[Closed to Thirteen, Chase] Differential Diagnosis II

[c18_h21_no3]

[Post order is House, Thirteen, Chase]

Tapping the marker on the table, the incident with Wilson earlier running through his mind, House pointed to the whiteboard.

Fatigue
Nausea
Perpetual dry cough
Difficulty breathing
Hemoptysis"Got a new symptom. Patient is coughing up blood," he stated

Comments

[innerthirteen]

"He's hemorrhaging blood from his lungs," Thirteen said. "The CT showed blood in his lungs that wasn't there the first time. He also mentioned falling up the stairs. Could be a symptom."

Definitely wasn't anything they'd thought it was. It worried her that there was the possibility of him choking to death on his own blood, or bleeding out, but it didn't answer what it was.

[chasemd]

Chase took the pen from his mouth where he had been chewing on the end of it. "Falling up the stairs? When was this? While he was a patient?" he asked. "Is this the first time he's coughed up blood, or the first time he bothered about it, because, oh I dunno, there were three doctors in the room reacting to it? It doesn't sound like this is a rapid onset. Did he say how long the symptoms have been there, even in the minor stages? It could be Polymyositis. Symptoms develop slowly over a few months. We should look at the fatigue. Is it just a tiredness, or a universal exhaustion such as weak limbs and muscle pain? Is it there all time or does it come and go?"

[c18_h21_no3]

"Last week," Kutner corrected. "Said he got a bloody nose from it. What he didn't say was how long it took him to stop it from bleeding."

House looked up at the ceiling, scrunching his nose in thought, "And... you didn't think to ask did you? Because that... probably would have made sense."

Foreman folded his arms, judging eyes locked on House. Something was still up with him, and it was frustrating to not know just what the hell that something was. "Could be Bronchiectasis."

"Not without definable cysts on the CT," House argued, pausing for a moment before suggesting, "Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia. Explains the hemorrhaging and the nosebleeds."

Goddamnit, his head hurt. And it was probably too much to hope that Wilson didn't go right to Cuddy after House's little memory trip up not an hour ago. He sighed. "Check his tongue and the ends of his fingers for dilated blood vessels for HHT, and do a muscle biopsy and check his creatine levels for Polymyositis."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Taub asked.

[innerthirteen]

Thirteen couldn't help noticing it too. Something was up with House, something was wrong, but...he'd only snark at her if she asked. Better to just do what he said, for now, as long as it didn't put the patient in danger.

"I'll check and see if a family member had it while we're at it," Thirteen offered, knowing it would only delay things if the others pressed too hard.