Chapter 877: [(877)] It’s easy for young children to be misdiagnosed Chapter 877: [(877)] It’s easy for young children to be misdiagnosed Her mind seemed to have a “Special Ability” that allowed her to see through the human body and diagnose illnesses. However, since learning from Senior Brother Huang that she probably didn’t possess such an ability, she now strove to make her every inference extremely meticulous.

A flash crossed Nie Jiamin’s dark eyes, as if he thought the addition to her statement was somewhat superfluous.

“What exactly are the doctors saying? Are they going to prescribe medicine for my daughter or not?” Lulu’s Mom urged the doctor.

Teacher Nie was not fluent in Mandarin, so Xie Wanying communicated on his behalf with the family about the child’s condition. “Professor Nie examined Lulu carefully, and it appears that Lulu might not have just a common cold.”

“Runny nose and sneezing, isn’t that a cold?”

“Her main symptoms are coughing and wheezing. The runny nose is a result of her forcefully picking her nose. She picks her nose because she feels uncomfortable and has difficulty breathing. Young children, with their unclear expression, can easily mislead others,” Xie Wanying said.

Lulu’s Mom turned and grabbed her daughter, “Tell the doctor where you feel uncomfortable clearly.”

Being pulled by her mom, Lulu choked and, choking, coughed again.

“Why is she coughing again? Just give her some cough syrup,” Lulu’s Mom urged the doctor again.

“It’s not that we aren’t willing to prescribe it, but her cough is a natural physiological reaction of the human body. Her bronchus is blocked by a foreign object, and the inflammation caused by the foreign object keeps stimulating her airways, causing her to cough incessantly and even have difficulty breathing. We must take her to the hospital immediately.”

“What?” Lulu’s Mom seemed to have difficulty understanding the doctor. How had her daughter’s simple cold turned into an airway obstruction?

“Did Lulu eat anything like watermelon or jelly recently?”

“You’re talking about fruits and snacks, what child doesn’t eat those? Was it wrong for me to let her eat them?” Lulu’s Mom responded with dissatisfaction.

“I’m not saying children can’t eat them. But whenever they do, adults should carefully watch them to promptly notice if food accidentally enters the airway. Things like watermelon seeds and jelly could choke not just a child, but also an adult, and can easily be fatal. Do you recall her eating any?”

Lulu’s Mom’s breathing became rapid, her face turning pale; perhaps the doctor’s words had reminded her of similar incidents in the news, frightening her. Trembling, she said, “She can still exhale, can’t she?”

“It depends on how the foreign object is lodged in the airway. She can still breathe now because the object might not have completely blocked her airway. But the foreign object is definitely going to move downward, and human airways narrow as they descend. Eventually, the object will completely block the lower airway–at that point–”
“Ah!” Lulu’s Mom suddenly cried out, about to cry, “What am I going to do about my child?”

The villagers and Village Chief Li, among other officials, gathered around.

Lulu’s Mom, distressed and clutching Village Chief Li, said, “What should I do? I can barely understand what the doctor’s saying.”

“Don’t be afraid. She’s a reputable doctor from Guoxie; just do as she tells you,” Village Chief Li reassured her, knowing well that he, not being a doctor, could only heed the medical advice.

“Doctor, what should we do?” Lulu’s Mom turned back and asked.

Seeing the family cooperative, Xie Wanying said, “I’m not sure if the county hospital has a bronchoscope. First, go to the county hospital for a CT scan. If it confirms there’s a foreign object in the airway, transfer the child immediately to Capital Hospital.”