By Maria Prato-Gaines, Staff Writer
MONROE — There they sat, a couple who appeared to be on the verge of their golden anniversary — a concerned wife who had dragged her sickly better-half into the doctor’s office to be given a once-over.
The doctor listened as the two recited the husband’s long list of ailments — itchy skin, swollen feet and legs, weight loss, fatigue, poor appetite and a metallic taste in the mouth, among other symptoms.
Fortunately for the couple, the scene was just that, a scene from the first ever Medical Detective Theatre played by two seasoned actors of the Rossmoor Players, the community’s drama club.
The office was fictional, too, as a group of Rossmoor residents surrounded the pair, tackling the task of diagnosing the man, whose list of ailments was outlined in a script long before the show had began. A crowd of approximately 40 residents gathered in the adult community’s clubhouse Wednesday to test their medical knowledge with an assist from physician Vadim M. Finkielstein, who helped attendees learn how to self-diagnose their ailments before visiting their own doctors.
Dr. Finkielstein, a board certified nephrology and internal medicine specialist based in Princeton Junction, was there not only to answer questions but also to direct participants to the right diagnoses.
Attendees ventured guesses as to what was ailing the fictional patient, with “diagnoses” ranging from diabetes, to hypertension, to cellulitis.
Eventually, Dr. Finkielstein went through the list of ailments one-by-one, ruling out any diagnosis that didn’t encompass all of the symptoms.
His ultimate diagnosis was kidney disease, which he said can be caused by a number of factors including genetics, high stress, poor diet, not enough exercise, high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure.
”One in 10 patients has it and doesn’t even know it,” he said.
Dr. Finkielstein advised participants who were concerned about their kidneys to ask for a simple blood test that monitors the organ’s function, known as a BPR or a basic metabolic panel.
”I want to empower you guys,” Dr. Finkielstein said to the group. “You have to push us and be your own advocate. Push your doctors a little if you’re not getting the answers you want.”
Residents left feeling more confident in their ability to approach the medical arena either through self-diagnosis or with the way they will approach their physicians in the future.
”I learned a lot from the doctor,” said Maxine Gelb, who played the concerned wife. “I’m trying to live as healthy as I can.
”If you find things early, sometimes it’s curable,” she said. “You should tell your doctor everything and you should push your doctor.”
This Medical Detective Theater session was sponsored by the Princeton HealthCare System, Rossmoor Community Association Inc. and the Rossmoor Players and is just one of three that organizers have put together.
Wednesday’s workshop was a two-hour morning session that focused on kidneys.
The first was held on May 14 and covered cardiovascular disease. The next show will take place on June 25 and will discuss geriatric and internal medicine with physician Erinn E. Beagin.
All the guest physicians offer attendees not only a diagnosis of actors’ ailments but also treatment options and expectations for recovery.
Following the sessions, residents are asked to fill out a survey to give organizers feedback on things they can improve upon with the event.
”We do this with most of our programs,” said Barbara Vaning, a Rossmoor employee and event organizer. “It’s important to ask for a second opinion. If they don’t like it, we alter it.”
But so far the series seems to be finding its audience and a growing support in the community as the number of attendees has nearly doubled between the last two sessions, Ms. Vaning said.
Registration is required to attend. For more information on the series, contact Rossmoor’s Education and Recreation office at 1-888-897-8979.
