Facilitator notes

Facilitator, please role-play this patient and allow the student/team to collect a focused history. The key elements are reported here, provide generic information when there is no applicable answer below.
After the role-play, provide the History handout to the player.

Geraldine Bridgerton, 28 years old, non-Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

Opening line: “I feel so tired all the time, doctor! There’s so much I need to do, and I am just exhausted all the time!”

This has been going on for the past couple of months.

You have been having trouble sleeping, struggling to fall asleep as your mind is racing and you cannot fully relax.

You find yourself getting very sweaty and your husband complains that you always have the air conditioning running in the house.

You are very pleased as you have lost 8-10kg in the last 2 months without any effort despite reporting that you’ve had trouble losing weight in the past. This time, you weren’t doing anything different than your usual.

You have noticed your heart pounding occasionally.

You think your eyes have something wrong. If prompted, you say your eyes are red and teary, and perhaps look bulgy.

Past Medical History

You’ve had asthma since you were 8, take salbutamol whenever you feel wheezy. You’ve taken your puffer a few times lately, up to twice a day. No other illnesses or hospitalisations.

Younger sister was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 10 – now 24, doing well. No other family illnesses that you know of. Married last year, no children.

Lifestyle and Social History

You don’t take any recreational drugs nor supplements, you drink a glass of wine occasionally, you don’t smoke. Work is fine, you are a part-time primary school teacher, which has always been tiring, lately has been incredibly draining.