Nurse Kate Heals Mitchieville

Well, nurse Kate has been busy with a lot of long shifts, but I have wiped the poop off my shoes, cleaned the vomit out of my pocket and am quasi-ready to go.

Before I begin however, I will give you the answers to last week's long forgotten quiz: In short, DMorris got them all right except for the first one, which was nutmeg. Remember, it was a SPICE garden. Nutmeg is derived from the seed of the nutmeg fruit, but the fruit itself actually contains compounds that act as a mono-amine oxidase inhibitor (which our mentally ill denizens may recognize as a very old-school anti-depressant). In larger doses, its effects are somewhat akin to MDMA.

1) Andrew has taken up tanning. After handling a batch of goat hide, he notices a small painless blister on his arm. After two days it becomes itchy like a bug bite and is joined by several other itchy bumps around the original site. After 3 days, blisters form which pop to reveal necrotic skin underneath. He also notices that he has a fever, and the area under his arm on the affected side is sore and tender to the touch. What does he have?

2) Chris loves raw shellfish. Several hours after eating a plate of them, he suffers from terrible diarrhea. In fact, he starts to poop out a thin, white watery substance after everything else is already gone. He is also vomiting, and suffering excruciating leg cramps. What doe he have?

3) Dave is a hemophiliac that comes into your clinic. He has been feeling very tired lately and has developed strange black and purple spots on his torso. He also says his mouth always tastes kind of musty and he has white buildup (trick question alert: this is three comorbid diseases presenting at once). What does he have?

4) River Rat is a pretty sedentary fellow who has packed on a few pounds. After a long stint of video games, he notices his calf is very sore when he moves it and tender to the touch. The pain goes away if he doesn't flex the muscle, however the skin is red and the leg is swollen. What does he have?