After all, going anywhere else would either mean undergoing a bunch of tests or being told outright that there was no cure.
Dr. Lin had only checked her pulse for a short while and asked a few questions before identifying the illness. She was already the most promising doctor Yin Xiuxiu had ever met.
Lin Zhilan examined Nannan's spine and then pulled her pants down past her buttocks.
A strong smell of urine immediately wafted out.
Nannan had lost control of her bladder again. Because the hospital environment and the people were unfamiliar, she hadn't dared to say anything.
Yin Xiuxiu angrily gave her a smack on the bottom. "Why didn't you tell me you wet yourself?"
Nannan's face instantly turned bright red. Tears rolled down her cheeks one by one, though she cried without making a sound.
Lin Zhilan said, "Don't be upset. The child is sick, she can't help it."
Yin Xiuxiu's face also flushed red as she took a diaper from her bag to change her.
Lin Zijun politely looked away, waiting until the child was changed before turning back around.
Because the child had been wearing diapers for so long, her bottom was completely red and covered in a rash.
More importantly, there was a small dimple just above the midline of her buttocks. It was dark and had some hair growing out of it.
In medicine, this is known as a dermal sinus, or a pilonidal sinus.
Seeing this pilonidal sinus, Lin Zhilan confirmed her diagnosis once again.
"Qiangzi's mother, what is your name?"
"Yin Xiuxiu, my name is Yin Xiuxiu."
"Yin Xiuxiu, don't panic just yet and listen to me. This dermal sinus on the child must be surgically removed."
"Is it very serious? We thought it was just a birthmark," Yin Xiuxiu said anxiously.
Nannan was born with this hole on her bottom, but she had heard from the midwife and the village elders that it was just a birthmark and nothing to worry about.
Since Nannan could eat, drink, and relieve herself normally as she grew, Yin Xiuxiu hadn't paid it much mind.
Lin Zhilan explained it to her, taking the opportunity to teach Lin Zijun as well. "This is called a pilonidal sinus, and it's very likely connected to the spinal canal. If it isn't operated on, it can easily lead to nerve damage and a high risk of infection. The tethered cord syndrome I mentioned earlier is an associated condition."
Yin Xiuxiu couldn't understand these medical terms and her face turned pale with fright.
Lin Zhilan reassured her, "Don't worry. The child is still young, so now is the best time for surgery. The doctors are here, there's no need to be afraid."
Yin Xiuxiu looked somewhat embarrassed. "Dr. Lin, how much will the surgery cost?"
Doctors can cure diseases, but they cannot cure poverty.
Yin Xiuxiu's husband was only a battalion commander. Nannan's grandfather used to mine in his youth and now suffered from chronic bronchitis; he couldn't do heavy labor and required long-term medication.
Nannan's father was the sole breadwinner for the entire family, young and old, which included two sick individuals. They truly had no money.
The money they had scraped together this time was from Yin Xiuxiu's first month's salary at the pharmaceutical factory. Otherwise, she wouldn't have even dared to bring her child to see a doctor.
Originally, she and her husband had discussed it and decided that since it couldn't be cured anyway, they might as well give up. At worst, they would just raise and take care of their daughter for the rest of her life.
But now that she had a job at the pharmaceutical factory and both of them were earning money, Yin Xiuxiu was unwilling to accept that fate and wanted to give it a try.
Lin Zhilan probably guessed that she was strapped for cash, lowering her eyes in thought for a moment.
"Let's have the surgeon take a look first. You are a military dependent, and our hospital has policies for military families, so it won't cost too much."
Besides...
Lin Zhilan was still unsure if the current level of surgical expertise was advanced enough to perform this operation.
Yin Xiuxiu seemed to have made up her mind, clenching her fists. "Alright, we'll do it!"
Lin Zijun immediately said, "I'll go to the surgical department to get someone."
"Okay."
Wang Rou stood at the door and knocked. "Sister, it's time to get off work."
Linlin stood by her legs, curiously observing the little girl next to her mother.
Nannan's eyes were red, like a little rabbit's.
She was also quietly observing the beautiful little sister at the door who looked like a doll.
Lin Zhilan said, "Rou, I still have a patient here. You take the baby back first, I'll head home a bit later."
"Alright." Wang Rou wasn't interested in other people's business; she just glanced over and didn't pry.
Instead, it was Linlin who ran up to her mother and softly said, "Mommy, she's crying."
"The older sister is sick. When she gets better, she won't cry anymore."
"She needs to take medicine."
"That's right, she'll be fine after taking her medicine."
Linlin pulled a piece of candy from her little pocket, unwrapped it, and stood on her tiptoes to feed it to Nannan. "Eat it, sister."
Nannan instinctively looked at Lin Zhilan.
"Go ahead and eat it, the little sister is giving it to Nannan."
"Mhm." Linlin nodded eagerly.
Nannan lowered her head and took the candy into her mouth. After tasting the sweetness, she revealed a tiny smile.
Yin Xiuxiu's expression was complicated as she taught her daughter to say thank you.
"Thank you." Nannan's lips moved, her voice so quiet it was almost inaudible.
"You're welcome." Linlin waved her hand, kissed her mother on the cheek, and then took Wang Rou's hand to go home.
After she left, Nannan's eyes remained fixed on the doorway, as if waiting for her to come back.
"Comrade Yin Xiuxiu."
"Hmm?" Yin Xiuxiu snapped back to reality.
Lin Zhilan said tactfully, "Nannan doesn't like to talk, which might be because you haven't created an environment for her to speak in."
Yin Xiuxiu looked bewildered, not understanding what she meant.
Lin Zhilan continued, "Do you often finish doing things for her before she even has a chance to ask?"
Yin Xiuxiu thought back for a moment and realized it was indeed true.
She was a diligent person; rather than waiting for the child to speak up, she preferred to just take care of everything efficiently herself.
"You need to give the child opportunities to express herself. If Nannan never goes out and doesn't interact with other children, her language skills will regress."
"Then what should I do?" Yin Xiuxiu furrowed her brows in distress, terrified of hindering her child's development.
Lin Zhilan replied, "Don't worry. There's nothing wrong with the child's vocal system. Just talk to her more often and ask about her needs."
"Alright, I will definitely do that."
Just as Yin Xiuxiu finished speaking, Lin Zijun and Zhu Weidong arrived.
"Dr. Lin, what's the situation?"
"Director Zhu," Lin Zhilan greeted him, then motioned for him to come over and take a look. "This child was born with a pilonidal sinus on the midline of her lumbosacral region. She is five and a half years old now, but she can't control her urination. I suspect it's an issue with her spinal cord."
"Spina bifida?"
"Something similar," Lin Zhilan said. "Director Zhu, could you please assess whether surgery can be performed on this child?"
Zhu Weidong examined her. "Is urinary incontinence the only symptom?"
Lin Zhilan added, "Her walking is also a bit unsteady."
Zhu Weidong shook his head. "I don't recommend surgery. The surgical risks are too high; conservative treatment would be better."
Lin Zhilan could understand. With the hospital's current equipment, medical standards, and limitations in anesthesia techniques, the success rate for such a surgery was too low, while the incidence of complications was relatively high.
Even if the surgery were to succeed by some stroke of luck, postoperative infections and cerebrospinal fluid leaks could pose a threat to the child's life.
Lin Zhilan had never rejected Western medicine, and she also acknowledged the limitations of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
For physical tethering and compression like tethered cord syndrome, Chinese medicine could not fundamentally resolve such structural issues.
She could use acupuncture to regulate the spleen and stomach, strengthen the kidneys, and reduce the frequency of bedwetting, but she could not eliminate the root cause of the tethered spinal cord.
"Director Zhu, I think we can discuss this further."
