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The first time I did the procedure I thought I would have to find a different profession! My idea of be- coming a physician did not include hurting patients. Let me explain what this man went through each week. It took about 45 minutes to drain all the fluid off. I had to hold the metal tube while the fluid was being drawn off, so we would talk. This was a very inter- esting, intelligent man, and we developed a good rapport, especially after he told me that I hurt him much less than the other interns. At this point, he had been having this procedure done for approximately 18 months. One day, as I was draining the fluid off, he asked me, “Dr. Bolton, when am I going to die?” (he related that he had asked other physicians this question but had not been given an answer). This was an excellent ques- tion, because he was a very healthy-looking person, except for the very large abdomen. This started me to thinking, “why is this person not dead?” Suppos- edly he had cancer of the upper rectum with metas- tasis to the liver and it had been several months since the diagnosis had been made. I told him I would try to find out more about his case. I went to medical records and reviewed his case. He had a barium enema (x-ray) which showed a shadow in his upper rectum, but a biopsy or exploratory sur- gery had not been done. At this time (in 1961) pro- cedures such as CAT scans, MRI, colonoscopies, and other diagnostic tests had yet to be developed. Because the patient had massive ascites, it was as- sumed that he had rectal cancer with metastasis to the liver so it was thought nothing could be done. One of the radiologists (x-ray specialist) became in- terested in the case and agreed to do another bar- ium enema. It proved to be normal. The patient’s actual diagnosis was cirrhosis of the liver rather than cancer. Luckily for the patient, I re- membered reading about a new medicine called Al- dactone, that had just become available in the previous few weeks. I prescribed this medicine for the patient, and his abdominal swelling subsided completely within weeks. To say the least, this pa- tient was very relieved to find out that he did not have cancer, and exceedingly thankful that his abdominal distension was relieved. After finishing my surgery rotation, I moved on to my internal medicine rotation. One day I came out of a clinic exam room and there was a large group of people standing there with a large cake. It was the previously mentioned patient (who thought he had cancer) and his family. They were so grateful and had hunted me down in the hospital just to thank me. I felt humbled. This experience taught me a valu- able lesson- “to always listen carefully to patients”. Something they say may seem insignificant but might prove to be very significant! After 45 years of medical practice, this was one of the most gratifying things I had ever done. Amaz- ingly it had happened when I was a lowly intern. It certainly elevated my status with the other interns and resident physicians. One day in the very recent past, my wife Sandra and I were sit- ting in Don’s Seafood waiting for our lunch order. I noticed a lady sitting near the cashier counter. She kept looking my way, and finally got up and came over to our booth. She said, Dr. Bolton I am Mrs. X (we will use this as a desig- nation for her last name). I know you do not remem- ber me, but you saved my daughter’s life. I told her she would have to refresh my memory. She stated that she had brought her daughter to my office in the early 1980’s. She knew her daughter was acutely ill, and on arriving at my office, they were immediately put in an exam room. My nurse told me I needed to see about this patient. As Mrs. X stood by our booth telling me this, that day very vividly returned to me. I had rushed into the exam room and my nurse had already taken the patient’s blood pressure, which was very low. The young girl was lethargic, but still able to answer my questions. I will never know why I asked if she was having her menstrual period, and if she used tampons? She answered yes and said that she was using one now. Luckily, I had recently read articles in medical jour- nals about Toxic Shock Syndrome from using tam- pons. I knew this was what was wrong with the patient. I started an IV to help maintain her blood pressure, and then removed the tampon. My nurse and I placed the patient in my car and took her to the hospital and into ICU. Toxic Shock Syndrome is usually caused by either 20 SOUTHERN SENIOR MAGAZINE | Winter 2022