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"I understand what you're saying, but please listen to me first—" Uncle Li's daughter said nervously but resolutely to the doctor.
On this day, Uncle Li was sent to the hospital by his family. Uncle Li is 67 years old this year, he has been diligent all his life, he has never had a major illness or a small disaster, and he was an ordinary worker in a small factory before his retirement. Recently, however, his physical condition suddenly took a turn for the worse, with frequent headaches and even several severe disorientations.
After a preliminary examination, the doctor found that a large tumor had formed in Uncle Li's brain, and the condition looked quite serious. After a heated discussion, Uncle Li's family finally insisted on the operation.
The doctor is an experienced neurosurgeon named Bowen Zhao. He was very embarrassed by the resolute attitude of his family. He knows that based on the available medical data and previous cases, if the brain tumor has progressed to a certain stage, the surgery is not only extremely risky, but also likely to be incurable, but will cause the patient to suffer more after the operation.
Dr. Zhao patiently explained to the family the risks and possible consequences of the surgery. He said that according to the latest research, patients with brain tumors may not have a significant increase in their average survival after surgery, even if the surgery is successful.
However, Uncle Li's family is still stubborn. They believe that while the data and statistics are cold, their love and not giving up are blazing. They are not willing to give up any chance of treatment just like that.
After some thought, Dr. Zhao Bowen decided to try another approach. He proposed that an interventional treatment, local cryotherapy, could be performed first to control the development of the tumor. Compared with traditional surgery, this method has a lower risk and shorter recovery time, which can alleviate Uncle Li's symptoms to a certain extent while reducing the damage to surrounding healthy tissues.
After the interventional treatment, Uncle Li's condition has improved to a certain extent. Although the tumor did not disappear completely, his headaches were reduced and his mental state was much better. Seeing such a change, the family finally understood Zhao Bowen's original intention.
A few months later, during a follow-up examination, Zhao Bowen showed Uncle Li his brain scans before and after treatment, explaining in detail the effect of the treatment. He emphasized that although medicine cannot completely cure all types of brain tumors, it is completely possible to improve the quality of life of patients and prolong their lives through reasonable selection of treatment methods.
At this time, Uncle Li's son asked, "Doctor, I heard that cryotherapy is more effective than traditional surgery in some cases, is this true?"
Dr. Zhao replied, "Cryotherapy can freeze and kill tumor cells in a targeted manner, with relatively little damage to surrounding healthy tissue. This allows patients in some specific situations to achieve better treatment outcomes, especially for those who are not suitable for large-scale surgery. ”
A few months after this treatment, Uncle Li's physical condition has fluctuated, but it has generally stabilized a lot. When the family saw that he was able to take a leisurely walk in the park with his grandson, the stones in his heart finally fell to the ground. But they also came to realize that their battle was far from over, despite the fact that their condition was under control.
In the subsequent follow-up visits, Dr. Zhao Bowen noticed a change in the mentality of Uncle Li and his family. Instead of blindly pursuing healing, they began to think about how to improve Uncle Li's quality of life and make his old age more comfortable and dignified. Dr Chiu decided to introduce a new treatment concept – palliative care.
"I know you have been strong and optimistic," Dr. Zhao said to Uncle Li's daughter in a post-diagnosis exchange, "but we also have to be realistic, considering Uncle Li's age and the nature of the tumor, we can consider some complementary measures, such as palliative care, to help him better manage his symptoms and improve his quality of life." ”
Palliative care is a treatment that aims to improve the quality of life of people with serious illnesses, not just to prolong life. This approach includes a multifaceted combination of pain management, psychological support, nutritional support, etc., and focuses on alleviating the patient's symptoms and suffering, rather than treating the disease directly.
Zhao explained that this treatment can help patients better deal with the stress and discomfort caused by the disease, so that they can have more energy to spend the rest of their time with their families.
He further noted that according to the latest research, palliative care has performed well in improving the quality of life of patients with advanced cancer, especially in controlling pain and other related symptoms. The data showed that patients who received palliative care had significantly higher quality of life than those who received conventional medicine alone.
With the adjustment of the treatment plan, Uncle Li and his family gradually realized the different benefits of different treatments. They are starting to place more emphasis on quality and not just quantity every day.
Through these in-depth exchanges and treatments, Uncle Li and his family gradually learned how to find balance and tranquility in the later stages of life.
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