Chapter 2428: The Trouble of Prolonged Illness
When it comes to treating Congenital Equinovarus, it’s definitely best to treat it as early as possible. The deformity will put a burden on the child’s skeleton, and once the child learns to walk, this burden will become increasingly severe, eventually leading to skeletal deformities.
Since the disease initially does not involve any bone issues, and children’s bones are still in the developmental process, doctors generally do not perform bone-related surgeries. If surgery is necessary, it involves tendon surgery, done under general anesthesia with a small incision above the heel to sever the Achilles tendon, followed by plaster fixation. After the surgery, continuous use of corrective devices is needed, as Congenital Equinovarus is a highly recurrent condition.
Only those who have been parents can truly understand how hard it is to raise a child. Imagine parents, upon discovering such a condition in their child, must accompany the child through treatment not just for a day, two days, or even a few weeks, but for many years.
Once parents hear this from the doctor, their minds are immediately overwhelmed.
What is the greatest fear in treating a disease? The greatest fear is when it takes a long time. The saying "There are no filial children by the bedside of long-term sickness" emphasizes the word "long".
A non-life-threatening disease can also affect a child’s future and entire life, and parents cannot but choose to treat it. The child’s mother calls her husband at work. Their phone conversation inevitably involves disputes and arguments, mainly discussing how the child got this disease and how much it will cost to treat it. Despite the arguments, loving parents are not stingy with this money; their fear is that the money spent may not lead to recovery.
Ordinary people have always been apprehensive about diseases that can’t be cured. Whenever they hear a doctor say that a disease will take a long time to treat, somewhat smart family members can infer from the doctor’s words that it’s uncertain whether the disease can be completely cured.
This mother, who came to the hospital just expecting to treat her child’s fever, never imagined such an outcome. She sits there looking bewildered and disheartened. The child, having received an injection, feels a bit better and is asleep.
Doctors offering comfort to the patient’s family is conditional; patients and their families come to the hospital seeking medical expertise. If the doctor’s skills cannot meet the demands of patients and their families, any comforting words offered are ineffective.
In some developed countries and communities, hospitals arrange for a portion of social workers. Because they are non-medical staff, they can share emotional sentiments with the families and serve as supplements to medical personnel, providing appropriate psychological comfort and support to the patient’s family.
In our country, such charity organizations are rare, and more often, hospitals encounter those who wander around, trying to swindle the money of the sick poor. Once again, it demonstrates that economics determine everything. Without an economic foundation, few have the time to be charitable; everyone is too concerned with their own survival. Under such circumstances, camaraderie among patients has instead become an alternative route for domestic patients to receive emotional comfort.
After examining the patient, Liu Huaiyu prescribed the treatment plan: first complete all tests to confirm whether it’s purely Congenital Equinovarus, attempt outpatient correction, and if that fails, proceed with the Ponseti method, which involves the aforementioned Achilles tendon surgery. The tests and treatment require family members to discuss and agree before proceeding. Doctors do not force the child’s parents; they can only offer suggestions.
The truth is, the child’s condition is not severe, yet several young doctors didn’t quite understand why, after receiving the call, the deputy chief physician personally came down to check.
Liu Huaiyu came down intending to ask these young folks if it was they who performed last night’s surgery.