Day 11: Pulmonary Clinic

It never ceases to amaze me how many different specialties medicine includes. Yesterday I had the chance to shadow a doctor in a Pulmonary Clinic, and was reminded how essential it is to be able to breathe. Most patients I saw had narrow tracheae which caused them to collapse at night when there was more pressure on the throat and the muscles relaxed. The collapsing of the trachea then caused the patient problems breathing, because the air simply could not get in and out. There was really no way of solving this, so most patients walked around with oxygen tanks on wheels and tubes to deliver the oxygen to the nose. They came in to test how their lungs were working and come in for a routine check in to make sure things were not worsening. 

Other patients I saw were complaining of having trouble breathing. Their problems were not as bad as the patients who had needed oxygen tanks, but they came in to prevent problems in their lungs. Some of them complained of dizziness and fatigue. Others were prone to having Pneumonia. These patients had to have tests done and then  would come back in for diagnosis and treatment. 

I was also able to see an X-ray of a patients lungs and was explained how X-rays were evaluated. Firstly, the patient's name is confirmed, to make sure the correct X-ray is being looked at. Then the angle the X-ray was taken from is determined, because depending on if the rays were coming from the front or the back of the patient, different things can be seen. Next the bones are checked to make sure there are no fractures, then the angle of the bottom of the lungs and the heart, to make sure all is healthy. If there was fluid in the lungs, or something was wrong with the lung tissue, it would show up as a white mass in the lungs. I was able to see lungs with an abnormality which was most likely fluid. If something abnormal is spotted, the patient is further examined to make an accurate diagnosis and then figure out how to treat the problem. 

I was astonished at the number of pills each patient took. There were pills to induce urination (diuretics) so that there is less fluid in the body for the heart to pump, pills for allergies, pills for lupus, pills for this, pills for that. Every time I see such unfortunate cases I become more grateful for my health and want to take more steps to keep it up.