Chapter 1333: Liu Yiqing’s New Challenge

Chapter 1333: Chapter 1333: Liu Yiqing’s New Challenge

(Thanks to Cool Cool Wolf, Drunk Free Lindd, Idle Man Idle Man, Stone’s Mood, The Road is Twisting, Supreme Heartless, Naughty Dragon 1976, Phantom 2002, Wave, Wang Lintai 1, Netstates, Yi Chen 93, Mangmangliu for the encouragement with the monthly tickets)

Early the next morning, Liu Banxia arrived at the emergency center full of energy, as if he were recharged overnight.

Actually, he wanted to put his daughter and son to sleep last night, but after taking a shower, he was too sleepy himself.

According to Qiaoqiao, he would nod off as soon as he leaned towards the kids’ little beds, and as soon as he lay down in bed, his snores would start.

Luckily, the two little ones weren’t fussy, otherwise, he’d be sent to sleep outside.

"Teacher Liu, Teacher Liu, your esteemed name spread far and wide last night." Xu Yino bounced over.

Liu Banxia casually tossed the car keys to her, "There are snacks in the trunk that Qiaoqiao brought for you. Move them yourself."

"Teacher Liu, I’m a girl. How can I do such heavy work?" Xu Yino said solemnly.

"Here, girls have to play the role of boys. No need to be so modest," Liu Banxia replied just as seriously.

This amused everyone a lot. Although Xu Yino can be playful, she is no match against Liu Banxia and often ends up conceding.

Xu Yino was only joking; she was actually very interested in the snacks Qiaoqiao brought over. She wasn’t running fast, more like dealing with an emergency patient.

After chatting with everyone a bit, Liu Banxia headed upstairs to the ICU.

"Director Liu, both patients are stable, and the donor patient can be moved to the general ward tomorrow," Zhang Zhiyuan said with a smile.

"That sounds good. How about the other patients we admitted over the past two days?" Liu Banxia asked.

"You mainly want to know about yesterday’s girl, right? There’s been some change in her brain edema today. We need to be cautious; until the edema is fully resolved, we don’t dare to wake her," Zhang Zhiyuan replied.

"Her family arrived late last night. It’s a tough situation; they seem quite pitiful. Her life might be saved, but the extent of the damage is hard to determine."

"Is there a chance she could be in a vegetative state?" Liu Banxia asked in surprise.

Zhang Zhiyuan nodded, "The bleeding was severe, and the brain edema is also severe. It’s hard to say. By the way, how is the tetanus patient being cared for in your ward doing?"

"He’s recovering well at the moment. Although he still has sweating symptoms, the spasms have stopped. In about a week or ten days, he should fully recover."

"That’s quite good. Actually, as long as the source of the tetanus bacteria is cleared and post-operative care is in place, the prognosis is quite favorable," Zhang Zhiyuan said.

"But the patient still suffers during recovery. I heard his wife has been staying in the ward with him; that’s not easy."

"Exactly. That’s why our second department now lists the patient’s mental state as a necessary item to monitor," Liu Banxia said.

"Alright, I have to go check on the VIP patient. Remember the young man who had a limb amputated in the outdoor activity? I heard reports that he’s starting to experience some phantom limb pain."

"Ah... this is the most common complication in amputee patients. You go ahead and focus on your work. I’ll notify you if there are any changes with other patients here," Zhang Zhiyuan said.

"By the way, congratulations on yesterday’s successful surgery and the delicious dinner that followed. Everyone is looking forward to more breakthroughs and being treated again."

"I’d like to, but it’s so hard," Liu Banxia said, grinning.

After greeting the father and son, he walked out directly.

Phantom limb pain was something he had discussed with Doctor Wu Mingyu before. He thought that by helping patients build some confidence, this complication could be avoided.

In reality, it isn’t related to anything else. It’s the absence of a body part, and no one can pretend it was never there.

He entered the ward where the family of three looked despondent.

However, when Liu Banxia entered, they were all warmly greeting him, including the patient himself.

"The coming days will be tough. How are you feeling? Do you have the confidence to get through it?" Liu Banxia asked directly.

"You never play by the rules. At least, you should offer me some comfort first," the patient said with a bitter smile.

"Does comfort work? If it’s going to hurt, it’ll hurt," Liu Banxia said.

"For phantom limb pain, there’s really no effective solution. Some say psychological intervention, others say it’s just a matter of time. Ultimately, it all depends on you."

The patient nodded, "It really does hurt, in waves."

"You can only face it bravely. I’ve consulted with Doctor Wu from orthopedics, and we’ve researched some materials but found no effective way to alleviate it," Liu Banxia stated.

"Have you been fitted for a prosthetic limb? Doctor Wu was concerned that early use might trigger phantom limb pain. Now that you have it, we should speed things up."

"I’ve been fitted; the manufacturer is producing it now. It’ll take about a week," the patient said.

"That’s good. Despite the phantom limb pain, your mental state is still quite positive," Liu Banxia said.

"I believe that the stronger and more honest you face your current situation, the quicker you’ll get through this stage."

"The pain from phantom limb pain is really annoying. If it gets unbearable, try to find other projects to pass the time. Distracting yourself can be pretty good, and staying busy might help alleviate it a bit."

The patient nodded, seemingly in pain again, his eyebrows knit into a large knot, and sweat was forming on his forehead.

Liu Banxia didn’t offer any more comforting words. In the face of phantom limb pain, all comforting words are pale, he just patted his shoulder to give encouragement.

When he walked out of the ward, the patient’s father followed him out.

"Is there anything else?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Director Liu, do you think taking some painkillers would help?" the patient’s father asked.

"My advice, based on my medical knowledge, is not to take them." Liu Banxia thought for a moment and said.

"This is not physiological pain but more like nerve pain. Although our country’s painkillers don’t have the side effects of foreign painkillers, they are also prone to addiction."

"Moreover, even if he takes medication, it won’t be very effective in his current situation. I see that his mental state is good, and a person with strong willpower should be able to get through it quickly."

"Alas... it’s really hard to see him in pain." The patient’s father sighed.

"Have more confidence in him. He has already come to terms with his amputation, I think such pain cannot defeat him either." Liu Banxia said.

The patient’s father nodded and walked back to the ward.

Following that, he visited other VIP wards, and compared to the patient with phantom limb pain, they were much more comfortable.

"Teacher Liu, how’s the patient upstairs doing?"

When he came back downstairs, Liu Yiqing came over.

"Alas... he still has to endure it; it’s not something easy to face. If you ask me, this can be called irremediable pain." Liu Banxia sighed.

"It’s the first time I’ve seen a patient with phantom limb pain; it’s really puzzling." Liu Yiqing said.

"Teacher Liu, do you think we could try acupuncture? Even if there’s no direct effect, it might provide some psychological comfort, right? It’s better than doing nothing and enduring it."

"You can consider that aspect as well; let Doctor Wu talk to him about it. As for this phantom limb pain, I’m really at a loss." Liu Banxia said.

He really doesn’t have any ideas regarding this matter. In fact, within the current scope of medicine, there are not many ways to address it effectively.

It’s largely a psychological issue; even if there are some methods that might work, they often rely on random chance.

In some of the cases he studied, the duration and severity of phantom limb pain varied.

Many people suddenly started experiencing pain, and after seeking treatment in vain, it suddenly disappeared one day.

It’s not like inflammation in the human body which can be cultured for a target treatment if it gets severe. It’s also not like an electrolyte imbalance that can be corrected accordingly.

He can also see that the young man really suffers when he’s in pain, but he truly cannot handle it.

"Teacher Liu, what if we try that method shown on TV, letting him practice and adjust in front of a mirror?" Liu Yiqing asked again.

"That’s worth a try too. If you’re interested, you can go and give it a shot." Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"Among the six of you, you’re the most interested in psychological interventions. I think if you want to take on the challenge, you should definitely give it a go."

"It seems like the method you mentioned does have some theoretical basis, and it doesn’t cost much, just a mirror after all."

"Alright, I’ll do some more research and then see how to go about it." Liu Yiqing said enthusiastically, nodding.

Then, she ignored Liu Banxia and busied herself on the side.

"Doctor Wu, our Liu Yiqing intends to provide some psychological intervention for the VIP patient with phantom limb pain." Liu Banxia said as he walked into Wu Mingyu’s office.

"I’m all for it." Wu Mingyu said.

"Just tell Liu Yiqing to go ahead and do it, don’t shy away, no matter the method, I fully support it."

"The patient’s phantom limb pain is quite severe, and even though he doesn’t groan in pain, he’s enduring it. Honestly, I even thought about inviting a psychiatrist from the inpatient department over, but I haven’t made a move yet."

"Is their reception still that busy every day?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Exactly, the registrations are gone very early every day." Wu Mingyu said.

"Even though our psychology department isn’t as strong as those in specialized hospitals, at least our fees are low. That’s also why fewer and fewer people want to work in public hospitals over the years; private hospitals or their own clinics are more profitable."

Liu Banxia nodded; this is also an undeniable fact. For the same job, why not choose one that pays more and is easier?

In my situation back then, Zhou Shuwen didn’t suggest I go to the inpatient department either.

In terms of the development of some departments, private hospitals also have their own advantages.