Dr. Herbert put down his coffee and answered the phone on the table.
Ling Hong, who was on the other side of the world, heaved a sigh of relief. He calmed down and said, "Hello, I'm Gerner. I made an appointment to consult about pancreatic cancer a week ago."
"Yes, I know. I remember. Hello, I'm Dr. Herbert." Herbert nodded.
When Ling Hong heard Herbert's voice, the nervousness in his heart faded a little. In fact, it wasn't Ling Hong's fault.
Herbert was just too famous. His research on pancreatic cancer was also world-renowned. It was very difficult to invite him.
"Here's the thing. I have a female friend who has pancreatic cancer. When she was found, it was already in the late stage. At that time, the examination said that she still had about two months to go." Ling Hong's English was very fluent.
Both his pronunciation and words were very American. Herbert could understand him very well. However, Ling Hong still tried to explain Ruan Xiaoqing's situation as briefly as possible.
"I'm sorry, please continue," Herbert said.
"Okay. Although we can't be sure since the examination, it has definitely been more than two months," Ling Hong said after taking a deep breath.
"That means the treatment is doing well. You should feel lucky," Herbert said.
"Yes, I'm very lucky, but I actually don't see her actively cooperating with the treatment." There was a vague helplessness in Ling Hong's voice.
"That's not very good," Herbert said.
"It's like this. Her current symptoms include back and abdominal pain, and weight loss. However, there are no symptoms of jaundice. I don't see vomiting, constipation, or black stools." Ling Hong kept talking about Ruan Xiaoqing's symptoms.
"But she seems to be in good spirits and seems optimistic," Ling Hong continued.
"Okay, you know we don't have much time. Why don't you send me a fax or email about your friend's case? I think it will help me understand the condition faster. Don't you think so?" Herbert suggested sincerely.
"After all, there are many types of pancreatic cancer. You need to know different things for different types," Herbert said.
Ling Hong listened to Herbert's serious suggestion, but he looked down at the documents on his desk and remained silent for a few seconds.
Even though this half an hour had cost him a huge favor, and every minute and second was precious, Ling Hong still didn't say anything.
After a while, when Herbert frowned, Ling Hong spoke again, "I'm really sorry, but I don't have her medical record. I don't think I'll be able to get it for the time being."
"Then I'm sorry, I don't think I can help you." Herbert's brows furrowed even tighter, but he still spoke directly.
"No, Dr. Herbert, you can do it," Ling Hong said confidently.
"Heh, lad, I do have some research on pancreatic cancer, but I'm not God. I can't diagnose you out of thin air." Herbert couldn't help but laugh.
"I know, Dr. Herbert. I'm here today to know if advanced pancreatic cancer can be cured," Ling Hong said in a low voice.
However, before Herbert could answer, Ling Hong spoke again, "I'm talking about cases like hers."
"Heh, lad, you know I don't have a medical record, and I don't know if your friend has undergone surgery. I also don't know if your friend's pancreatic cancer has metastasized. I don't even know what type of pancreatic cancer your friend has, so I don't know." It was rare for Herbert to speak so quickly.
"Also, from your tone, you've done your homework on pancreatic cancer. In that case, you should know that advanced pancreatic cancer can only last for three months at most if it's not treated, and that's assuming the patient's body is in good condition," Herbert continued.
However, Ling Hong didn't care about the dissatisfaction in Herbert's tone at all. He explained seriously, "According to my observations, she should have cancer at the tail of the pancreas. She hasn't undergone surgery, and the metastasis is unknown. However, it might have compressed the celiac nerve, which is why her back hurts."
Herbert, who was listening on the other end of the phone, couldn't help but roll his eyes. After all, Ling Hong's request sounded like he was asking him to make a remote diagnosis, which he couldn't do.
"It's like this, Gner. I suggest that you either send me your friend's recent medical record or bring her to my hospital for a full examination. Otherwise, I can't give you the answer you want," Herbert emphasized again.
"Yes, Dr. Herbert, I understand what you're saying. One last question," Ling Hong replied and asked another question.
"Alright, you have ten minutes left," Herbert reminded him after checking the time.
Herbert's reminder clearly told Ling Hong that he only had ten minutes to ask questions.
"She has a good appetite. She can eat about two-thirds of an ordinary person's food. If she keeps eating like that and has enough nutrition, she can live longer," Ling Hong said.
"What do you mean by an ordinary person's food intake?" Herbert asked curiously.
The pancreas was, in fact, the second largest digestive gland in the human body. The functions of the pancreas included exocrine and endocrine functions.
The pancreas could produce pancreatic fluid as an exocrine function, while the islet cells in the pancreas could produce insulin, glucagon, and other substances as an endocrine function.
Moreover, the pancreas was located behind the stomach, between the first and second lumbar vertebrae and the posterior wall of the abdomen.
Therefore, if there was a problem with such an organ, it would definitely cause a disorder in the digestive system. Losing weight and having difficulty eating were the basic symptoms of pancreatic cancer.
Humans were also very strange animals. No matter what kind of illness they had, they could live longer as long as they could eat. However, once they couldn't eat, they wouldn't be far from God's call.
That was why Herbert was doubtful of Ling Hong's claim that the pancreas could eat two-thirds of an ordinary person's food intake.
"It's a healthy ordinary person's food intake," Ling Hong said with certainty.
"That's strange. With your shallow understanding, you should also know that pancreatic cancer is difficult to swallow no matter what kind of food it is. I would like to ask if you have any special supplementary treatment?" Herbert asked with great interest.
He wasn't being sarcastic when he said that he had a shallow understanding. It was because most people who didn't have specialized knowledge would be considered shallow. However, his words sounded like an attack.
Eating was a big problem, and it was even more difficult to get pancreatic cancer patients to eat.
Upon hearing this question, Ling Hong fell silent again. He recalled how Ruan Xiaoqing couldn't swallow her food when he brought her out for a meal at the Asia-Pacific Exchange when Yuan Zhou went to the Asia-Pacific Exchange.
To be honest, even though Ruan Xiaoqing tried her best to eat, she only ate one-fifth of her usual food. It could be said that she only tasted it.
"There's no special treatment. It's because it's delicious," Ling Hong answered with certainty as he thought about Yuan Zhou's cooking.
"Huh?" Herbert was dumbfounded.
…
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