Question

Franks’ family had a full table for Thanksgiving dinner, including aunts, great aunts, uncles and cousins he barely knew. Luckily, Frank’s favorite cousin, Colin, a thirty-five year old software engineer working for a toy company in an exotic overseas location, flew in just for Thanksgiving. Colin was happy to be home and was entertaining everyone with his stories of the amazing foods he had eaten over the past few months. Finally, Thanksgiving dinner was served: turkey, gravy, spinach casserole, sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, lots of good wine, and Aunt Rita’s Jell-O mold for dessert. Just after coffee, Colin doubled over in pain clutching his abdomen. He said that this had been happening more frequently over the past few months, but he had never felt this bad. His mother wanted to take him to the hospital, but he refused and just wanted to lie down on the couch. Meanwhile Frank’s relatives started debating their own diagnoses.

Aunt Sally said that she was sure that Colin had an ulcer.

Cousin Carol said she was sure that Colin was suffering from lactose intolerance. She had the same problem so was careful to avoid certain foods.

Rick, Colin’s 15-year-old brother, was sure Colin picked up some weird parasite from eating all that raw fish.

Of course Cousin Linda threw in her two cents by declaring that Colin’s problem was a gallstone. Linda knows that gallstones are formed in the gall bladder and are too large to pass through the bile duct. But she is not sure what bile is or why gallstones only cause pain after certain kinds of meals.

   Colin has been listening to the family discuss his health for the past hour. He sits up and tells the family that he is careful to avoid fat and milk in his diet and the last time he felt this bad followed a great meal of spicy Szechuan beef and Hunan duck in hot bean paste. But because nothing tonight was fried, he is surprised he had the pain again.

A] Who is most likely to have correctly diagnosed Colin’s problem?

  B] Explain your reasoning for this diagnosis.