The Enhanced Doctor

Chapter 1295: Chapter 1295: OSAHS

"Uncle Hu, let me introduce you. This is Director Liu, an amazing doctor. Director Liu can definitely help with Ming Zhe’s condition just by taking a look."

The young man led Liu Banxia to a man in his sixties and said.

Hearing such an enthusiastic introduction, Liu Banxia felt a bit helpless.

As a doctor, he actually enjoyed hearing others praise his medical skills. But when to accept such praise depends on the situation.

Most of the current illnesses are quite strange and rare, and he didn’t even know who the patient was yet. Who could guarantee diagnosing it all at once?

"Hello, which one of you is the patient?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Here, here, Ming Zhe, quickly let Director Liu take a look," a nearby lady hurriedly said.

Only then did Liu Banxia see the patient in person, who was slightly chubby. But judging from his demeanor, he seemed a bit dispirited.

"Director Liu, what illness does Ming Zhe have?" the patient’s father asked.

"You need to tell me about his general condition so I can have a direction for judgment. Is there any family medical history?" Liu Banxia said.

"Oh, no family history. Xiao Zhe, over the past two years, has been getting fatter, won’t eat much, and just loves to sleep," the lady from before said.

"Actually, it’s fine sleeping, but he snores. Sometimes he even chokes on himself while snoring, which worries us. We sometimes have to watch him at night, wake him when he can’t breathe, and let him sleep again."

Liu Banxia nodded, "So sometimes he snores while sleeping, and experiences those kinds of breathing difficulties. How is his sleep quality during the day?"

"Daytime is no good either, just loves to sleep," the lady continued.

Liu Banxia was confused by this. What does it mean by ’no good during the day, just loves to sleep’? This seems like a contradictory answer, right?

"Director Liu, Ming Zhe has no energy during the day, he feels groggy all the time. We used to have a good relationship, but now he barely talks to me," the young man added, winking at Liu Banxia.

"Has the weight gain been over the past two years? How do you feel after waking up?" Liu Banxia nodded and then looked at the patient.

"It’s just these two years I’ve gained weight. After waking up, I still feel listless, just stay at home, don’t even want to go out," the lady spoke up again.

Liu Banxia felt helpless; he really wanted feedback from the patient. But the lady just kept talking non-stop.

"Alright, why don’t you follow me to the examination room. We have a lot of family members here accompanying, you are the patient’s father, right? And you, come with me too," Liu Banxia said to the patient’s father and the young man.

"Li Hao, come over here, help me give this patient a checkup. Then do an ECG and ultrasound, bring them back, we’ll review them together later."

Upon hearing the call, Li Hao hurried over. Since Liu Banxia didn’t specify what to check, they started with a simple physical exam and followed with corresponding instruments.

"Director Liu, do you understand what I’m getting at?"

Following Liu Banxia to the side, the young man nervously asked.

Liu Banxia nodded, "Got it. His sleep apnea might just be one aspect, are you also concerned about his mental health issues?"

"Yes, yes, at first we didn’t think much of it. We assumed it was poor sleep. But when he came here yesterday, we noticed Ming Zhe’s mental state is a bit off," the patient’s father said.

"But we didn’t dare to discuss this in front of Ming Zhe, worried that if he heard it, he might get worse. Could it be autism or depression? Such illnesses are said to be dangerous."

"Whether it is or not still requires examination, but I also need to know if there are any triggers for his condition or if he has been through any significant stress," Liu Banxia asked.

The young man looked towards the patient’s father, as only he could explain this.

"Ah... it’s on us," the patient’s father sighed.

"Actually, Ming Zhe wasn’t like this before. Although he wasn’t very tall, he was energetic. He had a girlfriend, but her mom disagreed with their relationship and broke them up."

"I didn’t think much of it at the time. Later, I don’t know what happened, but after he came home, he just shut himself in his room and stopped going out to work, just staying at home."

"Back then, we didn’t think much of it, assuming he was just unhappy at work. I wanted him to work to avoid him getting bored at home."

"Then things took a turn for the worse. Suddenly, we realized one day that he started gaining weight, and now he is like this every day."

"Let me add to that; actually, there’s more to it," the young man also spoke up.

"Back then, Ming Zhe told me he found out that girl was only with him for his family’s money. Later, he saw the girl already pregnant on the street, yet her family’s situation was way worse than ours."

"Then he realized that it was all arranged by his aunt. He mentioned it once when we were drinking, felt very stifled, otherwise, he would have been married and built a happy family himself."

"I didn’t think much of it at the time, just advised him that maybe the right time hadn’t come yet. Then I got busy with my own matters and completely forgot about Ming Zhe’s situation."

After saying this, the young man looked at Liu Banxia.

Liu Banxia felt overwhelmed, what is going on? Is this a season of family drama during the New Year?

But from the young man’s further explanation, it seems that this patient might indeed be experiencing some depression after a mental shock.

When the patient was first admitted, the young man’s expression was very indifferent, with almost no reaction to the people around or to any questions.

From the current observations, there indeed seem to be signs of depression.

Of course, another possibility is the patient’s other symptom, where the snoring leads to occasional breath stoppage. In medical terms, this condition is called Obstructive Sleep Apnea-Hypopnea Syndrome, or OSAHS.

The condition is characterized by breathing pauses or insufficient ventilation during sleep caused by upper airway collapse and obstruction.

To put it simply, breathing pauses mean that there are certain periods during sleep where breathing stops. If this state lasts for 10 seconds or more, it’s diagnosable.

Insufficient ventilation is simply when the intensity of airflow during sleep is much less than in regular breathing. Naturally, this results in insufficient oxygen supply, leading to lower blood oxygen levels.

If such a condition exists, sleep quality will be affected as well. The patient might enter a cycle of being abruptly awoken while sleep-deprived, and staying drowsy during the day due to continuous sleeping.

Because the patient’s sleep structure is already disrupted, there is no instance of sleep that allows for full rest, making actual sleep feel as if they hadn’t slept at all.

"Well, let’s first conduct a physical examination. But considering the current situation, we need to admit him first and see whether medication or surgical options can help improve the issues of snoring and breath stoppage during sleep." After thinking it over, Liu Banxia said.

"What? Surgery is needed? Can’t this be resolved through conversation?" the patient’s father asked nervously.

Even if the family can afford it, hearing that the son needs surgery is unsettling. Moreover, given the son’s current condition, would the surgery be focused around the neck?

"Right now, we’re still in the examination phase. In a bit, I’ll consult with an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) doctor for further evaluation." Liu Banxia said.

"Think about it, he has symptoms of breathing pauses, leading to poor sleep quality. If sleep quality is poor, can one’s mental state be well?"

"If we can improve the symptoms of this condition, his mental state might recover. In that case, it wouldn’t be related to depression anymore."

"Moreover, if there’s really depression, merely addressing it here wouldn’t provide comprehensive treatment. Psychological counseling and medication would be needed, with interventions from a psychologist ensuring the best outcome."

"I’ve grasped the basic situation, though formal examinations have not been done yet. I’ll say this too: In the future, allow him more autonomy in decision-making, don’t pre-arrange everything for him."

After speaking, he headed to the treatment room to see the examination results.

That’s all there is to say.

If there’s genuine depression, it’s completely a result of their family control.

You could imagine, there aren’t many decisions this patient could make independently. Everything has been arranged by the family, creating a bunch of drawbacks with this upbringing style.

Even during the recent consultation, didn’t the woman answer everything on his behalf?

It’s understandable to answer when the patient shows no response after a pause, but the answers came right after every question Liu Banxia asked.

It’s a habit, where the patient himself has no real voice.

This is a form of coercion, and over time, it poses hazards to the patient.

"How are the examination results?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Teacher Liu, his blood pressure is slightly low, breath sounds are normal on auscultation. However, heart sounds are muffled, and the EKG shows prolonged Q-T interval, hinting at some bradycardia." Li Hao quickly reported.

Liu Banxia nodded, "Then let’s proceed with a cardiac ultrasound and a chest X-ray to check heart size. He gained weight rapidly, so there might be some cardiovascular issues."

"Let’s go for the examinations first. I’ll handle the admission paperwork. What kind of room would you prefer? Standard or VIP? I need to make arrangements."

"VIP, let’s go with VIP." The patient’s father said.

Liu Banxia nodded, it fits their family’s style. Besides, the VIP room is spacious enough to accommodate more family members if needed.

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