This nasty microbe
Thursday, 5 January 2012 5 days ago in walked a 22 yr old cachectic male reeking of our prime malady… grand mal seizures once a month for 8 years, hemoptysis for a year of so, good beginning of claw hands and interosseus atrophy… thought I saw a few fasciulations… head perilously drooping forward… strange until I pulled down the back of his shirt and saw the gibbous C7 deformity glaring right back at me… unsustained clonus on the ankle reflexes…
I ran and personally gave the first doses of anti-tuberculous meds… also phenytoin for now but I suspect tuberculoma will fade and he won't need it after treatment for a year or so… Hgb is 6 so throw in iron and codiene…
Today this guy is bright eyed and bushy tailed… my golly I will never cease to be amazed at what this nasty microbe can do.
Dr Dan Murphy is the head physician at Bairo Pite Clinic