The Enhanced Doctor

Chapter 1117: Chapter 1117: Diagnosed

(Thanks to LH and Wolf’s Sky W for encouraging with a monthly ticket)

Liu Banxia was studying the two surgeries scheduled for tomorrow when his phone rang.

"Chairman Bao, don’t worry. Rou rested well here yesterday. We even chatted a bit while having breakfast." Liu Banxia said after answering the call.

"I talked to her too. She said the breakfast at your canteen is even better than at home," Bao Chunlai replied with a light-hearted tone.

"But that’s not why I’m calling you. It’s about a friend of mine, kind of a business partner. Their child isn’t feeling well. Are you free today? They’ll be coming to Binhai City this afternoon."

"As long as there are no emergency tasks in the afternoon, there’s nothing much. What’s the specific situation?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Sigh... Their child is quite unfortunate, diagnosed with what’s it called? Seems like it’s PANDAS? An eight-year-old girl, such a good kid." Bao Chunlai said.

"But recently, she’s had some other issues. It seems like she occasionally gets stomachaches and cramps. They say it’s not easy to diagnose this kid’s illness, and it’s not recognized internationally. That’s why I recommended you."

"Alright, then bring her over to have a look. Are we checking this illness, or her frequent stomach aches and cramps?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Take a look at both. Their family is quite worried right now," Bao Chunlai replied.

"Medication can control the illness, but taking too much isn’t good for the body and can make it easier to get sick. I thought about that fecal transplant thing at your place and mentioned it to them."

"They’re driving over now. They said the child had some stomach pain again in the morning. Anyway, the child’s illness is affecting her life."

"Chairman Bao, you’d better confirm with them again. If the child’s stomachache isn’t severe, it’s okay to head over to me," Liu Banxia quickly said.

"If the child’s stomachache is severe, they need to visit a local hospital promptly. Unlike us adults, kids can’t handle the ordeal as we do."

"Alright, I’ll ask them again," Bao Chunlai said and then hung up the phone.

Instinctively, Liu Banxia felt this little patient would be challenging.

PANDAS, it’s a very rare condition, a comprehensive illness.

According to some descriptions, it’s obsessive-compulsive disorder with tic disorders, which is about right. Predominantly in children, it’s called PANDAS due to its low incidence rate.

In current international discussions, like auto-brewery syndrome, it’s a condition not yet fully understood.

This illness is also untreatable, only maintainable.

Since it often accompanies streptococcal infections after onset, it can only be controlled with antibiotics. What happens with excessive antibiotics? It disrupts gut flora, making it very dangerous.

After processing this information, Liu Banxia thought it would be best to discuss it with Chen Hongyang. This situation isn’t something he can handle alone.

The pediatric department was still busy, and just as Chen Hongyang finished a consultation, Bao Chunlai’s call came in.

Currently, the child’s stomach doesn’t ache anymore; it’s habitual pain that comes and goes.

This somewhat relieved Liu Banxia. Otherwise, he’d worry if something happened to the child on the highway, it wouldn’t be easy to deal with.

"Do you need something from me?" Chen Hongyang asked after completing a consultation.

Liu Banxia quickly recounted the situation introduced by Bao Chunlai.

"This situation is very complicated," Chen Hongyang frowned.

"PANDAS has no precise diagnostic criteria. It can only be suspected during dramatic episodes of obsessive-compulsive and tic disorders by checking for streptococcal infections."

"If positive, then a judgment can lean in that direction. There’s no treatment method; only anti-infection therapy can be done."

"Once recovered, the child’s obsessive-compulsive and tic disorders might improve or disappear, but even so, as described in documents, it’s temporary, and an episode might be triggered anytime."

"Judging by the current situation, it’s likely impacted gut flora. Coming here won’t help much; you can’t cure PANDAS, and for gut issues, only fecal transplants can be done, right?"

Liu Banxia nodded with a wry smile, "I just pondered over this, and it seems that’s the only option. But they’ve already set off, otherwise, I wouldn’t have let them come."

"This is the impact of becoming famous, I guess. You were already well-known, and our fecal transplant project here is notable too," Chen Hongyang said.

"But based on current information, this child will suffer in the future. It’s not easy to regulate, nor is it easy to care for."

"Bao Chunlai also mentioned it’s significantly affecting the child’s life. It seems there’s been some time since the onset, otherwise, there wouldn’t be these gut problems," Liu Banxia said.

"So I’m quite troubled. I’m thinking of understanding some situations here with you. Is there no better, gentler adjustment method? I’d like to recommend something to them."

Chen Hongyang shook his head, "If I had, do you think I’d still be sitting here? I’d probably already be an internationally renowned pediatrician."

"In our line of work, we don’t necessarily have to master everything. As long as you can perfect one skill, you’re an expert. In a couple of years, you will also be an expert, a NOSES surgery expert."

"Work hard, and you can become an expert in trauma emergency care, liver transplants, pediatric surgery, and orthopedics too."

Liu Banxia rolled his eyes.

This is only because their relationship is good now, otherwise, Chen Hongyang wouldn’t tease him like this.

But since he’s here, he can’t leave so easily. He might be a blessing for the young patients here, offering them quick needle services.

Busy as he was, Xu Yino came running over, "Teacher Liu, it’s confirmed, systemic lupus erythematosus."

Ping! Task for patients with non-specific symptoms completed.

Gained 400 experience points and 3 Glory Points.

This task was rated as perfect level, earning 500 experience points, 5 Glory Points + 3 points, and 1 fossilized stone.

"Did Doctor Xu give the instructions?" Liu Banxia asked.

Xu Yino nodded, "But this patient’s symptoms are really strange. Several of us checked the skin and found no signs of rashes."

"Could it be because it’s in the early stages? It shouldn’t be, rashes are an important symptom of systemic lupus erythematosus."

"This is what makes medicine so fascinating, hence the term ’non-specific’," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"The symptoms listed in medical books are all typical. If all disease manifestations were like that, anyone could become a doctor, even a robot could."

"Although the rash is absent, many other symptoms do match. It’s non-specific yet she has ulcers in the mouth."

"In terms of skeletal muscles, she’s showing signs of fatigue, which is muscle weakness. There are no current heart issues, but respiratory system involvement shows on the CT, along with hemoptysis."

"For the kidneys, nervous system, and digestive system there are no current symptoms, but in terms of blood, anemia is an indicator."

"All these combined are actually indicators. It’s just that during the consultation, we were focused on her hemoptysis and lung lesions."

"Don’t be discouraged, Doctor Xu and I only figured it out today, and decided to do the appropriate screenings with a ’let’s see’ attitude."

"The road was a bit winding, but we reached the destination. This is a success. Don’t start treating rheumatology and immunology tests as routine tests because of this patient’s case."

"Even though the cost of the tests isn’t high, money can cause patients to resent us regardless of the amount. We’d love to do full body checks on every patient that comes in, but the cost doesn’t allow it."

Xu Yino nodded, "Still have to follow the indicators. Teacher Liu, when your two babies need vaccines in the future, will you be administrating them?"

"Me? No, no, I can’t do it to my own kids." Liu Banxia quickly said.

Chen Hongyang, standing by the side, couldn’t stop laughing, thinking Liu Banxia was quite amusing.

"Ah... such a nice girl, and she’s got this disease. She’ll need to be cautious for the rest of her life." Xu Yino sighed again.

"What can you do? The disease has a much higher incidence in females than males," Liu Banxia said.

"These immune-related acute illnesses can be very puzzling. All we can do is control it, haven’t we dealt with enough of these?"

"There’s another little patient this afternoon, rumored to have PANDAS. But it’s already affecting the intestines. I’m worried, not sure how to handle the consultation."

"There’s truly no better method, all we can do is symptomatic treatment, which is much clearer than the current female patient’s situation. She just needs to be cautious in daily life, avoid excessive fatigue, reduce UV exposure, and boost immunity."

"There are thousands of illnesses in the world. Any illness that can be controlled is better than those terminal ones or uncontrollable ones, right? Just think about that patient who overdosed on Lithium; he could live carefree, but it’s not the outcome he wants."

"I’m worried about him too. Even if we respect the patient’s decisions no matter what, watching a life slip away like that doesn’t sit well with me."

Xu Yino thought for a moment, nodding, acknowledging the point.

Even though these kinds of illnesses can’t be completely cured, as long as we adjust and control them, a normal life is possible, without impacting health too much.

But she also became curious about what Liu Banxia mentioned about PANDAS and reminded herself to clear her schedule in the afternoon.

PANDAS being a rare disease among rare diseases, she’s only heard about it.