"I'm truly sorry for disturbing all of our esteed guests during your al. As an apology from the restaurant, we are offering a 12% discount tonight."
The restaurant manager hurried out to douse the flas, sincerely apologizing to the guests.
At the sa ti, a waiter dragged a young woman who was crying loudly out of the restaurant, while two other waiters were busy cleaning up the broken plates on the floor and the steak and side dishes scattered everywhere.
An Kexin asked softly, "Ah Jie, the condition she ntioned—'Gradual Freezing Syndro'—isn't that the disease that the famous physicist Stephen Hawking had?"
Lin Jie nodded and said, "Yes, Hawking had Gradual Freezing Syndro."
After getting Lin Jie's confirmation, An Kexin gently asked, "Ah Jie, do you want to go to the kitchen to check on her?"
"That girl is clearly having a ntal breakdown; it's so pitiful."
Lin Jie shook his head and said, "Kexin, let first explain this Gradual Freezing Syndro to you."
"It's a motor neuron disease known dically as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, abbreviated as A.L.S. Because its characteristic is gradually shrinking muscles and weakness, making the body appear as if it is being gradually 'frozen,' it's colloquially known as Gradual Freezing Syndro."
He continued, "Gradual Freezing Syndro, along with cancer, AIDS, leukemia, and rheumatoid arthritis, is listed by the World Health Organization as one of the world's five major incurable diseases."
"Currently, only leukemia has a chance of being cured through bone marrow transplantation."
"Gradual Freezing Syndro and the other three are practically incurable."
"When a patient gets Gradual Freezing Syndro, their muscles gradually shrink and deteriorate, leading to weakness and paralysis, and declining speech, swallowing, and breathing functions, eventually leading to death from respiratory failure."
"The disease progresses rapidly, with an average life span of two to five years after symptom onset."
"Hawking lived so long partly because his condition was sowhat unique, partly due to the support of a strong dical team, partly because he was famous and wealthy, plus a stroke of luck and miracles."
Lin Jie sighed, "Kexin, do you understand my explanation?"
"Regarding Gradual Freezing Syndro, there's really nothing I can do."
"If this waitress genuinely has Gradual Freezing Syndro, it would be of no help even if I checked her. If it's not Gradual Freezing Syndro, there's no need for to check."
"Therefore, there's no need to interrupt this wonderful dinner."
An Kexin shook her head teasingly, "You, speaking so coldly without a trace of compassion."
Lin Jie chuckled and said, "Having seen so much death, separation, and reunions in the hospital, one becos a little numb."
"For a doctor, the more rational, the better, to overco the impact of negative emotions on diagnosing conditions."
An Kexin softly snorted, "Ah Jie, I don't allow you to beco a cold-blooded creature devoid of emotion."
Lin Jie patted his chest earnestly, "Here resides you, Miaomiao, and others, I will absolutely not beco a cold-blooded creature..."
However, Lin Jie and An Kexin did not enjoy their wonderful dinner.
It was interrupted hurriedly by Zhuang Shilei.
"Expert Lin, I'm working here now, performing violin for the guests."
"You witnessed the incident just now, didn't you? My colleague Jia Lin has completely broken down and out of control, and she's still crying nonstop."
She pleaded, "Expert Lin, could you please go check on her?"
"Right now, only a big expert like you can stabilize her emotions."
Under such circumstances, Lin Jie couldn't refuse anymore, so he stood up.
An Kexin rolled her eyes at Lin Jie and stood up as well.
The two followed Zhuang Shilei through the dining hall, and as soon as they crossed a doorway into the kitchen area, they saw the tear-streaked waitress rushing over.
She ca up to Lin Jie, grabbed his arm, and cried, "Expert Lin, you're a big expert, please save , save ."
"Calm down, just calm down for a mont!"
Lin Jie soothed her and asked, "You said you have Gradual Freezing Syndro, have you been to the hospital for a checkup?"
Jia Lin shook her head, "No, I self-diagnosed on Baidu."
It turned out to be another self-diagnosis by comparing symptoms online.
With online diagnoses, nine out of ten tis, it's either cancer or a difficult disease.
Lin Jie resisted the urge to roll his eyes and softly asked, "Why do you think you have Gradual Freezing Syndro?"
Jia Lin wiped her tears and said, "Lately, I've inexplicably fallen a lot, and last night, I choked while eating."
"This afternoon, I suddenly couldn't open a bottle of mineral water."
"I searched online and found these are all early symptoms of Gradual Freezing Syndro."
"I just dropped the platter while serving guests because my hands suddenly felt weak."
"Expert Lin, am I really... really having Gradual Freezing Syndro..."
Listening to her, Lin Jie suspected it could indeed be Gradual Freezing Syndro.
The symptoms she described are indeed early signs of Gradual Freezing Syndro.
Lin Jie comforted, "Your symptoms could also be caused by cervical or lumbar injuries, nerve tumors, thyroid issues, tal toxins, and many other reasons."
"After all, the incident rate of Gradual Freezing Syndro is less than one in ten thousand; it mostly occurs in middle-aged and elderly people aged 40 to 60, with a higher prevalence in males."
"Surely, you won't be so unlucky!"
"Co, let give you an examination..."
After about ten minutes, Lin Jie confidently said, "Jia Lin, rest assured, you don't have Gradual Freezing Syndro!"
His statent wasn't just made lightly.
Lin Jie first checked Jia Lin's swallowing functions, then examined her limbs for any muscle atrophy and strength, as well as her emotional control, noting facial muscle changes like crying or laughing.
Finally, he had Jia Lin recite a lengthy passage to assess her clarity of speech.
After such a thorough examination, he made this judgnt.
This diagnosis left Jia Lin completely convinced.
She bead with a smile and asked, "Expert Lin, then what could cause my hands to suddenly beco weak and for to fall inexplicably?"
Lin Jie speculated, "As I ntioned initially, cervical, lumbar injuries, brain injuries, and toxin impacts could all be possibilities."
"For confirmation, a blood test, imaging, and other detailed examinations are needed."
"I strongly recomnd you visit the Binhai University Affiliated Hospital tomorrow and see a doctor nad Lu Kaicheng for a detailed check-up."
Jia Lin nodded vigorously, "Expert Lin, I'll take your advice!"
"I'll go to the University Affiliated Hospital first thing in the morning and seek that doctor Lu Kaicheng for a check-up."
Amidst Jia Lin's continuous gratitude, Lin Jie and An Kexin returned to the dining hall accompanied by the restaurant manager and Zhuang Shilei, and resud their al.
As a result of this unscheduled consultation, they received a complintary al from the restaurant.
An Kexin took a sip of red wine, feeling sowhat relieved, "Luckily, luckily, it wasn't Gradual Freezing Syndro."
"She's so young, she shouldn't be that unfortunate!"
"It's not that her chance of having Gradual Freezing Syndro can be entirely ruled out!" Lin Jie murmured.
An Kexin asked in surprise, "But didn't you just say..."
Lin Jie softly explained, "Diagnosing Gradual Freezing Syndro is incredibly complex; it's mainly done by exclusion."
"In addition to neurological clinical examinations, electromyography, nerve conduction studies, special serum antibody tests, lumbar puncture, imaging tests, and even muscle biopsies are needed, among a dozen others!"
"Going through these tests and ruling out other possible diseases, you'd be left with only the possibility of Gradual Freezing Syndro."
"My initial tests in the kitchen with Jia Lin only covered a portion of the neurological clinical examination. There's no way I could have ruled out her chance of having Gradual Freezing Syndro!"
An Kexin frowned and asked puzzled, "Ah Jie, then why did you confidently tell her it wasn't Gradual Freezing Syndro?"
Just then, the waiter brought their main courses, cheese baked lobster with herb lamb chops.
Lin Jie took a bite of the lobster, tasted it, and comnted, "Not bad at all, not inferior to the restaurant in the Holiday Inn that's already famous for its French cuisine."
"Of course, I wouldn't bring you here if it wasn't good."
An Kexin flaunted and asked again, "Ah Jie, you still haven't answered my question."
Lin Jie replied softly, "Jia Lin was already on the verge of a nervous breakdown, determined that she had Gradual Freezing Syndro. If I gave her an ambiguous answer, she surely wouldn't sleep tonight."
"Now that I reassured her, even if she's eventually diagnosed with Gradual Freezing Syndro, at least she won't be anxious and scared tonight and can get a good night's rest."
Lin Jie smiled again and added, "Besides, the odds of her having Gradual Freezing Syndro aren't very high."
"The probability of my assertion being correct is still pretty good."
An Kexin looked at Lin Jie's face and sincerely said, "Ah Jie, you're truly a good doctor who cares for your patients. I've found myself loving you even more now..."
Reviews
All reviews (0)