You be the Doctor: Episode 18

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]You be the doctor. Which of these two patients would you see first? The first patient is a 65-year-old man with pain in his left leg that started pretty suddenly about 2 hours ago. He describes the pain as intense and different to other pains he's experienced before. He mentions his left foot feels a bit weird and feels numb and he can't really wiggle his toes. He denies any recent injuries but does have a heart problem he can't remember the name of. He doesn't take any regular medication. The second patient is a 50-year-old man who also presents with pretty severe left leg pain. He says that this pain seems to radiate from his lower back down the back of his thigh. He works in a warehouse and said the pain started yesterday when lifting something heavy.

[00:00:35]He describes a mild tingling in his foot that's intermittent and the pain worsens when he bends over or sits down for a long period of time. He denies any weakness and can move his leg normally.

[00:00:44]He's otherwise healthy and has never experienced anything like this before.

[00:00:47]So, there's the two patients. Which one would you see first? I'll give you my thoughts and explanation tomorrow.