Sign up for free

Podcasts > MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries > Ep. 23 | Gut Instinct/Into the Woods

Ep. 23 | Gut Instinct/Into the Woods

By Wondery

Step into the unpredictable world of medicine with this episode of "MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries," where host MrBallen navigates through baffling medical scenarios that defy initial diagnoses. The first tale unfolds on a rafting trip with a retired surgical oncologist named Thomas, who encounters unexplainable severe stomach pains leading to drastic weight loss. Follow the investigation that puts doctors, including gastroenterologist Dr. Gonin, to the test, as they utilize a CT scan and surgery to unearth a startling source of his discomfort.

In a separate but equally mystifying account, listeners will hear about Elizabeth's harrowing experience with a common over-the-counter medication. Dr. Crespo's diagnosis of Stevens-Johnson syndrome reveals the precarious nature of allergies and the potentially life-altering consequences that can come from the most routine actions. Each story serves as a vivid reminder of the enigmatic challenges faced by individuals and medical professionals alike, and the critical importance of vigilance in healthcare.

Ep. 23 | Gut Instinct/Into the Woods

This is a preview of the Shortform summary of the Mar 12, 2024 episode of the MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries

Sign up for Shortform to access the whole episode summary along with additional materials like counterarguments and context.

Sign up for Shortform
Ep. 23 | Gut Instinct/Into the Woods

1-Page Summary

Medical Mysteries While Camping

Retired Doctor's Mysterious Severe Stomach Pain

On a rafting trip, retired surgical oncologist Thomas experiences severe upper abdomen pain leading to rapid weight loss. Initially suspecting cancer, he undergoes a CT scan that rules it out. Dr. Gonin, a gastroenterologist, is unable to determine the cause from the scan. During gallbladder surgery, surgeons find and remove a small metal wire with carbon residue from Thomas's intestine, which turns out to be a bristle from a grill brush used on his trip. This discovery resolves the mystery of his severe symptoms.

Woman Develops Life-Threatening Reaction to Ibuprofen

Elizabeth develops a severe rash and fever, diagnosed by Dr. Crespo as Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a rare, life-threatening allergic reaction. The syndrome occurs after Elizabeth takes ibuprofen to alleviate swelling from black fly bites and headaches. Although she had used the medication previously without issues, this time it triggers the severe response. Elizabeth's late diagnosis leads to permanent damage to her tear ducts, illustrating the unpredictability of allergic reactions and the importance of caution with medications.

1-Page Summary

Additional Materials

Clarifications

  • Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) is a severe skin reaction characterized by blistering and peeling of the skin, often triggered by certain medications or infections. It can lead to serious complications like dehydration, sepsis, and multiple organ failure. SJS is diagnosed based on the extent of skin involvement, with TEN (toxic epidermal necrolysis) being a more severe form of the condition. Early symptoms may resemble flu-like symptoms before progressing to skin issues.
  • Gallbladder surgery, also known as cholecystectomy, is a procedure to remove the gallbladder. The gallbladder is a small organ located beneath the liver that stores bile produced by the liver. Surgery may be necessary to treat conditions like gallstones, inflammation, or in rare cases, cancer. After gallbladder removal, bile flows directly from the liver to the small intestine, aiding in digestion.
  • A CT scan, short for computed tomography scan, is a medical imaging procedure that uses X-rays to create detailed cross-sectional images of the body. It helps doctors visualize internal structures and diagnose various conditions by combining multiple X-ray measurements from different angles. CT scans are valuable for detecting a wide range of health issues, from tumors to internal injuries, providing crucial information for medical treatment.
  • A surgical oncologist is a surgeon who specializes in the surgical treatment of tumors, particularly cancerous tumors. They have advanced training in performing surgeries to remove cancerous tissues and work closely with other specialists in oncology to provide comprehensive care for cancer patients. Surgical oncologists play a crucial role in the multidisciplinary approach to cancer treatment, focusing on the surgical management of various types of cancers to help improve patient outcomes.
  • Gastroenterologists are medical doctors who specialize in diagnosing and treating disorders of the digestive system, including the stomach, intestines, liver, and pancreas. They help manage conditions like acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and liver diseases. Gastroenterologists use various diagnostic tools like endoscopy and imaging studies to evaluate and treat gastrointestinal issues. They play a crucial role in maintaining digestive health and overall well-being.

Related Shortform Content

When Breath Becomes Air
Paul Kalanithi

When Breath Becomes Air is the beautiful and heart-wrenching memoir of Dr. Paul Kalanithi, a neurosurgical resident diagnosed with lung cancer in the last year of his training. When the life Paul and his wife Lucy imagined for their futures ceases in the face of his diagnosis, he works to understand what his new life will look like and how long it will be. Through various treatments, his struggle to return to work, and the birth of his first and only child, Paul details his personal journey of discovering the meaning of life, death, and the thin line separating them. He explores what it means to save a life---not only his patients’, but his own, as well.

The Last Lecture
Randy Pausch

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, is a distillation of his life lessons and experiences. Written with reporter Jeffrey Zaslow, the best-selling book is an expanded version of a “Last Lecture” Pausch gave in 2007, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

The “Last Lecture” series was a tradition in which professors presented their philosophy of life, as if it were their last chance to share what was important to them. It truly was a last chance for Pausch, who had only months to live. His book and lecture, which went viral and has been viewed by millions, are about living your dreams.

Brain on Fire
Susannah Cahalan

At the age of 24, New York Post reporter Susannah Cahalan is stricken with a terrible disease. In a matter of weeks, it morphs from paranoia into hallucinations, seizures, and psychosis. It resists diagnosis even by the most prestigious doctors in the US. Only when Susannah becomes catatonic, staring death in the face, do two brilliant neurologists discover the problem: Susannah is suffering from an autoimmune disease that’s causing her antibodies to attack her own brain.

Cahalan’s harrowing portrait shows how frail disease makes us, ready to accept any diagnosis, even when we know it’s wrong; how the US healthcare system serves some patients better than others; and how maintaining a positive attitude is critical to recovery.

Get access to the context and additional materials

So you can understand the full picture and form your own opinion.
Get access for free
Ep. 23 | Gut Instinct/Into the Woods

Medical Mysteries While Camping

Two cases of unexpected medical issues arise during and after outdoor adventures, challenging doctors to find the answers.

Retired Doctor's Mysterious Severe Stomach Pain

Thomas, a retired surgical oncologist, returns from a rafting trip feeling bloated and nauseous. What starts as pain in his upper abdomen intensifies, causing him to lose weight rapidly. Accustomed to the perils of illness, Thomas is convinced that he has cancer—his mind goes to pancreatic cancer, the same disease that claimed his mother at the age of 74.

Despite receiving normal CT scan results and ruling out cancer, Thomas is still suffering from severe abdominal pain. Dr. Gonin, a gastroenterologist and Thomas's friend, had scheduled the initial scan but could not deduce the cause of pain from the results. Thomas continues to suffer, losing 22 pounds since his rafting trip.

During surgery to remove Thomas's gallbladder, the surgeon discovers the culprit—a small, sharp object inside his intestines resembling a needle. This mysterious object is extracted, analyzed, and identified as a metal wire with carbon residue from burned barbecue sauce. It is a metal bristle, likely from a grill brush used to clean the grates during a meal on the final night of Thomas's rafting trip, which had become lodged in his intestine and was the source of his severe symptoms.

Woman Develops Life-Threatening Reaction to Ibuprofen

Elizabeth seeks medical attention for a severe rash and is examined by Dr. Crespo, a dermatologist. Dr. Crespo diagnoses Elizabeth with Stevens-Johnson syndrome—a rare, life-threatening allergic reaction. Before encountering this severe rash and fever, Elizabeth had b ...

Here’s what you’ll find in our full summary

Registered users get access to the Full Podcast Summary and Additional Materials. It’s easy and free!
Start your free trial today

Medical Mysteries While Camping

Additional Materials

Clarifications

  • Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) is a severe skin reaction characterized by blistering and peeling of the skin, often accompanied by flu-like symptoms. It can be triggered by certain medications or infections, leading to potentially life-threatening complications. SJS is diagnosed based on the extent of skin involvement, with TEN being a more severe form when over 30% of the skin is affected. Early recognition and prompt medical intervention are crucial in managing this serious condition.
  • Gallbladder surgery, also known as cholecystectomy, is a procedure to remove the gallbladder. The gallbladder is an organ that stores bile produced by the liver. Surgery may be necessary if the gallbladder develops issues like gallstones or inflammation that cause pain and other complications. After gallbladder removal, the body can still digest food, but bile flows directly from the liver into the small intestine.
  • A CT scan, short for computed tomography scan, is a medical imaging procedure that uses X-rays to create detailed cross-sectional images of the body. It helps doctors visualize internal structures and detect abnormalities like tumors or foreign objects. CT scans are valuable diagnostic tools that provide more detailed information than traditional X-rays. The results of a CT scan can help doctors identify conditions or issues that may not be visible through other imaging techniques.
  • A metal bristle from a grill brush is a small, sharp object used to clean grates on a barbecue grill. These bristles can accidentally break off during cleaning and may end up in food. If ingested, they can cause serious health issues by getting lodged in the digestive tract, le ...

Counterarguments

...

Related Shortform Content

Life Force
Tony Robbins, Peter H. Diamandis, and Robert Hariri

Imagine a world where our lifespans aren’t limited by illness or aging, where people could live for as long as they wanted to. This sounds like something out of a science fiction novel, but according to Tony Robbins, Peter Diamandis, and Robert Hariri, such a scenario may be more fact than fiction. In Life Force, the authors explain how ongoing development of new technologies and information in the medical field may extend our lifespans beyond what we ever thought possible. Robbins is a bestselling author and speaker, Diamandis is a bestselling author and scientist, and Hariri is a neurosurgeon and scientist.

In our guide, we’ll explore the lifestyle changes you can make now to increase your lifespan and overall health. We’ll also look at new technologies that are rapidly improving our healthcare and upcoming technologies that have the potential to bring us even closer to the ideal of immortality. We’ll supplement this with elaboration on some of the authors’ more complex ideas, and we’ll contextualize the guide’s information in the fields of science, technology, and sociology.

When Breath Becomes Air
Paul Kalanithi

When Breath Becomes Air is the beautiful and heart-wrenching memoir of Dr. Paul Kalanithi, a neurosurgical resident diagnosed with lung cancer in the last year of his training. When the life Paul and his wife Lucy imagined for their futures ceases in the face of his diagnosis, he works to understand what his new life will look like and how long it will be. Through various treatments, his struggle to return to work, and the birth of his first and only child, Paul details his personal journey of discovering the meaning of life, death, and the thin line separating them. He explores what it means to save a life---not only his patients’, but his own, as well.

The Last Lecture
Randy Pausch

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, is a distillation of his life lessons and experiences. Written with reporter Jeffrey Zaslow, the best-selling book is an expanded version of a “Last Lecture” Pausch gave in 2007, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

The “Last Lecture” series was a tradition in which professors presented their philosophy of life, as if it were their last chance to share what was important to them. It truly was a last chance for Pausch, who had only months to live. His book and lecture, which went viral and has been viewed by millions, are about living your dreams.

Get access to the context and additional materials

So you can understand the full picture and form your own opinion.
Get access for free

Create Summaries for anything on the web

Download the Shortform Chrome extension for your browser

Install Extension
Shortform Extension CTA