"Previously, I was examined at the First Hospital, and they diagnosed it as primary hypertension and cerebral arteriosclerosis."
"I've been taking antihypertensive drugs and Chinese patent medicine that clears the brain and drains fire."
Ji Yongfeng calmly recounted his condition, enunciating each word slowly, having difficulty with every word.
Lu Xuan listened attentively, not in a hurry to interrupt.
However, he firmly remembered the symptoms Ji Yongfeng mentioned and made a judgment: primary hypertension, cerebral arteriosclerosis, and presence of language impairment.
Nevertheless, these alone weren't enough to determine the exact condition.
Ji Yongfeng paused, seemingly recalling past situations, and only after a while did he continue, "It's okay in the summer, especially at the onset of winter, when I feel dizzy and light-headed, my fingers numb, and I don't feel grounded; I even fell several times and later didn't dare to move much. Only recently have I started moving a bit again."
"Oh right, these past two days, I've developed many sores in my mouth and on my tongue, with my tongue feeling like it's burning, while my knees down feel extremely cold."
"Last week my son took me to the First Hospital for a check-up, but they couldn't find a cause and told me to be hospitalized. I don't like the hospital atmosphere, so I came straight home."
After listening, Lu Xuan was also puzzled.
According to Ji Yongfeng's description, it seemed like only primary hypertension and cerebral arteriosclerosis, accompanied by mild language impairment, but some of the subsequent symptoms didn't connect to the previous conditions.
However, Lu Xuan keenly sensed that this illness might not be simple.
"Old Mr. Ji, let me check your pulse."
Ji Yongfeng extended his hand to Lu Xuan: "Dr. Lu, can you find out what the illness is?"
"I'm not sure yet."
"But Old Mr. Ji, don't worry."
Lu Xuan comforted Ji Yongfeng with a few words, then carefully felt the pulse beating.
"This pulse... "
As soon as Lu Xuan applied a slight pressure, he was startled. Unlike the weak wiry pulse he had encountered before, Ji Yongfeng's pulse was strong and expansive.
This pulse phenomenon, Lu Xuan had never seen before, only heard about it during his lessons from teachers.
A wiry and rapid pulse suggests an excess of heat pathogens and internal wind in the liver.
This proves that the patient definitely has an excess of heat pathogens; whether or not liver wind is moving internally, Lu Xuan could not determine.
"Tongue."
Ji Yongfeng stuck out his tongue.
Lu Xuan glanced at it; the tongue was red and without coating, once again confirming the presence of heat pathogens in Ji Yongfeng's body.
According to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, the tongue coating is steamed from stomach Qi. If the tongue is red without a coating, it indicates heat, yin deficiency, excess fire, or yin deficiency.
Yin deficiency includes liver-kidney yin deficiency, stomach yin deficiency, lung yin deficiency, and so forth, and it should be diagnosed in combination with the pulse in clinical practice.
Ji Yongfeng's pulse also indicated the presence of heat pathogens.
Moreover, such tongue and pulse signs are typically accompanied by symptoms like panic, insomnia, and excessive dreaming.
If discomfort in the upper abdomen and acid reflux are present, it is a typical manifestation of stomach yin deficiency.
Thinking of this, Lu Xuan withdrew his hand: "Old Mr. Ji, do you usually experience panic, insomnia, or excessive dreams?"
Ji Yongfeng recalled for a moment, "I'm not sure about panic, but palpitations are there, and the most... the most obvious is limb numbness. It might be slightly better these days, but I still can't do without a cane. Without it, I'd probably fall countless times in a day."
Lu Xuan nodded but still could not make an accurate diagnosis based on these observations.
Heat pathogens definitely exist, but he had encountered too few specific conditions; his clinical experience started accumulating just last week, and coupled with Ji Yongfeng's complex situation, he was at a loss at the moment.
"Seems like I've got a lot to learn, huh!"
Lu Xuan sighed helplessly, highly focused.
He might not be able to diagnose the illness, but that didn't stop the community from having more clinical experience than the grains of rice he's eaten.
["Could this be a precursor to a stroke?"]
["I don't know, what is a stroke precursor? Could someone explain?"]
["A stroke is also known as cerebrovascular accident, which many people may have heard of as a stroke. The so-called precursor to a stroke is actually a precursor to cerebrovascular accident. The situations Ji Yongfeng described are some symptoms that typically occur before a stroke. The reason it hasn't occurred yet is probably related to some of the Chinese patent medicines he's been taking."]
["Is it that serious?"]
["I wonder if Dr. Lu can diagnose it; with his abilities, it shouldn't be difficult, right?"]
They all noted Lu Xuan's performance in the past few days and had come to recognise the young Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor from the bottom of their hearts.
However, the hot-tempered dry ginger didn't think so.
["That's hard to say. During this period, his performance has indeed been good, but haven't you all forgotten about his situation at the District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine? I'm curious why Dr. Lu only showed such outstanding performance when he came to the Health Center, but at the District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, he was just mediocre."]
Dry ginger's remarks elicited much contemplation among the experts.
However, licorice offered a different opinion:
["Maybe what you're saying is correct, but you might not have considered one aspect: at the District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dr. Lu, being a just licensed practitioner, wasn't qualified to conduct consultations. Most of the time, he was handling prescriptions or assisting, never really having a chance to take the lead."]
["Nonetheless, this Dr. Lu's behaviors sometimes do seem a bit strange."]
["But I can't quite figure out what's strange at the moment."]
Licorice's analysis also received recognition from many experts.
["Dr. Lu's behavior might be a bit peculiar, but even though he's younger, he does have skills; otherwise, he couldn't have cured several strange cases encountered in the past few days. Especially with that pecking pulse— even those famous older Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors would be at a loss."]
["Perhaps you're right, but I still maintain my opinion. Don't you all think Lu Xuan has the capability? There's exactly a current case with the precursor to a stroke; can he diagnose it?"]
["If so, I'll reluctantly concede he has some skills."]
Dry ginger remained his hot-headed self, stubbornly holding his view.
At this point, even Lu Xuan had to admit that the insight from the hot-tempered dry ginger was sharp; the old saying that older ginger is spicier holds true.
The current situation was just the proof, wasn't it?
Lu Xuan chuckled inwardly, not becoming disheartened by dry ginger's remarks.
He was aware of his own circumstances.
He was just a freshly graduated Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor, with near-zero clinical experience apart from the patients he encountered at the Health Center. Expecting him to achieve something significant in such a condition was impossible.
However, this is part of the process every academically-trained Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor must undergo.
And now, Lu Xuan was going through this process.
It's all about learning with modesty.