Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1311 My Little Brother's Ex-Blind Date, Gasoline Poisoning? (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)
The woman who came this time was named Chen Mengwan. She had also visited Fang Yan's family home when Fang Yan and Zhu Lin got married.

This woman had previously gone on blind dates with the younger man.

Her father was a doctor in the Department of Proctology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and her mother was a purchasing agent at the Beijing Hotel.

My mother quite liked this girl back then, but my younger brother didn't like her, saying that "there was no heart-fluttering feeling" for her.

The woman was fairly familiar with Zhu Lin, and she took over after Zhu Lin left the gynecology department.

"Director Fang is home! That's great!" Chen Mengwan said happily as soon as she saw Fang Yan in the yard.

Seeing that she was still carrying a net bag full of gifts, Fang Yan and Zhu Lin smiled helplessly.

However, it's still necessary to say hello.

"Come in quickly, what brings you here today?" Zhu Lin asked politely.

"Hey, I've come over to ask Director Fang for help with a medical appointment," Chen Mengwan replied to Zhu Lin, as she carried the gift into the main hall.

"Huh???" Zhu Lin and Fang Yan were both taken aback.

The couple exchanged a glance. This wasn't what they expected.

Is this a new tactic?
“I’m different from them. I’m not thinking of transferring to the Traditional Chinese Medicine department,” Chen Mengwan said to Fang Yan and Zhu Lin.

Hearing her say that, Fang Yan asked Chen Mengwan:
Are you feeling unwell?

The person seemed fine after getting up and didn't appear to be sick.

Chen Mengwan waved her hands repeatedly and said:
"No, no, I'm fine..."

"I have a relative, my cousin, who is coming to the capital tomorrow for medical treatment. She would like Dr. Fang to take a look at her."

"They've already seen doctors in Tianjin and been hospitalized for four months, trying both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, but there's been no improvement. So this time, their family decided to come to Beijing for treatment. Actually... they mainly want to see Director Fang, as other doctors probably can't help."

"That sounds pretty serious. What's wrong?" Fang Yan asked.

"At the end of April this year, she was knocked unconscious by the smell of gasoline while working in the factory. When she woke up, she found that her left calf was numb and she couldn't feel anything, and she couldn't move her toes. After various tests at the hospital, no problems were found, and the hospital also made a conclusion. She also had a lumbar puncture recently, which also found no abnormalities," Chen Mengwan replied to Fang Yan.

"The smell of gasoline made you faint? Where did the gasoline come from?" Fang Yan asked in surprise.

Chen Mengwan said:
"It was a gasoline storage tank in their factory. She was in charge of warehouse inventory. That day, the tank opening wasn't sealed properly, and the smell of evaporating gasoline filled the room. She fainted within two minutes of going in. Luckily, her colleagues found her quickly, carried her out, and pinched her philtrum to wake her up."

She sighed and continued, "After waking up, I said my left leg was numb. At first, I thought it was because I squatted for too long and didn't take it seriously. But by evening, I still had no feeling in my leg, and I couldn't even move my toes. I went to a hospital in Tianjin for a checkup. They did a CT scan, an electromyography, and even a lumbar puncture. The doctor said there was nothing wrong with my nerves, bones, and muscles, and they couldn't find the cause. They could only treat it as 'neurosis' for now and prescribed vitamin B1, B12, and some Western medicine to nourish the nerves. I stayed in the hospital for four months, but there was no improvement at all."

Zhu Lin handed over the tea, frowning as he asked, "Why are your legs numb if there's nothing wrong? Could there be something in the gasoline?"

“Who says otherwise!” Chen Mengwan took the tea, her tone tinged with helplessness. “Her family also had suspicions. They asked the factory for the gasoline’s composition table, but the factory only said it ‘meets safety standards’ and wouldn’t cooperate at all. Later, they saw an old Chinese medicine doctor who said it was ‘poor blood circulation’ and prescribed Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang. She drank it for a month, but it still didn’t work. In the end, her mother remembered that I work at Peking Union Medical College Hospital and knew that you, Director Fang, are good at treating Chinese medicine, so she insisted that I come and beg you for help. She said she would bring people over tomorrow.”

Fang Yan tapped her fingers lightly on her knee and asked, "Besides the numbness in her left leg, does she have any other symptoms? For example, is she sensitive to cold, sweating profusely? Or is her leg cold or turning purple? Are her bowel movements and urination normal?"

Chen Mengwan thought for a moment and said:

"Now her left calf is completely numb and she has no feeling in it. She needs to use a wheelchair and has developed muscle atrophy. She also said that the numbness is spreading to her thigh. The hospital can't find the problem, and her mental state is very poor."

"Have you mentioned feeling dizzy or having heart palpitations? Or have your menstrual cycle changed?" Fang Yan pressed on.

“I don’t know then, the letters and telegrams don’t explain it very clearly,” Chen Mengwan said.

Fang Yan touched his chin and began to think.

At this moment, Zhu Lin asked Chen Mengwan:
"Mengwan, you recommended this person, right?"

Chen Mengwan said somewhat awkwardly, "Sister Linlin... I knew Director Fang would definitely have a solution..."

Fang Yan looked at Chen Mengwan and said:
"The muscle atrophy is spreading to the thighs, which is more urgent than I thought. If it is delayed any longer, the blood and qi will be blocked even more, and the subsequent treatment will be more difficult. I will ask them to come as early as possible tomorrow, preferably around 7 or 8 a.m. I will save them a number so that they don't waste time waiting in line."

Chen Mengwan said somewhat awkwardly:

"They won't arrive at the station until 10 a.m. tomorrow."

I'm speechless. Getting from the station to here will take even more trouble, and by then it will be lunchtime.

He thought for a while and said:

"How about this afternoon?"

Chen Mengwan immediately nodded:
"Okay! We'll come find you after lunch."

He said in dialect:

"Okay, come to my house."

"Okay, okay!" Chen Mengwan agreed repeatedly, and then said:
"Director Fang, thank you so much! It's so kind of you to wait at home."

He waved his hand in a local dialect.

She then turned to Zhu Lin and said with a smile, "Sister Linlin, don't worry, we definitely won't delay your meal tomorrow. We'll come over after lunch and rest for a while, and we won't cause any trouble."

Zhu Lin smiled and shook his head: "Why are you being so polite with me? We're friends, I'll help if I can."

Chen Mengwan exchanged a few more polite words with Fang Yan and the others before leaving the courtyard. Fang Yan saw her off.

Back in the living room, Zhu Lin asked Fang Yan:

"Do you think her cousin's condition could really be due to poisoning from some chemical substance in the gasoline? Otherwise, how could her legs suddenly become numb and atrophy just from being exposed to the smell of gasoline? The hospital didn't find anything wrong; could it be that they didn't investigate for poisoning?"

Fang Yan shook his head and said:
"It's unlikely. If it were chemical poisoning, whether it's neurotoxicity or internal organ damage, there would be some signs in the tests. For example, an electromyography would show abnormal nerve conduction, or toxin metabolites could be detected in the blood. She had a CT scan, an electromyography, and a lumbar puncture, but no problems were found, indicating that it's not a typical poisoning symptom."

"Moreover, the fact that the old Chinese medicine doctor's treatment with Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang was ineffective also illustrates a point. Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang is used to treat wind-cold-dampness bi syndrome. If it is simply a matter of poor blood circulation or cold-dampness obstruction, drinking it for half a month should provide some relief. However, she drank it for a month without any effect, which means that the pathogenesis was not identified correctly."

Zhu Lin remained silent, which did sound quite strange.

Old Hu, who had been silent all along, recalled a medical case they had discussed during a casual chat in the local dialect and asked:

"It can't really be like what Western medicine calls 'neurosis,' where you just think you're sick?"

He said in dialect:

"The muscles are atrophying, and it's spreading to the thighs. It doesn't look like a neurosis at all."

Old Hu thought about it and it made sense.

Fang Yan looked at the gifts on the table and said:

"From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the smell of gasoline is considered foul and turbid, which is most likely to obstruct the meridians and disrupt the flow of qi. When she was unconscious, the foul and turbid qi may have already invaded the meridians. At first, it only obstructed the flow of qi and blood, so her legs were numb; over time, the qi and blood could not supply the upper and lower limbs, and the muscles would not be nourished, so they would naturally atrophy. Moreover, the disruption of the flow of qi may also affect the function of the internal organs, such as the liver and kidneys. The liver governs the tendons and the kidneys govern the bones. If the liver and kidneys are deficient, the tendons and bones will not be nourished, and the symptoms will only get worse."

"However, these are all just my guesses at the moment. We'll have to wait until we see the person tomorrow to find out the specific symptoms."

P.S.: I still owe you 4000 words after finishing this chapter. That's all for today, please come back tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)