The woman who brought her own furniture and other unforgettable patients

1. The woman who had the electronic widget

She said it would keep her from having reactions to everything to which she was allergic—and her allergies covered three single-spaced, typed pages.

She had this…well, this thing that made a noise like a Sonic Screwdriver and lit up in various ways, and if she held it to her temple, well, that was enough to keep her from being all anaphylactic up in the unit. The orthopedic surgeon who’d replaced her knee refused to talk about it with me.

Next: The Man Who was Allergic to Oxygen