Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 640: Chapter 640: Heartache

"President, does it still hurt?"

The assistant asked nervously.

Gao Tang closed his eyes, sensing the feeling for a moment. His brow gradually smoothed out.

"Huh? It’s actually much better..."

He was surprised to find that the piercing, twisting pain had genuinely lessened, and the tight, constricting sensation was slowly easing.

A trace of warmth began to spread through his lower body, which was no longer as bone-chillingly cold as before.

The effect was almost immediate.

The prescription Li Xu had written was a classic formula: Danggui Four Reversals Soup with added Wuzhuyu and ginger.

Danggui nourishes and invigorates the blood. Cinnamon Bark warms and unblocks the meridians. Xixin dispels cold and alleviates pain. Peony nourishes the blood and soothes the liver. Licorice relieves spasms and stops pain. A heavy dose of Wuzhuyu and ginger was added to warm the middle jiao, disperse cold, and suppress nausea.

It was an ingenious formula specifically for treating liver cold invading the stomach and cold stagnating in the liver meridian.

The warm medicinal power traveled along the meridians directly to the site of the illness, dispelling the yin cold that had entrenched itself in the liver meridian.

Once the cold qi dissipated, the muscles and vessels naturally relaxed, and the pain vanished along with it.

Furthermore, Gao Tang had drunk it while it was hot, and the heat helped the medicine take effect even faster.

’This Li Xu... he really knows his stuff,’ Gao Tang thought.

...

In the afternoon, Li Xu was seeing patients at the specialist clinic.

As he was busy,

"Dean Li."

Lin Guorui pushed the door open and entered, looking hurried. "Director Si from the ICU just called. There’s a critically ill patient, and he’d like us to come for a consultation. The situation isn’t good."

Li Xu finished with his current patient and stood up. "What’s the situation? Tell me on the way."

The two of them walked briskly toward the elevators.

As they walked, Lin Guorui explained, "The patient’s name is Wang Guoliang, fifty-five years old. He has a rather unusual medical history. Thirty years ago, he suffered from severe frostbite. Although it was treated at the time, it left behind underlying issues. Ten years ago, he suddenly started experiencing cold pain in both lower limbs and intermittent claudication. He was hospitalized multiple times, but the treatments were never very effective."

"His condition suddenly worsened during the Lunar New Year this year. His family took him straight to the provincial capital, where he was shuffled between the Provincial First Hospital, the Second Provincial Hospital, and the Provincial Renmin Hospital. All in all, he was hospitalized for seven months."

"He was finally diagnosed with cerebral arteriosclerosis, inferior wall myocardial infarction, and severe thromboangiitis obliterans in both lower limbs."

"The major hospitals in the provincial capital all recommended amputation, warning that his life could be in danger otherwise. But the patient absolutely refused, even threatening to kill himself. They had no choice but to discharge him and send him home. The very day he got back, he experienced intense cold pain, chest tightness, a feeling of pressure, and a stabbing pain, like a heart attack."

"Taking a nitroglycerin tablet sublingually provided some relief. His family, afraid something terrible would happen, rushed him to our Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Director Si saw how critical the situation was and admitted him directly to the ICU. But the patient is still refusing any surgical options, including interventional thrombolysis and amputation."

As he spoke, Lin Guorui handed the medical chart to Li Xu.

Li Xu took the chart, his brow furrowed slightly.

This was indeed an extremely difficult case.

Problems with his cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems, compounded by the risk of limb necrosis from the thromboangiitis—it was a classic case of multi-system failure, where one problem could trigger a total collapse.

Just as they reached the entrance to the ICU, a haggard-looking woman came up to them. She was clearly the patient’s wife.

Her eyes were red and swollen, but she was trying hard to remain composed. She gave Li Xu a deep bow. "Dean Li, I’m begging you, you have to save my husband."

"He’s a hero."

The woman said through sobs, "The reason his frostbite was so severe was because he was a soldier stationed at the border. That winter, they were hit by a once-in-a-century blizzard that also caused an avalanche."

"To rescue the trapped herdsmen, his entire company threw themselves into the effort. They dug in the snow for three full days and nights. Five young soldiers died, and many others suffered frostbitten hands and feet, leaving them with lifelong disabilities."

"My husband was one of the lucky ones. He kept his limbs, but he was left with severe complications from the frostbite. After he was discharged and returned to the city to work, he never once complained of pain. He’s been a diligent worker to this day."

"We were at our wit’s end when we heard about your reputation, which is why we came here specifically. He’s been a proud man his whole life. If he really loses his legs, it would be worse than death for him. So no matter what, I’m begging you to do everything you can to save his legs and his life."

After listening, Li Xu’s expression grew solemn, filled with deep respect.

’So behind this illness lies such a moving and heroic story.’

’A hero shouldn’t have to shed blood only to shed tears later.’

He nodded seriously, his voice firm. "Don’t worry. I will do everything in my power."

After changing into sterile scrubs and putting on a mask, Li Xu followed Lin Guorui into the ICU.

The heavy automatic doors slid open slowly, and a unique, oppressive atmosphere washed over them—a mixture of disinfectant and the hum of machinery.

The ICU, the Intensive Care Unit. This is the part of the hospital closest to death.

Every patient here is struggling on the line between life and death.

There is no laughter here, only the monotonous BEEP... BEEP... of the monitors and the pained groans of the patients.

Li Xu and Lin Guorui followed a nurse’s lead deeper into the unit.

Lin Guorui’s heart felt heavy.

He had been a doctor for over a decade and was accustomed to matters of life and death, but every time he entered this place, a sense of powerlessness still washed over him.

He glanced at the patients in the surrounding beds, tubes running into their bodies, their faces ashen, and sighed inwardly.

He turned to look at Li Xu, a little worried that the young vice dean wouldn’t be able to handle such a depressing atmosphere.

After all, a traditional Chinese medicine clinic and an ICU were two completely different worlds.

To his surprise, however, Li Xu was even calmer than he was.

While he was still lamenting the unpredictability of life, Li Xu had already walked over to Wang Guoliang’s bedside. His expression was calm, his gaze focused, and he immediately began the physical examination and inquiry.

That unhurried and composed demeanor made it seem as if he were a god of war, born to command this battlefield.

Lin Guorui was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed, filled with silent admiration.

On the hospital bed, Wang Guoliang was curled up, his face as white as a sheet and covered in a cold sweat.

Even with an oxygen mask on, his breathing was rapid and labored. Every breath seemed to take all the strength he had.

"Where does it hurt the most?"

Li Xu asked softly.

Wang Guoliang struggled to open his mouth, his voice trembling like a dry leaf in the wind. "It hurts... my feet... It feels like they’re being hit with high-voltage electricity... The pain... it’s excruciating... It hurts so much, they’re numb... I can’t move them. My left hand is numb too..."

"My chest is tight... heavy... It feels like someone’s stabbing my heart with needles... I can’t breathe... It hurts..."

Li Xu and Lin Guorui exchanged a glance, both of them frowning.

This was—true heart pain.

The *Lingshu: Jue Bing* states: "In true heart pain, the hands and feet are cold to the joints, and the pain in the heart is severe. If it occurs in the morning, the person may die by evening; if it occurs in the evening, they may die by morning."

This means that when true heart pain strikes, the hands and feet become icy cold to the joints, and the heart pain is intense. If it begins in the morning, the person might die by nightfall; if it begins at night, they might die by morning.

It is an extremely dangerous and critical acute condition.

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