Chapter 972: 671 Chronic Illness Damage (1W, Asking for Monthly Tickets)_3

"Moreover, this pediatric patient is the first leukemia case I have encountered, so this treatment process might have elements of coincidence and limited applicability. Please be extra careful."

Although Du Heng had spoken at length, Li Jianwei still commended his steady character. Only such caution and steadiness were the very qualities a good doctor should possess.

After hanging up the phone, Du Heng turned and went back to his office, once again starting the discussion with everyone.

However, before the doctor who was speaking could finish, the office door was violently pushed open by a nurse.

"Dean, Doctor Ma, the pediatric patient with leukemia suddenly started vomiting, and he is also shivering!" The nurse who pushed open the door didn’t have time for pleasantries and shouted urgently.

And this sound startled everyone in the office.

They were currently still discussing this pediatric patient’s next course of treatment; how could he have started vomiting just like that? And he had even started shivering—this made everyone even more alarmed.

For a moment, everyone turned their gaze to Du Heng, waiting for him to make a decision.

What else was there for Du Heng to consider? He immediately dropped the pen and paper in his hand and quickly walked out of the office without a word.

Upon entering the hospital room, he saw the child, who had been lively and energetic at noon, now curled up, his body shivering uncontrollably. Beneath the child, the bedding was already soaked through, and simultaneously, a foul stench began to fill the entire hospital room.

Vomiting and diarrhea!

Du Heng frowned and hurriedly proceeded with the examination.

He reached out to turn the child and lay him flat, but the child squirmed restlessly, feeling as if something was cushioning his back, though there was nothing on the bed. Du Heng was very familiar with this kind of restless movement; it was the same state he himself had been in a few days ago due to his waist discomfort and distension.

This made Du Heng pause. Could it be waist soreness and distension?

Although he was puzzled, he had to continue the examination to quickly identify the cause.

Fortunately, this time, although the pediatric patient’s heart rate had slightly increased and his body temperature had risen somewhat, neither had reached an alarming degree. However, when examining the lower abdomen, Du Heng discovered intense churning within the child’s abdomen, just below the navel.

Moreover, when he touched the child’s lower limbs, they were exceptionally cold.

Caught a chill? Contracted a cold?

Du Heng’s expression turned exceptionally grim; the change in the condition was a bit too rapid, catching him off guard.

While Du Heng was conducting the physical examination, Doctor Ma stood on the other side and began the pulse diagnosis. It was just that his pulse-taking speed was a bit slow; by the time Du Heng had completed the entire physical examination, Doctor Ma’s pulse diagnosis had only just then concluded.

After the examination was finished, both of them stepped back, giving the nurse space to work.

Then, Du Heng recounted the results of his physical examination, while Doctor Ma frowned and said, "Dean, the pediatric patient’s pulse is superficial and deficient at the chi position, and the tongue coating has also become white and greasy.

Considering all this, it appears the pediatric patient has caught a cold."

The others nodded lightly in agreement, but Du Heng remained silent.

It was late August, the autumn air crisp and the breezes pleasant outside. Moreover, they were indoors, where the temperature was essentially constant. The pediatric patient hadn’t left the hospital room; how could he have caught a cold, especially one that developed so rapidly? Was it possible?

Du Heng pondered for a moment and then gently shook his head. "It’s not a cold. The conditions aren’t right for him to catch one, and its progression is too rapid for a typical cold."

"Not a cold?" Doctor Ma and the others were shocked.

The symptoms were so obvious; why would Du Heng say it wasn’t a cold?

This surprised them and also left them slightly puzzled.

Du Heng took a deep breath. After the nurse helped the pediatric patient change his soiled pants and bedsheets, Du Heng once again approached to meticulously observe the child’s state and personally performed a pulse diagnosis.

After observing the pediatric patient’s state once more, he felt even more strongly that this wasn’t a cold, but rather... yang deficiency?!

Du Heng’s heart skipped a beat; he was instantly startled by his own judgment.

For the past few days, all he had been doing was tonifying qi to stem desertion. Moreover, based on observations of the pediatric patient’s presentation over these days, the original yang had clearly consolidated and shown initial efficacy. So how could it have suddenly become like this?

Seeing the rapid change in Du Heng’s expression, Doctor Ma and the others also grew worried.

Finally, it was Doctor Ma who voiced the question, "Dean, now this is...?"

Du Heng exhaled softly and said slowly, "The original yang is not consolidated; these are prodromal signs of desertion."

"A desertion pattern?" Everyone was startled again, many feeling Du Heng might have misjudged this time.

At noon, they had all seen very clearly what the pediatric patient was like. Furthermore, they had the examination reports from the past few days at hand, every single one indicating that this child was consistently progressing in a positive direction.

How could it be that in just one afternoon, he had suddenly reverted to the state he was in upon admission?

A desertion pattern is a critical and dangerous condition; it’s one of an illness’s paths toward death.

Doctor Ma hesitated slightly before carefully asking, "Dean, this couldn’t possibly be yang deficiency, could it?"

At this, Du Heng’s brow, which had been slightly furrowed, relaxed; he already had an idea. "That’s right. The pediatric patient’s current condition is precisely unconsolidated original yang."

"Why?" Doctor Ma boldly asked.

"Do you all still remember what the initial diagnosis for this child was?"

"Exhaustion of both qi and yin," Doctor Ma answered immediately.

Du Heng nodded gently. "Injury to yin—what does ’injury to yin’ mean? It’s a manifestation of insufficient yin fluid; what’s injured is the kidney’s true yin."