She has already returned from the barium enema.
"Old Jia, the test results are out, please help me take another look!"
As she handed the test results to Director Jia, she gave an apologetic smile to another patient who came for a consultation.
"The barium contrast shows skip lesions... This disease is troublesome!"
Director Jia frowned deeply after reviewing the results.
It meant her condition was very difficult to treat.
After examining the barium study results, a slight tremor went through Zhou Can's heart; her symptoms were already highly similar to enteritis, and now, with the barium contrast showing skip lesions, it could basically be diagnosed as ulcerative colitis.
However, combined with her electrolyte test results, this was likely not just ordinary ulcerative colitis but possibly the very life-threatening Crohn's Disease.
This could have been initially surmised from the CT results.
The proliferative lesions that penetrated all layers of the intestinal wall had already involved the mesentery and local lymph nodes, limited to the small intestine and colon.
The lesions exhibited segmental distribution.
With clear boundaries interspersed between normal intestinal segments, characterizing skip areas.
All signs pointed to Crohn's Disease, also known as 'green cancer'.
This disease isn't real cancer, but with current medical technology, patients need lifelong medication, and the costs are quite high.
If imported drugs are used, the expense is about 15,000 to 20,000 for one dose.
And roughly every two months, an infusion is needed.
Such astronomical medical expenses, recurring every two months, are undoubtedly a disaster for a young girl.
"Just tell me straight, I can bear it."
The girl was quite brave; seeing Director Jia's expression and hearing his tone, she already knew the outcome was not good.
Director Jia was contemplating, organizing his thoughts.
A physician, when communicating with a patient, will try as much as possible to be considerate of the patient's feelings.
"It's okay, just tell me! Anyway, there's hardly anyone left in my family. My parents divorced when I was very young, and it was my grandparents who raised me. Now my grandparents have passed away, even if I have cancer, there isn't much in this world that I am particularly attached to. So, I can accept whatever the outcome is."
It was hard to imagine such words coming from a girl in her twenties.
Hearing this and seeing her expression, Zhou Can felt particularly sympathetic.
Unfortunately, his own medical expertise was still limited, and to date, no physician has found a way to completely cure Crohn's Disease.
The only solution is lifelong medication.
Western medicine has developed greatly over the years, advancing in diagnosis, surgery, pharmacology, pathophysiology, and other fields. It had eclipsed thousands of years of traditional Chinese medicine and the shamanistic practices of the Western world.
But many chronic diseases remain incurable.
Statistics show that at least 80% of chronic diseases are incurable.
Isn't it shocking to hear this?
Taking tumors as an example, after removal, they can still regrow.
In medical terms, it is called recurrence.
Why is cancer potentially curable only when detected early? It's not truly cured but rather the body's immune system has overcome the illness.
By mid-to-late-stage cancer, like a forest fire, it spreads uncontrollably, either overpowering or evading the immune system.
So, at this time, undergoing surgery or chemotherapy, the final outcome is largely left to fate.
Western medicine treats the symptoms, traditional Chinese medicine treats the root cause.
Traditional Chinese medicine revolves around the principle of balancing yin and yang. Perhaps there will come a day when the whole world highly values traditional Chinese medicine, and it becomes the mainstream, with Western medicine as an adjunct therapy.
But by that day, traditional Chinese medicine might no longer be China's strength, but instead belong to the developed Western nations.
Because they might have recognized the value of traditional Chinese medicine and started laying the groundwork early on.
China now has few famous traditional Chinese medicine practitioners left, and several have already been lured away by hefty overseas offers.
This situation is very frustrating and disheartening.
Fortunately, foreign action has caught the attention of relevant departments, and various policies to protect and develop traditional Chinese medicine have been initiated.
Compared to the period from the late Qing Dynasty to the modern wars, when traditional Chinese medicine was in severe decline and persecuted, the current situation of traditional Chinese medicine has improved a lot.
"Miss, your disease is called Crohn's Disease, an inflammatory bowel disorder of unknown etiology. It can theoretically occur anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract but is often found in the terminal ileum and right colon. Clinically, it manifests as abdominal pain, diarrhea, intestinal obstruction, as well as extra-intestinal symptoms like fever and malnutrition. Your symptoms of anemia, constipation, and even vomiting after eating are all related to this disease."
Director Jia disclosed the diagnosis to her.
She seemed to have never heard of this disease and asked somewhat bewilderedly, "Can this disease be treated? Is it cancer?"