Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1354 Giving Medicine to Patients with Hydrophobia (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

When Fang Yan took the medicine and brought it to him, Zhang Fu was already trembling.

Her shoulders trembled uncontrollably, her hands gripped the blanket tightly until her knuckles turned white, and her voice trembled as she said, "Dr. Fang... this..."

Hydrophobia!
Fang Yan's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously steadied the bowl of medicine in her hand. This was not ordinary nervousness and trembling; it was the body's instinctive resistance to the "medicinal liquid" when hydrophobia was acting up, and her nerves were tense and twitching.

Just like acrophobia, it's something you can't control at all.

From a research perspective, the rabies virus attacks the central nervous system, especially damaging the nerve centers that control swallowing, breathing, and emotional responses.

When patients see, hear, or even think about "water" or "liquid," their nerves become abnormally excited, triggering spasms in the swallowing and respiratory muscles, which in turn leads to symptoms such as trembling, larynx constriction, and palpitations. This is a pathological reaction of the body that is not under conscious control, just like how people with acrophobia experience uncontrollable dizziness and leg weakness when standing at a height.

Zhang Fu's condition is relatively good; some people are even more frustrated when it's severe. This kind of fear cannot be overcome by "willpower" alone. It is consistent with the psychological mechanism of acrophobia patients who know they are "safe but are still afraid." It belongs to the brain's overreaction to danger signals.

Fang Yan didn't rush to hand over the medicine. First, he placed the bowl on the bedside table, glanced at the towel beside it, and said:

"Blindfold them!"

Zhang Fu was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized what was happening, quickly picked up the towel from the bedside table, and quietly walked to the bedside.

He didn't dare touch Zhang Fu's head, but simply handed him the towel and whispered, "Brother, let's listen to Dr. Fang and cover our eyes so we can't see anything. Don't panic."

Zhang Fu still had some sense. He trembled as he reached out, took the towel, and haphazardly covered his face. Although his movements were clumsy, the towel blocked his vision, and the shaking of his shoulders slowed down noticeably. His breathing was also less rapid than before. Without the visual stimulation of "seeing liquid," his tense nerves relaxed by half.

Seeing this, Fang Yan slowly picked up the medicine bowl from the bedside table, stirred it gently with a spoon to make the temperature of the medicine more even, and then walked to Zhang Fu's side, speaking softly and steadily: "Zhang Fu, you can't see now, let's drink it slowly. This medicine is warm, with honey added, so it's not bitter. Take a small sip first to try it, and if you feel uncomfortable, we'll stop."

As he spoke, he gently lifted Zhang Fu's hand, placed the medicine bowl steadily in his palm, and adjusted his hand position to make it more stable for him.

Zhang Fu gripped the medicine bowl, his fingertips still trembling, but he no longer resisted as before. He hesitated for two seconds, then slowly brought the bowl to his lips and tentatively took a small sip.

As the warm medicine slid down my throat, it had a faint sweet taste and didn't have the irritating sensation I had imagined from a "liquid." The tightness in my throat also lessened.

However, his body was still trembling violently; just thinking about water made him shake uncontrollably.

"How is it? Not bitter, right?" Fang Yan quickly encouraged, "Take another sip, it will warm your stomach and the numbness in your legs will lessen."

Zhang Fu didn't say anything, but just took another sip.

Then he pinched his thigh hard, and without pausing, he drank the medicine one sip after another. Although his whole body was shaking so badly that it seemed like the bed was about to shift, Fang Yan managed to feed him the medicine in the bowl.

In no time, the bowl of medicine was empty.

Actually, he should have drunk rice wine first to help warm his meridians and aid in the efficacy of the medicine. However, Zhang Fu's hydrophobia was flaring up at the moment, and he had to pinch his thigh to endure even "drinking the medicine." If he were to drink rice wine first, it would be an extra stimulation from "contact with liquid." If it triggered an even more severe laryngeal spasm, he wouldn't be able to drink rice wine or even the medicine.

The most crucial thing right now is to get the medicine into his stomach smoothly so that the toxins can be expelled. After Zhang Fu finishes the medicine and his emotions stabilize, he can take a couple of sips of warm rice wine, which will still make up for some of the effects. Moreover, the addition of warm honey to the medicine can also slightly offset the function of rice wine in "protecting the stomach and harmonizing the medicinal properties," so it doesn't completely deviate from the prescription's original intention.

Seeing that he hadn't shown any other symptoms yet, Fang Yan picked up the rice wine:
"Zhang Fu, now that you've taken the medicine, let's take two sips of this. It's not water, it's warmed rice wine. Just two sips will help the medicine go through your body more smoothly and will also warm your stomach a bit more."

Instead of handing him the cup directly, he first brought it to Zhang Fu's nose, letting the faint aroma of wine waft over: "Smell it, there's no water smell, it's brewed from grains, similar to the rice wine you sometimes drink, not strong."

Zhang Fu's face, which was covered by a towel, twitched slightly, but he didn't immediately refuse. The tension from drinking the medicine hadn't completely subsided, but after the medicine went down, the tightness in his throat did lessen, and the trembling in his body slowed down a bit.

He hesitated for two seconds, then nodded and opened his mouth.

Lu Donghua gently guided from the side: "Just take a couple of sips, sip it slowly. If you feel comfortable, take a few more sips. If you don't feel comfortable, we'll stop."

Fang Yan immediately understood, and slowly brought the yellow wine cup to Zhang Fu's lips, gently raising his wrist to control the amount of wine. He first let a small sip of yellow wine slide down the rim of the cup into Zhang Fu's mouth, and instead of making him swallow it, he waited for two seconds: "Slowly hold it in your mouth and taste it. Does it taste the same as rice wine?"

The warm yellow wine released a faint aroma in his mouth, without the "coolness" of water or the bitterness of medicine. Zhang Fu's tense lips relaxed slightly as he slowly swallowed it.

The liquor slid down my throat with a slightly spicy warmth, and as it traveled down my esophagus, a faint warmth spread through my lower abdomen in no time. Even my hands and feet, which had been cold from shivering, felt warmer.

"How is it? How does it feel?" His brother, watching from the side, couldn't help but ask Zhang Fu.

Zhang Fu shook his head, then opened his mouth again.

Fang Yan then offered a second bite.

Lu Donghua, who was standing to the side, said:
"The effects of the medicine can work together with the effects of the alcohol to help get rid of the numbness in his legs."

Seeing that he was in a stable condition, Fang Yan fed him a couple more sips until the cup of rice wine was almost empty before taking the cup away: "Alright, that's enough. Lie down and rest for a while, let your body absorb it slowly."

Zhang Fu nodded, reached out and pulled the towel off his face, the panic in his eyes had faded considerably.

However, he quickly wrapped himself up tighter.

His breathing quickened considerably, and Fang Yan said to him:
"Relax, let me take your pulse first."

Zhang Fu extended his hand to speak in dialect.

When they first took Zhang Fu's pulse, it was still a bit rapid and shallow, carrying the lingering tension from before. But after a few seconds, the pulse gradually became deeper and more stable than before, no longer the frantic, erratic beating it had been.

Fang Yan applied a little force and could feel that there was more "strength" in her pulse, unlike before when it was weak and floating. This indicated that the medicine and rice wine had begun to take effect, and her blood and qi were gradually flowing smoothly.

"His pulse is much more stable than before, that's good," Fang Yan said, which relieved Zhang Fu and his family. It meant things were getting better!
Fang Yan then reached out and touched Zhang Fu's forehead. The previous low fever had almost subsided, and the skin felt normal to the touch.

This is actually more due to the alcohol; the medicine hasn't taken effect yet.

When the medicine takes effect a little longer, it will work in conjunction with the alcohol to help expel the stagnant toxins from his meridians.

Fang Yan glanced at the time and said to Zhang Fu:

"Rest for a while. When you need to go to the toilet, remember to observe the color of your stool."

PS: I've gained another 100 monthly votes, and I still owe everyone 76,000 words.

(End of this chapter)