madnovel Chapter 552 - 425: A Self-Aware Left Hand?
Chapter 552 - 425: A Self-Aware Left Hand?
So now, although it’s not a life-threatening issue, the young man is essentially unable to live and work normally; sometimes, he even considers just chopping off his left hand."Lie down, and I’ll give you an examination first."
After listening to what the young man said, Zhao Heng understood and asked him to lie on the hospital bed.
"Alright."
The young man nodded repeatedly, and soon, he was lying on the hospital bed.
"Bring some local anesthetic gel."
Seeing the young man’s right hand still tightly grasping the restless left hand, Zhao Heng spoke to Tian Zhen.
"Okay."
Tian Zhen nodded.
Before long, Tian Zhen came over with a dose of anesthetic gel and applied it to the young man’s left hand.
After applying the anesthetic gel, the anesthetic molecules seeped in through the skin, and soon, the young man’s left hand was temporarily calm.
"You can remove your right hand now; your left hand is anesthetized."
Zhao Heng said to the young man.
The young man nodded repeatedly, relaxed quite a bit, and let go of his right hand. Once released, the left hand only twitched a few times before it limply drooped, indicating that the anesthesia had taken effect.
Next, Zhao Heng conducted a complete neurological physical examination on the young man.
The results are as follows: conscious, no aphasia; pupils bilaterally equal and round, responsive to light, eyes moving freely with no nystagmus or gaze palsy, normal muscle tone in all limbs except the left hand, no abnormalities in deep or superficial sensation, mild difficulty with right finger-nose and bilateral heel-knee tests, symmetrical limb reflexes, no pathological signs.
After finishing the physical examination, the young man got off the examination bed and sat back down in the chair opposite Zhao Heng.
"Doctor, what disease do I have? Is there really something in my left hand?"
The young man asked apprehensively.
"It’s not something inside; you have Alien Hand Syndrome, also known as Alien Hand Disorder. It’s a very rare condition."
Zhao Heng said slowly.
Alien Hand Syndrome, abbreviated as Alien Hand Disorder, is extremely rare in clinical practice. It usually occurs due to damage to the corpus callosum, supplementary motor area, medial frontal lobe, posterior part of the frontal or parietal lobes, and thalamus, believed to be due to disconnection between brain regions.
The main manifestation of Alien Hand Disorder is involuntary, uncontrollable, and purposeless movements of one upper limb or hand, accompanied by the patient’s strange feeling towards the affected limb and perceived personification.
Of course, the occurrence where the young man’s affected left hand unconsciously grabs attractive girls is quite rare; perhaps it’s the subconscious controlling the left hand?
"Alien Hand Disorder?"
The young man looked confused upon hearing Zhao Heng’s words.
"Doctor, does that mean this hand isn’t mine?"
After a pause, the young man asked again.
"It’s yours, but the neural network system controlling this hand has disengaged from the brain’s motor control center. It might also be due to changes in the motor control center. Further neurological examinations are needed to determine."
Zhao Heng patiently explained.
"Alright, alright, doctor, please arrange the examination for me."
The young man was eager to have a check-up and spoke immediately.
Whereas the places he previously visited failed to clarify his condition, at a major hospital like this, the expertise is indeed of a higher level.
Before long, Zhao Heng issued the examination request and had a nurse guide him for testing.
The time reached five o’clock.
After seeing the last registered patient, Zhao Heng asked Tian Zhen, "Has the patient scheduled for the brain examination arrived yet?"
"Today, the MRI room is extremely busy; I heard there’s a batch undergoing medical check-ups."
Tian Zhen replied.
"Let’s wait for a while then."
Zhao Heng nodded.
"Did that young man just now say he couldn’t control his left hand and would grab girls when he saw an attractive one—is that true?"
Tian Zhen asked out of curiosity; although she had been working at the hospital for a long time and seen many strange diseases, she hadn’t encountered a case like the young man’s before.
"It’s possible; if the neural system controlling his left hand is disrupted or influenced by the subconscious, such an event might occur. Generally, the subconscious cannot control the body when the conscious mind is active."
Zhao Heng pondered before speaking.
"There really can be such incidents? Is it somewhat like waking up in a dream and committing murder, only to have no awareness upon waking?"
Tian Zhen asked curiously.
"The human subconscious is incredibly mysterious. Currently, our understanding of the subconscious hasn’t even reached 5%, so anything can happen."
Zhao Heng explained.
"I see."
Hearing this, Tian Zhen nodded knowingly.
While the two were chatting idly, the young man came in carrying a bag.
"Doctor, the results are out."
The young man took the examination results out from the bag and handed them to Zhao Heng.
"Alright."
Zhao Heng took the examination results and examined them carefully.
After a brief while, Zhao Heng placed the results on the table and confidently said to the young man, "The examination indicates severe ischemia in your corpus callosum. The local blood vessels, especially the bilateral vertebral arteries, basilar artery, and left anterior cerebral artery, are significantly narrowed, causing some ischemia due to vascular stenosis."
"Huh? Doctor, I’m so young, can I really have vascular stenosis? I thought this was something only old folks get."
As a high-intensity internet-savvy youth of the new era, the young man naturally has some understanding of vascular stenosis and cerebral infarction, thanks to years of medical educational campaigns.
"Older people’s vascular stenosis mostly results from high cholesterol and high blood pressure causing atherosclerosis. Have you had any physical examinations recently?"
Zhao Heng asked slowly.
"Yes, my work unit organized one two months ago. At that time, I was surprised by how high my cholesterol levels were."
The young man took out his phone, retrieved the electronic version of the examination report, and showed it to Zhao Heng.
Upon looking, Zhao Heng indeed found that the young man’s examination report indicated that while his blood pressure wasn’t high, his cholesterol was very elevated. It’s undeniable that the lifestyles of young people today have led to conditions that typically occur in older individuals now happening in the young.
"Doctor, for my condition, is surgery necessary?"
The young man asked again with anxiety. It’s a matter involving the brain; what if he couldn’t get off the operating table?
He is still young!
"Surgery is not necessary at the moment. We’ll try conservative treatment first and re-examine after some time. Judging from the current imaging results, the vascular stenosis hasn’t reached an irreversible stage. With the use of medication to soften the blood vessels and lower cholesterol, the symptoms might be controlled."
Zhao Heng said slowly.
"Can I get admitted to the hospital? Doctor, I can be admitted right away."
The young man said quickly, knowing how difficult it was to get a bed at Eastern Hospital. Previously, a relative had to undergo a cardiac vascular intervention balloon surgery and struggled to get admitted. After the operation, he was discharged after only five days.
Generally, it’s impossible to get a bed for non-urgent conditions.
"Are there still beds available in the department?"
Zhao Heng asked Tian Zhen instead of answering.
"There’s been a surge in patients lately; only hallway beds are available now."
Tian Zhen thought for a moment before answering.
Hallway beds, as the name suggests, are beds placed in hallways or even in the infusion hall due to the frequent overcrowding of admitted patients; there’s simply no other choice.
"A hallway bed is fine, it works."
Before Zhao Heng could speak, the young man quickly responded.
"Then let’s admit you first and treat for a while; we’ll observe the situation as it progresses."
Zhao Heng thought for a moment before speaking.
The young man’s vascular stenosis clearly hasn’t reached the point where surgical intervention is required, so conservative treatment is fine for now.
"Okay, sure, thank you, doctor."
The young man expressed his gratitude repeatedly.
Right now, even getting a hallway bed is quite a challenge.
Just take a look at Eastern Hospital’s outpatient hall, where the line for registration almost stretches out to the entrance, and one can easily see how busy it is.