“Good morning, Mr. S! How are you feeling today?” I ask as I step into his hospital room. Yesterday, Mr. S was admitted for infective endocarditis and has been tolerating antibiotic treatment well. I am a medical student on my acute cardiology rotation taking care of him.
“I’m feeling fine,” he says, and I proceed to ask about how he slept, if he’s experiencing any chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, or problems going to the bathroom. He seems to have all these answers memorized, saying no to my questions. I perform a physical exam and decide that he is doing alright.
“Anything else I can help you with?” I ask. I’m ready to head back to the team. “Yes,” he says. “I was wondering if I could bring my Irish penny whistle to play while in the hospital. I just feel so bored and I don’t want to be sitting here with nothing to do.” This was an interesting request that I hadn’t heard before.
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