Tat Tvam Asi
Tat Tvam Asi Last week I was seeing a patient in her late seventies. She had come for a follow up on ear infection for which she was already seen at the ER 3 days before and started on antibiotics. Her ear looked good. I simply asked her to complete the antibiotics. Out of nowhere she started telling me about unrelated complaints. Tingling and numbness on the cheeks, and in the arms and legs, occasional aching. All this started on the same day she went to ER but before she took the antibiotics. I asked her, have you been treated for anxiety in the past? She became quiet for a few moments, then acknowledged that she had been prescribed medication for anxiety 3-4 months prior but did not take it. Why not? She said because she felt better by herself. I told her that her present symptoms are due to anxiety. How do you know, she asked. I said, from experience. She had looked up google and had come to suspect that she may have multiple sclerosis, a serious neurological cond...