Podcast
Exciting cases of illness are also resolved in the seventh season of the podcast “Die Diagnose”. Stern-Medical editor Anika Geisler gives an insight into the interview.
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This week the seventh season of the podcast “Die Diagnose” begins with more mysterious cases of illness. A little preview?
The first episode is about a 17-year-old girl who seems strangely powerless. The teenager is often tired and often falls asleep: for example on the school bus or in class. After school, the girl first lies down. And in the evening it does nothing, but goes to bed early. Very unusual for a teenager! Does the young woman suffer from sleep apnea? These are nocturnal pauses in breathing that make those affected sleepy during the day. A doctor prescribes a mask for the girl as a therapy, which keeps the airways open at night by means of excess pressure. But: That doesn’t help – the teenager continues to fall asleep during the day.
What’s next?
There is even an operating room in the room. A questionable bottleneck in the respiratory tract is to be removed. The specialist who examines the girl about it eventually finds out the real cause of the problems. So much can be revealed: The young woman does not need an operation and the expert can help her in a completely different way.
What other case stands out particularly in the new season?
There are several of them: For example, there is a man who always seems to have been kicked out – always while brushing his teeth. Another episode deals with an infant who has recurring severe diarrhea over a long period of time. At first no one knows why that could be. Because apart from breast milk, the baby does not consume any other food. And the family has not been on trips abroad, where it could possibly have become infected with special gastrointestinal pathogens. Ultimately, the cause has to do with a particular family hobby. More precisely: with a special interest in animals.
What makes this case so impressive?
On the one hand, there is the doctor’s extremely precise search for clues. On the other hand, the solution to the medical mystery is rather bizarre. The above mentioned, special family hobby is cultivated by numerous people in this country. For babies and toddlers, however, as well as for pregnant women, the elderly and the immunocompromised, this passion can be quite dangerous. And probably very few people know about these connections.
In general, what can we learn from the stories of this season?
The listeners can take something special from each episode. One story is about stabbing pains in the foot while walking that, despite insoles, did not go away for years. They could be remedied with a quick, small operation. Another case is about a woman who wanted to do something especially good for herself – and put her life at risk with what she ingested. With all the stories in this season, it becomes clear how crucial it is for those who are sick to have meticulously working doctors by their side. Doctors who do not give up until they have solved the case.
Not enough juice in the battery
The first episode of the seventh season is about a 17-year-old high school graduate who constantly falls asleep during the day. The doctors: inside suspect sleep apnea with nocturnal pauses in breathing. The teenage girl is given a breathing mask and will soon have an operation. However, a special test by a sleep doctor shows that the cause of drowsiness lies entirely elsewhere.
