He was an elderly gentleman in the hospital who had a urinary tract infection w/urinary retention secondary to benign prostatic hypertrophy. Speculation on his mental intelligence aside, this man could not provide a straightforward, concise history. His wife attributed it to his history of epilepsy which certainly played some role in it. Most times his responses were vague and his reactions "child-like." The wife affirmed that in actuality, this was normal mental status for him. It became clear that his wife would be the sole source of meaningful medical information; she was his primary caretaker, the one straight-catheterizing him and measuring his urine output in milliliters. Turns out, she was a nurse for the neurosurgeons in town, though one wouldn't have needed to know that to affirm her intelligence.
Outside of the room, the attending commented on how she was a little surprised at how a woman like her would end up marrying a guy like him. "She's clearly in love with him still...it's cute," she had correctly observed, "but she's just so...intelligent"--her words not so much conveying confusion as much as they did amazement.
