wecome to the series:

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Best Reasons to Visit an Emergency Room

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case 1: Acute Tongue Emergency!!

My first case is a 27 year old gal, who presented to the emergency room because she noticed that there are big bumps on her tongue. This discovery REALLY alarmed her (as all cases that come to the ER should) There was nothing else bothering her. These bumps don't hurt, burn, itch, or cause difficulty breathing or swallowing. She noticed these "bumps" after she was scraping her tongue (Comment: is this the latest craze in America? I think tongue scraping is something that 1/4 of the world's population have done routinely in India for a long time, though)

Diagnosis: What does a doctor write for a diagnosis when there's nothing wrong? This problem plagues doctors regularly. I don't know one insurance company that will pay for a diagnosis of "acute awareness of tongue glands" (in this case-"vallate papillae awareness"), but that's what it is. Afterall, emergency rooms ARE the safety net for America's failing healthcare non-system. What would this 27 year old have done with out a visit to an ER? A nervous break-down...prevented!

Treatment: organize a Tongue Glands Awareness Week in suburban neighborhoods.