Chapter 2432: The First Choice Is Not for Attention
Under such circumstances, suspecting a blood disease, it’s natural for the family to bring the child to Shou’er for medical help.
"When at Beidu Five, it wasn’t detected in time, and it was delayed for about two weeks. Initially, the child’s symptoms were just fever, without bleeding. The doctors didn’t suspect it was a blood disease to that extent."
"Doesn’t fever require a blood count test?" Several classmates listened and felt something was amiss.
"Perhaps the parents spoil the child. I heard that there was supposed to be a blood draw, but the child was scared and stubbornly uncooperative, refused to give blood. So, no blood count was done; they were given antipyretic medication to take at home, only suspected it as a minor cold."
"In this case, isn’t this family the type that doesn’t like to cooperate with doctors from start to end?" Wei Shangquan asked.
"Yes." Two internal medicine classmates nodded, "Just this morning, it was mentioned to retake the blood test here, and the parents kept complaining, not wanting to draw blood from the child."
"Repeated blood tests can be tough for a child." Pan Shihua said.
Even adults can’t withstand repeated blood draws and procedures, let alone children. Parents’ feelings are understandable. However, the problem is, if the family doesn’t cooperate, medical staff find it difficult to provide further treatment to the child.
How great it would be if pain-free blood drawing technology could be invented. Considering that the afternoon’s bone marrow puncture is much more painful than a blood draw. Several surgical classmates are somewhat worried for the internal medicine classmates, fearing the family might panic hearing the child’s cries.
According to the internal medicine classmates, the worst isn’t this.
"The family heard from somewhere, continuously inquiring whether a bone marrow transplant is necessary."
Nowadays, news loves to use sensational content to attract eyeballs. Bone marrow transplants themselves involve medical ethics issues, sparking widespread social discussion, and tend to catch more attention than discussions about chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Some families consumed by media often believe bone marrow transplants are miraculous life-saving drugs for leukemia, immediately pursuing doctors with such inquiries upon a diagnosis.
In reality, certainly not. As previously stated, doctors opt for the most effective treatment strategy initially. Chemotherapy remains the primary life-saving drug for leukemia. Acute lymphocytic leukemia, common in pediatrics, benefits from years of accumulated clinical experience, forming a highly effective chemotherapy regimen. If detected early and treated promptly, the five-year survival rate can delightfully exceed eighty to ninety percent.
Bone marrow transplants are used only upon relapse; they aren’t doctors’ first choice for treatment upon diagnosing the disease. Moreover, a bone marrow transplant is truly not a miracle drug; relapses occur post-transplant as well, and it’s considered when other clinical treatments prove ineffective.
Laypeople don’t really understand medicine, and the media loves creating headlines, focusing only on donation-related topics that spark societal debate, which greatly displeases those dedicated to science.
Anyone with some medical knowledge understands that medical donations must follow a voluntary principle. Why? Medicine is science, and each year, new scientific medical results emerge that might overturn certain past research findings. We can only use what’s currently studied and applicable. No one can assure today’s research outcomes will forever be correct. Humanity’s understanding of the world is constantly deepening; it’s the most straightforward logic.
Given this premise, treating illnesses inherently comes with gains and losses. Some patients are even unwilling to sacrifice a small part of themselves to save their own lives.