Barr virus and osteoporosis. Surgical history included hysterectomy. She is a 1 ppd smoker and admits to drinking 3-5 alcoholic drinks per week for 10 years. Medications include candesartan, multivitamin, and calcium

History: A 67-year-old Caucasian male with a past medical history of type 2 diabetes mellitus and osteoarthritis presented to the ED with complaints of dark stools for three days associated with lightheadedness.He reported inability to maintain his usual schedule due to fatigue. He also reported his stools to appear darker than usual with a sticky texture and a malodorous smell. He described a recent worsening in intensity of a long-standing epigastric burning sensation which has been occurring intermittently for years. He denied any significant relief with doubling the usual dose of Tums during this time. He denied any associated chest pain, palpitations, dyspnea or syncopal episode. His current medications include metformin 500 mg twice a

Abdomen Assessment – The patient’s abdomen does not display any striae, scars, prominent veins, or spider nevi. It is flat with no bulging, and the umbilicus is midline and inverted. There is no pulsating above the umbilicus. Bowel sounds are active x4. No heard bruits over the abdominal areas. There is no complaints of pain upon percussion of the abdomen. Tympany is heard over the abdomen, and dullness is heard over the liver. Patient feels pain with fist percussion on the right flank. She also expresses discomfort in the lower abdominal quadrants upon palpations.

The patient is a 59-year-old female who saw Karen Palmer, DO on August 11, 2015. Please see a very detailed note related to this. She comes in for followup. She did undergo the CT scan ordered by Dr. Palmer, which ruled out pulmonary embolism. It did show, however a large hiatal hernia, was increased when compared to prior examination in October of 2012. The majority of the stomach was found to be within the hernia. The stomach does contain an air fluid level.

I have been struggling with this assignment all week. I want to have sympathy for Melissa Johnson’s tragic “accident”, however I find it difficult. Let me start by saying I am beyond sorry for the loss this family, including Ms. Johnson, has suffered. There is nothing worse for a parent than to suffer the loss of a child, particularly when your decision led to their death. The loss of any life is tragic, and the loss of a 14-year old child at the hands or her mother’s irresponsible choice is all that more poignant. Having formerly worked as an EMT both in the fire service and on an ambulance, I have seen first-hand the devastation these choices can leave in their wake. That being said, I do feel that the penalty Ms. Johnson received was

A patient, Carol Hines, arrives at the Emergency Department complaining of abdominal pain. The clinicians need to ascertain what condition is causing this symptom. They will perform tests and obtain the patient’s medical history to evaluate if the abdominal pain is the result of possible conditions such as kidney stones, appendicitis, endometriosis or other conditions.

MILLERSBURG — Criminally charged with drug offenses in connection with a Wayne County heroin overdose death, two Millersburg women on Monday denied charges of drug possession and trafficking.