1RomanceEB Chapter 1524 - 616: Targeting the Gray Matter, Trust from the Family is the Driving Force (Part 2)
Chapter 1524 - 616: Targeting the Gray Matter, Trust from the Family is the Driving Force (Part 2)
It’s like fighting a war; once you capture the enemy’s scouts, you can basically determine that the enemy forces are nearby.The patient has already undergone X-ray imaging at the Imperial Renhe Hospital, and no obvious spinal cord damage was found.
Clinically, X-rays are a common method for examining spinal cord injuries.
They not only detect bone fractures or abnormalities but also have a good diagnostic effect on spinal cord injuries.
They can even precisely check the specific extent of spinal cord injury.
Since the X-rays did not reveal obvious abnormalities in the spinal cord, the two previous hospitals did not apply for an MRI examination for the child patient.
This little boy’s condition is severe; the attending doctor is at least Director Level.
At this level, doctors rarely worry about basic living needs.
Their medical ethics are often very high.
MRIs are quite expensive and are not routine checks in clinical practice. Director-level doctors try not to order this examination unless absolutely necessary.
After having a plan for further examinations in mind, Zhou Can turned to look at the child’s mother.
Their eyes met, and from the mother’s eyes, one could see hope, deep sorrow, even a trace of fear and confusion.
What if this child cannot be cured; how would she explain it to the child’s father?
What about the rest of the child’s life?
Her own life would also be ruined.
Spending a lifetime caring for the child’s eating, drinking, and excretion, combined with the burden of expensive long-term treatment costs, all these would become heavy burdens.
This young doctor before her has constantly visited the ward to treat her son’s illness, even inviting other experts for consultations. She has noted all these efforts.
Although she had some doubts about Zhou Can’s skills due to his young age, it did not affect her trust in him.
"If there’s anything you’d like to ask, feel free to. Any treatment plans, you’re welcome to propose."
She took the initiative to speak first.
It was apparent that this woman had substantial social experience and was innately wise.
With just a look, she could guess Zhou Can’s intention to ask her questions.
"Are you the one who usually takes care of the child?"
"Yes, I’ve been with him ever since he was born. During the daytime when I’m at work, the child’s grandparents take care of him."
"Before the child got injured, was there anything unusual? For example, difficulty in grasping objects since birth, or frequently choking when drinking milk?"
Zhou Can’s question could easily provoke the family.
No one wants to admit their child had problems since birth.
"Uh...there didn’t seem to be any problem with grasping. By the third day after birth, I could feel that his grip was especially strong. However, speaking of anomalies, my son seemed to like slightly raising his head a lot, I’m not sure if that’s normal?"
She said, gently lifting her fair and slender neck, mimicking her son’s head-raising actions.
"Was it normal when he lowered his head?"
"It seemed normal; anyway, he looked perfectly normal when looking down for things."
"Since the child’s birth, or during your pregnancy, has there been any history of serious infections? Colds are not included."
Zhou Can asked further.
Colds are typically viral infections, and sometimes contracting a serious virus can be particularly harmful, even life-threatening.
But clinically, colds are generally not emphasized unless they occur repeatedly in a short period.
Moreover, the understanding of colds differs between doctors and ordinary people.
Ordinary people consider colds as minor and self-limiting, whereas for doctors, colds are a syndrome with thousands of variants.
"No serious illnesses. I was weaker during pregnancy, occasionally catching a cold, but that was all. After the child was born, he remained healthy, only needing a day or two to recover from occasional colds."
She thought about it and answered seriously.
"Has the child’s father, grandparents, any history of severe illnesses?"
"The child’s grandfather has heart disease, the grandmother has diabetes and hypertension, and I haven’t heard of any other illnesses. The child’s father works far away, sometimes only visiting once or twice a year due to his confidential work; I’m not clear about his condition. But he hasn’t mentioned any serious illnesses."
Her words deeply impressed Zhou Can with her resilience and greatness.
Having only one or two reunions with her husband a year is probably something most women could not accept.
"Alright, I don’t have any more questions for now. I plan to apply for a somatosensory evoked potentials test for the child to determine which part of the spinal cord is problematic. It’s currently certain that the child has a spinal cord issue, as indicated by abnormalities in low-level central nervous tests, suggesting potential problems with the spinal cord gray matter. But solely having gray matter issues generally doesn’t cause high-level spinal paralysis, requiring further investigation for the cause. As a precaution, we also plan to collect spinal fluid for lab testing to check for bacterial, viral infections, or any other abnormalities."
When Zhou Can orders these unconventional tests, he usually explains them clearly to the family.
This is also part of doctors’ responsibilities.
As for standard tests, doctors usually don’t explain them in detail because a doctor sees at least dozens of patients a day, lacking time and energy to repeatedly explain why such routine checks are needed.
"No problem, I trust you very much and can feel your dedication, working overtime to diagnose my child’s illness. I’m truly grateful." She said, bowing deeply to Zhou Can.
"No need to be so polite, these are my duties. As long as your family is willing to cooperate and trust us, we will give our utmost effort to treat the child. The final outcome cannot be guaranteed; I can only say we will try our best."
Zhou Can told her.
Somatosensory evoked potentials testing is something ordinary people have never heard of. This method is effective and highly accurate in diagnosing spinal nerve injuries and can pinpoint the specific location of the nerve damage.
The main diagnostic direction now is to identify which pair of cervical nerves might be problematic.
It’s also possible that only one side is affected.
Director Yin Hua gave Zhou Can some guidance, which inspired this spinal fluid testing approach.
Sometimes family members might not provide accurate answers when doctors inquire about medical history.
Some may deliberately hide certain histories like sexual history.
Others may forget some medical history due to poor memory.
Hence, for caution, testing spinal fluid is very necessary.
The previous two hospitals didn’t do this as they attributed the child’s condition as high-level paralysis from a fall. Those doctors never even considered this direction.
...
That night, while lying in bed with Su Qianqian, Zhou Can was still pondering the little boy’s condition.
He is among those conscientious doctors who work tirelessly for their patients.
With the National Day approaching, it made Zhou Can even more eager to determine the boy’s condition and treat it.
Because Zhou Can and Su Qianqian’s wedding was being prepared intensively.
This is a major life event.
Su Qianqian, understanding Zhou Can’s busy schedule, took it upon herself to manage almost all the preparations.
She even joked with Zhou Can, saying it felt like she was marrying herself off.
Interestingly, there were Su Qianqian’s uncle and aunt’s family.
That night, Zhou Can had to injure two people to leave with Su Qianqian successfully. Supposedly, he was completely at odds with her uncle and aunt’s family, a relationship best left severed.
But Zhou Can greatly underestimated human nature’s ugliness.
The aunt even called Su Qianqian, tearfully asking for forgiveness. Saying she realized her wrongs, called herself inhuman, and apologized for past mistakes.
Thankfully, Zhou Can was right beside her at the time.
He knew Su Qianqian’s kind heart and tendency to be soft-hearted.
He immediately took the phone, and told the sobbing old woman on the other end, "If regret worked, there wouldn’t be a need for police. If you dare to call and pester again, I’ll make sure your son spends life in jail."
Although Zhou Can injured the aunt’s son, he acted in self-defense because that guy attacked first.
Zhou Can has professional legal support, wealth, and power, and he directly accused them of attempting to imprison Su Qianqian and seize the thirty thousand cash he brought. Robbery is a severe crime, and with conclusive evidence, being in jail for life wouldn’t be surprising.