My Medical Skills Give Me Experience Points

Chapter 1516 - 612: The Spinal Cord—A Neurological No-Go Zone, and the Female Patient Seeing Double (Part 2)

Because a cylindrical shape is more stable and less prone to breakage or damage from external forces.The tree trunk must support the weight of the entire crown and branches. To prevent breaking under harsh conditions like strong winds and heavy snow, it must be cylindrical.

Perhaps in the earliest times, some trees had non-cylindrical trunks, but they were eliminated through natural competition.

So now, all we see are cylindrical tree trunks.

The evolution of the spine into a circular shape is absolutely aligned with nature and adapts to the Heavenly Dao as a form of evolution.

The vertebrae, however, resemble a triangle, which is also a result of natural evolution.

The triangle is the most stable shape.

The vertebrae must support the entire upper body, so they need to be stable and robust.

"If the spinal cord is injured, my clinical experience is that the closer the injury is to the head, the lower the chances of recovery. In clinical practice, there have been cases where patients with paralyzed lower limbs due to spinal cord injuries, through persistent rehabilitation training, have eventually stood again and regained their original motor and neurological functions. This is mostly because the injured spinal cord is near the coccyx."

In medical terms, there is no such thing as a coccyx.

However, older doctors often refer to the vertebrae near the buttocks as the coccyx.

Humans most likely had tails at the very beginning.

Because it is proven that the vast majority of animals have tails.

It’s just that in the process of human evolution, the tail eventually disappeared. The body also became smooth, leaving only the skin.

Honestly, this kind of human evolution is disadvantageous for adapting to the harsh environment of nature, yet humans have evolved into an advanced civilization. Basic needs are met, there are houses to live in, and transportation by car, plane, and ship. There’s no need to be exposed to the elements like wild animals, running around and hunting in primal forests, evolving towards a more beautiful direction. It is a natural miracle.

Looking at all animals, except for humans, other animals either have thick scales, protective shells, or dense fur, and even spikes for protection.

No one knows if there are immortals in this world.

But there is absolutely no need to question that humans are the most excellent species on Earth.

Imagine if our girlfriend was a person covered in black hair, how would that feel? Some men, due to excessive male hormones, have abundant body hair as well.

Hair grows long on arms, chest, abdomen, legs, and other parts.

Does this mean slow evolution?

No one can say for sure.

Some research suggests that men with abundant body hair are stronger and have a stronger immune system. They are also better at conjugal activities.

The immune capacity of wild animals is certainly stronger than that of humans, which from another perspective can be understood as hairy men evolving less than those with smooth, tender skin.

In the Bible and many Western mythological texts, angels are described as having fair skin and beautiful faces, not covered in black hair like apes.

While Director Yin Hua shared his clinical experience, Zhou Can just listened quietly.

He learned something again today; the closer the spinal cord injury is to the head, the harder it is to recover.

"Director Yin, I’ve done a test on this child, which is the knee joint’s reflex response. After testing, I found that the knee jerk reflex exists in his legs, indicating that the lower nerve centers are likely functioning. It’s just that the knee jerk reflex in his left leg is normal, while the right leg is significantly weaker. Also, I found rigidity in his right neck..."

Zhou Can shared his analysis and discoveries as well.

"What do you mean?"

After listening, Director Yin’s eyes slightly brightened, and a hint of a smile appeared on his face in appreciation.

In diagnosis, Zhou Can often employs some unexpected methods.

Many seemingly ordinary methods become miraculous in his hands, becoming key ideas in solving difficult cases.

"I suspect that it’s not the cervical spine injury causing the high-level paralysis. But as you said, there are only two locations that can cause high-level paralysis: the cervical spine or the head. You’ve also seen the CT and ultrasound of the patient’s head, with virtually no abnormalities. I’m stuck in what feels like a diagnostic dead-end, so I’ve come to consult you."

What Zhou Can fears most in clinical diagnosis is encountering such dead-ends.

After arduously discovering a diagnostic clue, only to find out after numerous efforts that it’s a dead end can be quite despairing.

Imagine spotting a clue, determining a diagnostic direction, then conducting a series of tests on the patient, and even consulting other doctors. Eventually, finding out that this diagnostic path is incorrect.

At this point, one must either give up,

or find another diagnostic approach.

"Alright, I’ll go check on the child in the ward. Neck rigidity generally doesn’t occur on one side but both sides simultaneously. This can be one of the diagnostic breakthrough clues."

Director Yin thought for a moment before speaking.

"Alright, I’ll accompany you to the ward. The child is in the emergency surgery ward."

Zhou Can stood up and said to him.

Director Yin quickly raised his hand and pressed down, signaling Zhou Can to sit.

"No, no, no, you stay in my office. I also have a difficult case here with no leads; you help study it." Saying that, he directly handed the patient’s information to Zhou Can.

They considered it an exchange.

This was not the first or second time.

Zhou Can often asked other chief physicians for help, so why did they always comply?

Because after helping Zhou Can, when they encountered problems and asked for his help, he always obliged as well.

Sitting in Director Yin’s spacious office, Zhou Can drank tea while studying the patient’s information.

This was a female patient, only 32 years old, relatively young.

The primary symptoms on admission were headaches, blurred vision, and often seeing double. Occasionally, there would be limb convulsions.

After reviewing the main symptoms, Zhou Can first thought of epilepsy, also known in medical terms as seizures.

This disease can be genetic or acquired.

Although it is easily hereditary, it does not transmit to others. So if after finding a partner you discover they have epilepsy, there is no need to fear. Just take care of them well during a seizure, and it could even strengthen the relationship.

The biggest danger is during an epileptic seizure.

For example, if a seizure occurs while cycling, the sudden loss of consciousness can easily cause a crash into roadside obstacles, resulting in a fall.

If by a river or pond, falling in could result in drowning.

If engaged in dangerous work, like working beside machinery, losing consciousness could result in being swept into the machinery and pulverized.

Overall, epilepsy can be controlled with medication to reduce seizures.

Or even prevent them from occurring.

This is costly and lifelong. Many families cannot afford or are unwilling to endure this burden.

Zhou Can first looked at whether there was a family history of inherited conditions on the medical record.

This female patient’s parents and grandparents are healthy, with no epilepsy or mental illness disorders.

Only her grandmother developed dementia in old age, also known in medical terms as Alzheimer’s Disease.

This illness is entirely unrelated to the woman’s condition and can be disregarded.

Having ruled out a genetic history, Zhou Can began carefully studying the female patient’s test results and illness progression.

This was the first occurrence of the disease in the female patient.

About two months ago, she began experiencing headaches. At that time, because she was busy with work and had many household duties requiring her attention, she did not go to the hospital.

Initially, she thought it was due to a lack of rest and believed it would self-heal over time, so she did not take medication or seek medical attention.

However, after about a month of persistent headache, not only did her condition not improve, but it also began to worsen. She started seeing double.

At first, seeing double happened occasionally, especially in the morning right after waking up.

Then the condition further deteriorated, with headaches becoming more severe and seeing double becoming constant. Limb convulsions also appeared.

However, there was no foaming at the mouth.

If it were the fabled "pig insanity," foaming at the mouth typically occurs during an episode.

At this point, Zhou Can realized that this female patient’s condition wasn’t simple, no wonder neither Director Yin Hua nor the doctors in the Neurology Department could identify the cause of the disease.