Grey’s Anatomy gets an extreme case of the sniffles in this week’s episode “You Be Illin’.” See who succumbs and who powers through with our full recap.
The cardinal rule of being a surgeon at Grey-Sloan Memorial is to rise above the symptoms of illness and treat your patients. However, when the flu wipes nearly every surgeon out of commission, those left standing pile on the sanitizer and face masks.
Patients vs. Doctors: The ER is flooded with patients suffering from high fevers, dehydration, and the inability to retain bodily fluids. First up, Arizona takes a sneeze to the face and uses her super power to predict that she will succumb to the flu within seven hours.
April sees a patient with an autoimmune disorder in the ER with a tiny zit on his head that starts to grow into a larger infection. April uncovers that the patient’s T Cell count is zero and the enzymes that protect him from infection have stopped working. A bone marrow donor is difficult to find for an ethnic child so they have no choice but to place him in isolation until they can operate.
A new doctor is set to visit the pediatric ward to perform an ileostomy, or bowel surgery, on a young boy. Dr. Butthole, or Oliver, has a unique way of going into the OR and through life. Alex may see his approach to owning a private practice and working solely for the money and enjoyment of his specialty selfish, but with his own student loans piling up, it is not the worst thing in the world.
Aggression vs. Determination: Jo treats a patient in the ER with an extreme case of tetanus. His aversion to placing any nonorganic substances in his body, gives his brother ammunition to jab him with, but only gives Jo more trouble treating him. When the patient seizes from the tetanus, Jo watches as he breaks his own arm, but believes that she causes the injury out of frustration. Callie assures her that the only way to reset the injury is to break the bone one more time before they are able to set it.
Cristina’s trial is nearing the final leg and she places Ross on the case to guard the lives of her babies from catching any strain of the flu virus. That includes taking every person’s temperature before they enter the pediatric floor. Meanwhile, Cristina must perform a heart transplant on a young girl whose family is at home trying to recover from a similar flu bug. However, after Ivy comes out of surgery just fine, it is another sibling in the ER showing signs of the same heart condition that causes more stress for the family.
Back in the OR, Jo finds a certain joy in the ability to take out her aggression on a patient’s bones while making them better. Callie glows with pride as another female may bring her talents over to the hardcore side of surgery.
Meanwhile, what presented as a normal flu, for Cristina’s transplant patient, now places suspicion that something within their home is causing their children’s hearts to fail. Cristina advises the family not to return home until she and Hunt can get to the bottom of the problem. The issue becomes more pressing when the third sibling begins to cough up fluid from his lungs.
On the lighter side, Cristina’s trial babies are safe and sound thanks to Stephanie taking over for a overly cautious Ross. His symptoms may be overblown, but he did not give up the credit for keeping Cristina’s trial safe. Instead he traded out weekend calls and swap monkey status.
Speech vs. Masks: Derek’s son’s first word may be hypothalamus, but not if Meredith has anything to say about it. Hours before his presentation, Derek is in tip top shape, but slowly deteriorates throughout the day.
When Bailey and April keep their patient in isolation, Avery is the first doctor to hit the floor. Refusing April’s help, she begins to question their need for one another. Leave it to Bailey to break down the basics of the sick male. They will either want a nauseating amount of attention or they will want to handle it themselves. One thing is for certain, they are not going to change their ways.
Derek runs through his speech, kicking out someone eating onion rings in his vacinty. As he tries to keep down his lunch, Derek is the only neurologist available to consult on Bailey and April’s patient who now has spinal fluid in his infection. What’s better for combating a stomach bug than looking at an infected brain? Derek suits up in a hazmat suit and guides April through the snail paced proceedure. Once he makes it through, he passes out in the hallways on his way to give his major speech.
Luckily, his wife has heard the speech enough times that she is able to present Derek’s research to the international audience.
Virtual Golf vs. Organic Farms: At the end of the day, Alex heads over to Oliver’s practice where he gets a glimpse at greener pastures. At the end of his fellowship, Oliver suggests he consider moving to a place where he can make his own hours, pay off his debts, and even have his name printed on a writing utensil.
Jo’s patient, afraid of treating tetanus, now lives with an arm made of titanium and is hopped up on drugs of non organic substances. His brother thinks the situation is hilarious and requests a list of the foreign materials now circulating his brother’s body. What he believed would save him from the same fate that took his father’s life, almost cost him.
For our own good, we need those around us to serve us reminders. Even if we don’t always want to hear them.
Watch Grey’s Anatomy season 10, episode 19, “I’m Winning,” Thursday, April 10 at 9 p.m. ET