I love Ben & Jerry's, but I can't get it because I can't walk back up the hill without 1) My hip giving out or 2) The ice cream melting. I've been craving it for days and I CAN'T GET AT IT! Not using an article, arizonamyrie. I just piece things together. Echo brought us some vegetation in the tricuspid valve. We still have no idea what's causing said vegetation in the first place.

(I just wanted to pop in and say that while I am clueless when it comes to this game, I am following it and enjoying it, and I suspect others are, too. Keep up the good work! In other words, perhaps I am this thread's equivalent of the weird night janitor! :lol: )

Biopsy said vegetation.

Mostly cellular debris, but a few bacteria. We're trying to culture, but nothing's growing. Hi aithlyn! Nice to know you're lurking the game. It's really easy to be a DDx doc--just fire up The Google! Feel free to jump in on the next round once arizonamyrie gets this one.

Well, lets start a broad-spectrum antibiotic. Bacteria don't normally form cultures in hearts. And what's sad, is with HMOs, most doctors would stop there if the symptoms cleared up. ...once arizonamyrie gets this one. Huh? Just because I'm a mad googler and going into nursing doesn't necessarily mean I know what I'm doing.

ARIZONAMYRIE: Bacteria don't normally form cultures in hearts. HOUSE: Let's say that over again, my way: bacteria don't normally form cultures in hearts. How we doing on that blood culture, Chai? CHAI: Negative. Patient isn't responding to the broad-spectrum. We'll need something more specific, which means we need to find out what it is. HOUSE: Soon. Because he's going into congestive heart failure. CHAI: Crap, that's so weird. Last time I saw him, he was getting better. HOUSE: What do you mean? CHAI: His headache has gone away. HOUSE: Then the headache must have been environmental. CHAI: An allergen? HOUSE: Yes, causing a sinus headache. Ignore it. ------------------------- There are a couple of hints in there. Enjoy!

Fungal. The fungus was in the sinuses. Now it's in the heart. So, the kid's got athlete's foot in his ticker. That's the simplest explanation. Can we run fungal IgE's on the kid? Should I include a list? We should also completely remove the growth. Why is this reminding me of "Who's Your Daddy?"

Ironically, it's a completely different episode that will give you the hint. Unfortunately, it's not an episode that ends well. Kid's got congestive heart failure--he's got maybe 2 posts left. ARIZONAMYRIE: Athlete's foot in his ticker? CHAI: Fungal IgE's came up negative. HOUSE: It was the simplest explanation that fit the facts--so why doesn't it work? CHAI: Starting to believe in Occam's Razor now? HOUSE: No...we just don't know all the facts. ARIZONAMYRIE: What's he talking about? HOUSE: Let's go see a patient! WITH 21 YEAR-OLD HOUSE: Your headache went away. Nothing changed except you being here. PATIENT: I get those headaches all the time. They get better when I'm out of my house. HOUSE: (to arizonamyrie) Now, does that sound like a fungus or an al-ler-gen?! ARIZONAMYRIE: (to House) We need to search his house. CHAI: We're here, might as well see if he tells us something...(to patient) Is your house dusty? Anything that would cause a sinus headache? PATIENT: Bitch, maybe. HOUSE: Now hang on a minute. Don't need to get any bitches or hoes involved in all this. PATIENT: No, Bitch is my cat. I call her that because...she's not always the nicest thing around. ARIZONAMYRIE: I told you, this is a waste of our time. It's a massive explanation of something that we can now exclude as a symptom. We should get this kid into surgery and remove the growth-- HOUSE: Why? The symtoms may have lied through their lying little teeth, but Bitch doesn't lie. PATIENT, CHAI, AND ARIZONAMYRIE: What?!

So, what's been going on with the cat? And: Cat = Detox Allergy = Damned if You Do And, I gotta call it a night. If no one adds anything else, feel free to do so Chai. I have class early tomorrow.

Nothing too unusual with the cat. Ordinary, mean-ass, bitey-scratchy cat. And yet, the cat is the answer.

Not cat scratch fever? See, I avoid cats - they make me sneeze, itch, and make my eyes swell shut - much like Ragweed and dust are trying to do right now (love benadryl). So, I"m a dog person. Just, dogs don't act that way.

ARIZONAMYRIE: Cat scratch fever? Good! The Bartonella genus can, in atypical presentations, cause culture-negative bacterial endocarditis ("House Training" had endocarditis, see?). Bartonella henselae can be caused by a cat scratching, biting, or licking. Fortunately, the ability of cats to infect is transient. Bitch can stay alive to bite and scratch another day. Your turn on the pager! I haven't been on the Duckling side in aaaages!

In hindsight, that was actually simple. I'll do some research and post something tomorrow afternoon.

Everything's simpler in hindsight. See ya tomorrow. Oh, and good luck with the job--I hope the 568 cc of B&J did the trick.

eah, it did. Thanks. Also, just closing my door and ignoring my parents did as well. I'm looking through a microbiology text for ideas, and I can see that the class is going to be easy once we get past the Kreb's Cycle in cellular respiration. It's mostly about different diseases and whatnot. I was thinking of presenting one just now, but it would be too easy.