Trick or Treat - a survival guide to health care
41 Fantasizing The Milkmaid and her Pail: A farmer's daughter milked the cows and was
walking with the pail of milk on her head. She started imagining how her future would be. "The milk will give me cream. I will make butter with that. I will sell it
and buy many eggs. When the eggs hatch, I will get chicken. By and by I shall have large poultry. When I get enough money from the poultry, I shall buy fine
clothes and go to the annual fair. All the young men will be after me to ask me to love them, but I shall shake my head and say no.� Thinking thus, she shook her head and, alas, the pail fell off and all the milk was wasted. Case A
Chandra, a 36-year old housewife with troubled marriage, read an article on 'Mitral
valve prolapse syndrome' (MVP). It is a common condition of redundancy of the valve and affects the heart valves of about 5% of the population. She thought all her symptoms of palpitation, dizziness, lassitude and occasional chest pain fitted with MVP.
She started 'doctor shopping' with a copy of the article to find someone who would
confirm her suspicions. However, clinical examination and laboratory tests did not show
any valve problems. A doctor told her to consult a marriage counsellor or a psychiatrist
for help. Then she got offended and complained about the 'rude behaviour' of the doctor to the medical superintendent of the hospital.
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