Well, look who just waddled in--our favorite physician and dispenser of prescriptions, Dr. Possum!* It being a slowish news day--it's just the same crazy ranting dictators and Democrats, all doing their crazy and their ranting as people point and laugh--it seems like the perfect time to take a break and see what's ailing YOU, the world's finest blog audience. Hangnail? Typhus? Vapor lock? ANSWERS TO THESE MALADIES, plus many more, can be had with the merest pressing of computer keys. Just leave your question about your medical, parlimentary, agronomic, fiduciary, or ethical situation in the comments below, and Dr. Possum will adjust his spectacles, ponder, research, and break wind lustily while crafting a suitable answer for you.
SO, what troubles can he help you with today?
*Disclaimer: Dr. Possum is a medical doctor, but only in the sense that he claims to be one. He has not actually attended medical school, although once he did look at the naughty parts of the 1918 edition of Henry Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body. That being neither here nor there, one should be cautioned that the advice offered herein is only to be taken seriously if it actually sounds like it might be legitimate, but then only when all other measures have failed.
What else should I be cooking for Rosh Hashana this week? The menu so far includes Chicken Soup (w/matzah balls, natch), Pot Roast with taters & Carrots, and apple cake for dessert (that's already done). We're having guests for one of the four meals, and we'll be out for one of them, so I need suggestions.
Posted by: skinnydan at September 20, 2006 01:41 PMWell, it's hard to go wrong with nice carrot tzimmis, potato kugel, garlic soup, roasted salmon, and plum pie.
Posted by: Dr. Possum at September 20, 2006 01:48 PMMY son was diagnosed with Ehrlichiosis-
but since we have lived in MExico jungle for 15 years and only recently in Alabama I was concerned he really had Brill Zinsser disease from a long time ago mite bite(he had many! when he was younger) The doctors did a bone marrow -
could it be he has Brill Zinsser instead of ehriliciosis? HOW CAN WE BE CERTAIN?THANKS , ANTON
Since this is an actual serious matter, I will dispense with the comic Dr. Possum schtick for a moment to advise you to discuss your concerns with your physicians regarding your previous time spent out of country.
I did a bit of online research and found that Brill-Zinsser is a recurrence or flare up of a previous case of epidemic typhus. If your son has not had typhus symptoms up until now, it would seem that this wouldn't be the exact sort of disease you might be seeing now. Both Brill-Zinsser and ehrlichiosis are caused by varieties of rickettsial agents, and both are delivered by insect or arthropod vectors, so there are probably some similarities in symptoms. Both can be treated with tetracycline.
It never hurts to get a second opinion, so if you have some doubts, have another test run specifically for Brill.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at October 11, 2006 12:35 PM