Adolescent minds

I love medicine.  That's been well established.  In medicine, as we go through school - especially clinical rotations, we all try to find our niche.  I think it's safe to say I haven't narrowed my interests down.  At this point I've completed four rotations.  But even before starting rotations, before going to PA school, back as far as I can remember, I've loved kids.  They're awesome.  Yes I say that knowing I do not have any children and I only have to deal with them for 20 minutes at the most at an appointment or for a few hours while babysitting.  I have an escape.  Adolescents are great.  They're so young and innocent and the world seems so simple to them.  Life is almost black and white, maybe with a few shades of gray, but not many.  This was confirmed yet again today.

The first story I've already shared via FB as my status.  I got to the office this morning and Dr. Metz had done a quick tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (T&A) on an eight year old boy we saw in the office last week.  He asked Dr. Metz this morning where his hottie PA from St. Louis was.  I mean seriously kid?  You're eight years old and you're already hitting on women almost 3 times your age?!  I couldn't help but laugh and think to myself...oh dear, that mom is going to have it out with that horn ball!

Once again, later this afternoon the simplicity of life to a seven year old boy was confirmed.  This particular boy was also being seen for throat issues, snoring and recurrent strep throat.  We found out he had a few tonsillar stones in the past that had been dislodged.  While many of you probably have no idea what the heck I'm talking about, a tonsillar stone is a calcium deposit in your tonsils.  They frequently increase in size and sometimes pop out.  They smell absolutely HORRIBLE and can be a major cause of halitosis (bad breath).  So, making conversation with the boy I said, "You don't have to worry about that do you?  You aren't kissing girls are you?!"  He looked at me in disgust and shook his head no!  But then, he did make a point to add, "There was a girl that liked me...but I dumped her!  She was the tallest girl in the class!"  Again, I couldn't help but laugh.  If only relationships were as easy as being too tall.

Continuing on with the visit, we got in to the sequelae of untreated strep throat - rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease, kidney injury and kidney disease.  While these side effects of untreated strep are rare in the US due to our aggressiveness of treating strep throat, there is still a risk.  Dr. Metz mentioned the rare possibility of kidney disease and without thinking the little boy shouted out, "I don't want kidney disease!  I want to have kids some day!"  He has a lot to learn about sex ed.  But for now, we'll let that seven year old mind believe whatever it wants to believe.

-Stay Sassy, xo