Village Doctor's Women-Chapter 231 - 225 Emergency treatment for high blood pressure.
"..."
Han Youzhen had already set the little girl down. Hearing Chairman Kang’s question, the girl blinked her large eyes and fell deep into thought. Her large, watery eyes were bloodshot, and the tear tracks on her cheeks were still visible. Her long eyelashes were soaked with tears. Only when Chairman Kang spoke did the little girl manage to choke back her sobs and try to remember.
Her father was a "sea turtle," a nickname she’d heard from her classmates. They called him that because he had returned from overseas.
In Xiao Yuan’s memory, her father was a gentle man who never lost his temper. Whenever she was bullied at school, her dad would stand up for her, but he always taught her that violence should only be a last resort for self-defense. He also told her not to lose her temper over nothing, as it made a person seem incompetent.
She didn’t know what her dad did for a living, only that he was always at home tinkering with strange pieces of metal she had never seen before. When he was working, he would disappear for long stretches, leaving no time to spend with her. Sometimes, he would even have other relatives attend her parent-teacher conferences.
Today’s trip to a scenic area out of town was already a rare treat. But now, as this young man asked about her father, she found herself unable to answer.
Does Dad take medicine?
Xiao Yuan blinked as a sudden panic rose within her. Her little mouth pouted, her lips jutting out so far they could have touched the sky. If her dad were awake, he would know instantly that she was upset. This time, however, she wasn’t mad at him, but at herself. She felt an overwhelming sense of grievance. She knew absolutely nothing about her dad taking any medication. Faced with the young man’s question, she could only answer in a tearful voice, "I don’t know... I..."
Seeing that Xiao Yuan was about to burst into tears again, Chairman Kang gave up on questioning her. He shot a look at Wang Jian before turning back to console the girl. "There, there, it’s okay. Your dad will be fine. The doctors are here."
The word "doctor" seemed to give Xiao Yuan a bit of courage. She glanced at Chairman Kang, then at Wang Jian, who was still examining her father nearby. "Is that big brother a doctor, too?" she asked in a low voice.
She pointed at Wang Jian. The girl was sharp; her main concern now was whether the man beside her father was a doctor.
Chairman Kang paused for a moment, then smiled. "Yes, he is my Senior Brother, and he’s a very skilled doctor. Your dad will definitely be alright."
Wang Jian now understood that Xiao Yuan didn’t know about any medication. Hearing Chairman Kang’s confident assurance, he remained silent, choosing not to echo the sentiment.
Any doctor who had worked in a major hospital knew that the more skilled they became, the less likely they were to promise a patient or their family that everything would be "definitely alright." The more a doctor experienced, the better they understood what their job truly entailed: snatching people back from the hands of Death. It was a job fraught with uncertainty. Even Wang Jian’s master, Xu Changqing, could not guarantee a perfect outcome for every illness.
Once a doctor says things like, "He’ll definitely be alright," "Trust me," or "I will save him," all the family’s hopes are piled onto them, leaving no room for error. There was no harm in saying such things after a successful surgery or when treatment was nearly complete. But to say them beforehand... any minor accident that followed could become a weapon that shattered a doctor’s psychological defenses.
This had nothing to do with shirking responsibility. It was about a doctor’s conscience, their personal sense of duty, and their own high standards. If a doctor promised a family everything would be fine but then failed due to an unexpected complication, there was no good outcome for the doctor. The more forgiving the family, the more the doctor would blame themself. The less forgiving, the worse the doctor’s situation became. Even if all external pressures were minimized, the psychological burden of self-reproach and guilt could be as severe as having committed murder, if not more so.
A doctor with weaker mental resilience might start to consider unethical paths, potentially developing psychological problems or making critical errors in judgment. All of this was possible. After one or two such experiences, a doctor—who is not a god—would eventually reach a breaking point.
So when Wang Jian heard Chairman Kang’s words, he glanced at him but knew it wasn’t the right time to say anything discouraging.
Wang Jian said calmly, "I’ve searched the man; he doesn’t have any medication on him. Go ask the other tourists if anyone with high blood pressure has their medication with them. Also, call 120 for an ambulance. I’ll perform some first aid..."
Modern medicine defines hypertension as a disease caused by excessively high systemic arterial blood pressure. This condition can damage the heart, brain, and kidneys. Furthermore, it’s a chronic illness. In its early stages, there are often no obvious symptoms. By the time symptoms do appear, the situation is already dangerous. It is especially common in obese, middle-aged, and elderly people, as well as those who drink heavily over a long period.
In Chinese medicine, however, there is no such clear-cut explanation. The ancients did not have a clear understanding of human anatomy, and the concept of blood pressure did not exist. Therefore, they typically only had names for the resulting symptoms, which they would then treat accordingly. There was no single disease name for "hypertension." The related conditions addressed in Chinese medicine included things like "dizziness," "head wind," "headache," and "liver-yang hyperactivity." Thus, Chinese medicine focuses on treating the specific symptoms presented.
With no medication on hand, Wang Jian had no choice but to consider other methods.
Wang Jian called out, "Does anyone have any silver needles?"
Chairman Kang, Yu Yen, and Wang Lei glanced at each other before shaking their heads, their faces flushing with embarrassment. None of the three had brought any. For practitioners of Chinese medicine, it was common sense to carry a set of silver needles.
"This is troublesome..." While he spoke, Wang Jian had already finished his initial assessment of the white-haired man’s condition. The problem was, he hadn’t brought his own needles either. He was usually never without his silver needles—a habit he had developed while traveling and practicing medicine with Xu Changqing. But as luck would have it, he’d left everything behind when he’d closed up his clinic this afternoon.
I certainly can’t expect some random tourist to be carrying a set.
Wang Jian frowned, his mind racing for a solution. My Qi Observation Method is of little use for hypertension, as it isn’t a problem with a single part of the body.
Lacking both the tools for acupuncture and any antihypertensive drugs, Wang Jian felt his hands were tied.
Chairman Kang and the others also sensed the gravity of the situation. "Senior Brother, what do we do now?" he asked in a low voice. "We’ve already called for an ambulance, but they said the fastest they can get here is twenty minutes. There’s a medical center in the park, but it only has basic emergency supplies. Someone has already gone to get whatever they have, but who knows if they’ll be back in time."
If they took too long, Chairman Kang knew it would be too late. A hypertensive crisis could lead to a stroke, just like what happened to Teacher Song.
Wang Jian knew this as well. He glanced at the crowd of onlookers, which had only grown larger. Unfortunately, it seemed no one among them had the medication they needed. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
I originally thought this man was lucky to have run into me, but now, with nothing I need on hand, I’m beginning to doubt whether this is good luck or bad.
Just then, Wang Jian’s gaze fell upon the man’s daughter, Xiao Yuan. She had stopped crying after talking with Chairman Kang and was now staring intently at him.
Her large, round, watery eyes were perfectly clear, their gaze seeming to pierce straight into Wang Jian’s heart. They were filled with hope.
Wang Jian felt as if he’d been struck, a sudden realization hitting him. I was on the verge of giving up. I can’t lose; losing means a life will be lost. Xu Changqing taught me that a true doctor isn’t constrained by equipment or medicine. People are adaptable, and so is the mind. You have to be flexible. As long as you can save a life, the method doesn’t matter.
Wang Jian’s eyes followed the little girl’s gaze, landing on an accessory she was wearing. An idea suddenly sparked in his mind.
