The Duhring Case Conference

I am back home from "the conference" and I must say that it was an interesting experience. The Duhring Case Conference is a program designed for Dermatology physicians, residents and fellows. According to their website, at the end of the conference, participants (the doctors) should be able to:

• Diagnose patients with rare, difficult to diagnose and/or treat skin conditions
• Suggest work-up or treatment of patients with resistant skin disease
• Apply from the presentation of patients with rare dermatosies
• Explore methods to improve health care quality through shared expertise
• Facilitate communication among physicians and trainees
• Gain consensus regarding the best management, thereby reducing medical errors or unnecessary tests or treatments

When I first arrived, there was a sign-in sheet for each participant, and there were 4 patients in all, including myself. We all sat in the waiting room and I'm telling you I felt like we were the mutants from the movie "X-Men", all awaiting to show our mystical scars. We were called into the back one-by-one and placed in individual patient rooms. I signed a release authorizing my name, pictures, and any information about me to be released.  Once this was done, a doctor came in and took pictures of what was left of my 2 rashes. I then forwarded 13 pictures from my phone, of my flared rash and swelling, and another doctor created a Power Point slide that looped on the computer the entire time I was there. At 8:30am sharp, the doctors began to make their rounds.  There must have been between 60-70 doctors total that came around to my room, picked up a handout outside of the door which was a typed biography about my symptoms and history of my rashes, and proceeded to look at the Power Point slides. Everyone that came in was ready to poke and prod at my lesions...to their dismay (some of them were sorely disappointed) I didn't have any active lesions. What did they expect?! My rashes surfaced at the beginning of April and this is the end of May - did they expect them to linger around forever? They typically last between 4-6 weeks. One doctor offered his expertise and thought my illness could be the result of a systemic reaction to bug bites. All of the doctors asked a host of questions such as do you wear shorts and skirts; are you often in the sun?; do the rashes appear anywhere else besides your legs?; do they itch?; do they hurt?; what medications have I been on? I MADE A POINT TO ADD THAT I STILL HAD THE SAME SYMPTOMS AFTER BEING ON MEDICATION FOR ALMOST A YEAR. And many, many, many other questions that I can't quite remember.  At 10:00am sharp, all of the doctors stopped, walked away, and couldn't be heard anymore. A nurse came around and told us that all had been completed, and that we could go home...just like that.  So, my doctor took my phone number in order to call me once a "verdict" had been reached and I went home. The next step was for the doctors to deliberate, put their brilliant medical minds together, and see what diagnosis they believe each patient has been suffering with. I'll await the phone call and will update you at that time.  Until then, I'm going to take a nap.

Be blessed.