Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1317 Stomach Qi Rising Upwards: Modified Formula of Danshen Decoction and Gegen Decoction (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

"Oh dear, what's going on?" Old Chen was alarmed when he saw Old Wang spit out all the medicine. Damn it, he had just been given the medicine and it was starting to take effect.

"Could it be a problem with the medicine?" Old Chen asked Fang Yan.

Fang Yan's heart skipped a beat, but after observing Old Wang's state, he said:
"Don't worry, it's not a problem with the medicine."

"He's lying down. Look, there's no blood in his vomit, just water and medicine powder. He also doesn't have any severe abdominal pain, so we've ruled out drug allergies or stomach bleeding." As he spoke, he reached out and touched Old Wang's stomach area. The old man didn't cry out in pain, but just frowned slightly. He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he would have to wash his car seat today.

"Master, what's going on?" Anton asked.

"It's 'upward reversal of stomach qi' during the acute phase of a stroke, coupled with incorrect posture when taking the medication," Fang Yan explained calmly, putting Old Wang and Old Chen at ease.

He then introduced:

"Now that the blood vessels in your brain are blocked, the flow of qi and blood is not smooth, which also disrupts the qi mechanism of the spleen and stomach. The spleen and stomach are supposed to 'descend turbidity,' but now that turbid qi cannot descend, it easily rises upward. This is called stomach qi rising upward. You may vomit even if you eat a little or drink a little water. Just now, I asked you to take the medicine while lying down. The medicine did not go down the esophagus but instead irritated the gastric mucosa, causing you to vomit."

Old Wang took a breath, his voice still a little weak: "Then... should I still take this medicine?"

“We have to take it, but we have to do it differently.” Fang Yan thought for a moment, took out the cap of Tongluo San from his pocket, poured out three spoonfuls of Tongluo San into the cap, and poured some warm water from the thermos in the car to mix the powder into a thin paste.

“Your stomach is sensitive right now, so you can’t swallow the powder dry. Mixing it into a paste will reduce the irritation to your stomach. I’ll help you sit up a little in a bit, lean against the back of the chair, and swallow it in small sips. Don’t rush.”

He carefully helped Old Wang adjust his posture, letting the old man lean against the back seat with his upper body slightly raised at a 30-degree angle. Then he used a small spoon to scoop up a little medicine paste and brought it to the old man's mouth: "Try a sip first, and swallow it if you feel comfortable."

Old Wang slowly swallowed the medicine paste, and after no further nausea, he continued to swallow in small sips. After he finished the prepared medicine paste, Fang Yan had him drink two sips of warm water to rinse his mouth. After observing him for two minutes and confirming that there were no more signs of vomiting, she helped him lie back down in his original position with peace of mind.

“It’s not all bad that you vomited just now.” Fang Yan gently massaged Old Wang’s stomach, making clockwise circles with his hands. “Vomiting can expel some of the turbid gas from your stomach, which can actually relieve the stomach upset. But when we get to the ward, we need to tell the nurse not to give you anything else today. We’ll talk about other things after the thrombolysis is over and your spleen and stomach are functioning smoothly.”

Anton listened attentively from the front and asked in a low voice, "Master, what if I still vomit after mixing the paste?"

"Then let's not use oral medication for now, let's switch to nasogastric feeding." Fang Yan said while covering Old Wang's head with a blanket. "It's common for patients in the acute phase of cerebral infarction to have weak spleen and stomach function. If they really can't tolerate oral medication, we can send the medicine through a nasogastric tube. This will ensure the efficacy of the medicine and won't irritate the stomach. But we're lucky. The paste we made has stabilized the situation. The Tongluo San can be partially absorbed in the stomach first. When we get to the ward, the intravenous thrombolytic drug will follow. The two-pronged approach will be even more effective."

As they were talking, the car arrived at the entrance of the inpatient building. Upon seeing Fang Yan's car, the nurses immediately came over. Fang Yan got out of the car first to coordinate with the nurses, asking them to prepare a hospital bed and nursing supplies for after vomiting. Then, he and An Dong carefully helped Old Wang out of the car and walked into the inpatient building.

Old Hu and his men followed behind, and bodyguard Old Cui came over to carry Old Wang on his back.

Remembering that the old man had just vomited and that he would probably vomit again if he carried him, Fang Yan quickly stopped him.

Then several people helped the old man upstairs.

After being taken to an empty ward to lie down, Fang Yan took out silver needles. The medicine hadn't arrived yet, so he had to use needles to stimulate it.

Old Wang's condition is due to the acute phase of cerebral infarction, characterized by disordered Qi and blood, obstructed meridians, and concurrent symptoms of upward reversal of stomach Qi.

Before the herbal decoction arrives, we need to use a faster-acting method to relieve the acute condition. The advantage of acupuncture lies in its ability to unblock meridians and regulate Qi, and it is direct and rapid, which can quickly improve local blood circulation and prevent the condition from worsening.

Raise the head of the bed in the ward a little so that Old Wang is in a semi-reclining position. This will not compress his stomach and cause discomfort like when he is lying flat, and it will also raise his head slightly to reduce blood flow to the brain.

Then Fang Yan took out the sea dragon needle that he always carried with him.

"Grandpa, the acupuncture might feel a little sore and numb in a bit, just bear with it, it'll help regulate your blood and qi." Fang Yan disinfected the acupuncture needles while gently reassuring him. Old Wang was no longer as stubborn as before, and nodded, his eyes full of trust: "Dr. Fang, please go ahead, I trust you."

As he spoke, Fang Yan's finger pressed on the "water ditch" acupoint in Old Wang's headman's ditch.

This is an acupoint for emergency treatment; it can open the mind, refresh the spirit, and regulate the Du meridian.

He quickly inserted the needle, the sea dragon needle shallowly piercing the acupoint, and a red circle instantly appeared, indicating that the Qi had been obtained. Then Fang Yan gently twisted it twice.

Old Wang frowned slightly, then relaxed: "Hmm...it's a little numb, but it doesn't hurt."

Next, Fang Yan inserted a needle into the Neiguan acupoint on Old Wang's left wrist. This acupoint can relieve chest tightness and regulate Qi, which is exactly what he needed for his "upward reversal of stomach Qi". When the needle tip entered, Old Wang let out a soft "ah".

"What's your name?" Old Chen asked Old Wang.

"Ouch, this place is really sour!" Old Wang said.

Old Chen cursed:
"Just bear with it! I thought something had happened to you..."

"It's right if it's sour. Once your Qi flows smoothly, it won't be sour anymore." Fang Yan observed Old Wang's expression while twisting the needle. Seeing that he was not uncomfortable, she inserted a needle into the "Zusanli" acupoint below his right knee. This is the He-Sea point of the Stomach Meridian, which can strengthen the spleen and stomach, relieve nausea and vomiting, and just relieve the stomach discomfort left by the previous vomiting.

After inserting the three needles, Fang Yan didn't rush to remove them. Instead, he gently twisted them every few tens of seconds to allow the sensation to continue. Old Chen came over and saw that Old Wang's complexion was gradually becoming rosy and no longer as pale as before. He couldn't help but ask, "Dr. Fang, is this acupuncture really effective? Look, Old Wang's complexion is much better!"

“When your blood and qi flow smoothly, your complexion will naturally improve.” Just as Fang Yan finished speaking, Old Wang moved his left hand fingers. His previously curled fingers could now bend slightly! Old Wang himself was surprised. He tried to lift his left hand; although he still didn't have the strength to raise it, it was noticeably more flexible than when he was at Shichahai.
"Dr. Fang... I can bend my left arm again!" Fang Yan breathed a sigh of relief and said:
"This means your blood and qi are gradually flowing smoothly, which indicates that your condition is not serious yet. When the herbal medicine arrives, you can drink it and recover faster."

As they were talking, people arrived outside; they were Old Wang's family members.

The family was on holiday for the weekend. All three sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, and their old fishing buddies came over. It was a huge, chaotic group. When they saw Old Wang, they rushed to his bedside.

"Dad! How are you?" The first to rush to the bedside was Old Wang's eldest son. He grabbed his father's still-movable right hand, his voice full of anxiety. He had said he was going fishing when he left home this morning, how did he end up in the hospital in the blink of an eye? Several old men had told him about "cerebral infarction," which had made him uneasy the whole way there.

Old Wang looked at his children and grandchildren gathered around the bed, as well as his wife, and tried to appear calm:
"It's nothing, it's nothing. Dr. Fang just gave me acupuncture, and I feel much better now. I can even bend my left hand." As she spoke, she deliberately moved her left hand fingers to reassure her family.

The grandson, noticing the lingering expression on his grandfather's face, whispered, "Grandpa, why is your face crooked?"

Old Wang said with a smile, "It'll be fine in a couple of days. That's how cerebral infarction works. When Grandpa gets better, I'll fish some fish for you to eat."

The ward instantly became lively. Old Chen chimed in, vividly recounting how Shichahai discovered the illness and how Fangyan provided emergency care. The family repeatedly thanked Fangyan for her help.

"Dr. Fang, thank you so much! If you hadn't discovered it in time, we don't know how much longer we would have been delayed..." Old Wang's third son held Fang Yan's hand, so excited that he was almost incoherent. "Tell us what treatment to do next, we'll listen to you, we don't care about the cost!"

Fang Yan nodded and said to them:

"Okay, let's go through the admission procedures first! The medicine will be here soon, and we'll observe you after you take it..."

“Okay, where do we go to complete the admission procedures?” his son asked.

"Xiao Liu! Get admitted to the hospital," Fang Yan called to the nurse.

They seemed to be from a cadre family, so I didn't bother being polite with them.

At this moment, Old Wang also said:

"Oh, right! I just vomited in Director Fang's car! Please clean it up for him!"

"Hey, don't worry! We'll definitely handle this!" Old Wang's eldest son quickly agreed upon hearing this, then turned to his wife behind him and instructed her:
"You handle it!"

His wife nodded and asked in dialect:

"Dr. Fang, where is your car? I'll have someone come and take care of it for you, I promise I'll make it look brand new!"

Fang Yan smiled and waved her hand: "No need for that trouble, it's just a little medicine stain, I'll rinse it off myself later."

"That won't do!" Old Wang cried out anxiously from his hospital bed, his voice rising slightly. "How can you expect me to clean up the car I vomited in? They have to do it! If you don't agree, I won't be able to rest in peace!"

Old Chen also chimed in from the side:
"It's Dr. Fang, don't be polite with him! This old man is very concerned about his reputation. If you don't let him do it, he'll think about it for days!"

Seeing that Old Wang was adamant, Fang Yan had no choice but to tell them about the car at the gate downstairs.

Let Anton handle it.

Watching his daughter-in-law and Anton hurriedly leave, Old Wang finally breathed a sigh of relief, then held Fang Yan's hand and murmured:

"Dr. Fang, I really owe you a debt of gratitude today. If it weren't for you, this old body of mine might have already passed away at Shichahai..."

The old man was no longer as stubborn as he had been.

"The medicine is here!" The nurse's voice came from the doorway. The medicine that Fang Yan had asked to be brewed was ready.

This is a modified version of Danshen Yin combined with Gegen Tang, given in a local dialect. The basic formula is:

Danshen Drink (Danshen, Sandalwood, Amomum villosum)
Ge Gen Tang (Ge Gen, Ma Huang, Gui Zhi, Bai Shao, Gan Cao, Sheng Jiang, Da Zao)
A small amount of astragalus and earthworm were also added.

The formulation approach perfectly matches the pathogenesis of Lao Wangtou's "acute ischemic stroke, qi stagnation and blood stasis with stomach qi reversal". It takes into account both the core needs of clearing cerebral blood vessels and regulating qi and blood, and the concurrent symptoms of relieving stomach discomfort.

As they were talking, the nurse had already brought the medicine and fed it to Old Wang.

PS: I got another 100 monthly votes, so I'll be set after finishing this chapter!

Please come early tomorrow!

(End of this chapter)