"What? You mean, I can throw away the urine bag and urinate on my own?"
Zhu Jun was half lying on the hospital bed, looking at Director Wu opposite with surprise and joy.
Director Wu smiled and nodded, trying to explain as easily as possible: "Yes, but there are three steps."
"First, artificial bladder transplantation, then skin-spinal-bladder nerve reflex arc reconstruction surgery, you can urinate through leg skin stimulation, and finally a mouth control device, you can control urination independently."
Zhu Jun seemed to understand, but he was still so excited that his voice trembled: "As long as I can get rid of the urine bag and no longer be suffocated to death by urine, I can do anything you want."
During these nine years of paralyzed life, the most painful thing for him was not the inability to walk freely, but the incontinence of urine and feces.
This problem has tortured him for nine years and even sent him to hell countless times. If you want to ask him what his biggest demand is now, it is definitely not to be able to walk freely immediately, but to restore urinary and intestinal function.
After all, he is in a wheelchair and can already go out for a walk.
Even while lying in bed, you can communicate with netizens from all over the country through mouth-controlled devices.
Only this lower body problem has always been a pain in his heart.
If he continued, he, a living person, might actually be suffocated to death in a physical sense.
You know, kidney failure caused by complications of the urinary system has always been the number one killer of paraplegic patients.
Generally speaking, paraplegic patients will not die at that time, but will often live for several to more than ten years under the care of their family members.
But in the end, after a long period of time, 75-90% of paraplegic patients will die from urinary tract infections, renal failure and other urinary system complications.
During this process, they endured the pain caused by urinary incontinence for a long time, and gradually developed from urinary tract infection and bladder atrophy to hydronephrosis, renal failure, and finally faced the sickle of death.
It can be said that as long as Zhu Jun's bladder can urinate independently, it will not only be a matter of getting rid of the urine bag, but also greatly improving the quality of life.
Instead, it is completely 80% more vitality.
80%!
A 30% chance of survival is already worth fighting for.
Let alone 80%, that is to directly save a life.
Zhu Jun and his family have learned the truth clearly through the Internet and doctors over the past nine years.
That's why he was so excited, as if he had grasped a life-saving straw, no, a lifebuoy.
Director Wu understood the patient's mood at the moment very well, and then explained the principles of the operation and precautions in detail.
"The artificial bladder transplant will be performed by me personally. Tomorrow I will arrange a puncture of the bladder to collect the cell tissue. It will take about a month to culture it. Since it is a part of bladder tissue, the culture will be faster. You can wait here with peace of mind. "
"The nerve reflex arc reconstruction surgery was originally supposed to be performed by Dr. Jane from the neurosurgery department, but she recently went on maternity leave, so it was a bit troublesome."
"But Dr. Jian recommended Dr. Hou from Hai Changzheng Hospital. It is said that he has done bladder reconstruction surgery in this area and has rich experience. I think he should be invited to do the flying knife."
Zhu Jun suddenly interrupted and asked: "Doctor Jian, are you the boss lady of Sanqing?"
Director Wu chuckled: "You also know this. It seems that your kid usually reads gossip news online."
Zhu Jun smiled sheepishly: "I heard that Dr. Jian is a kind-hearted person. I was thinking that it would be great if I had the opportunity to meet him."
Director Wu laughed loudly: "Yes, you are a young man with a very good attitude, sunny and cheerful, and you also know how to look at beautiful women, which shows that you have a very positive attitude towards life."
"Young man, you are still young. When you finish the operation, have you considered finding a girlfriend and starting a family?"
When Zhu Jun heard this, his face instantly turned red and he said in a voice as loud as a mosquito: "Well, I had a girlfriend a few years ago, but due to physical reasons, I couldn't make it to the end."
"Then I thought, since I can't take care of myself every day, I shouldn't delay this girl, so I stopped thinking about it."
Having said this, he smiled self-deprecatingly: "Didn't the doctor say before that I would live for at most fifteen years? Now nine years have passed, and there are only five or six years left before I die. In this little time, I still want to spend time with my family." Bar."
After saying these words, the atmosphere in the ward became a little more solemn.
Zhu Ming was originally giggling on the side, happy for his younger brother, but he also fell silent at this moment.
As for the mothers, they kept wiping away tears.
Director Wu laughed dryly and said, "Hey, why did you start saying these depressing words just after praising you for your good attitude? Look, isn't your situation getting better and better now?"
"Think about it. In the past, you had urinary tract infections and you had to go to the hospital every three days. But with the nano pills, the infection was under control."
"Now that your bladder has atrophied, isn't there an artificial bladder or nerve reflex arc surgery to rebuild your bladder function?"
"Moreover, the neurology department has said that bladder function and intestinal function are closely related and influence each other. When your bladder function improves, your intestinal function will also improve, and you can take care of yourself."
"In this way, apart from being in a wheelchair and unable to move, he is not much different from other healthy young men."
"Besides, don't you still have a mouth control device? You can still chat with people."
"Your sunny, cheerful, positive and persevering attitude is still very attractive."
Zhu Jun's eyes suddenly lit up when he heard these words: "That's right. The technologies you mentioned, such as nano pills and artificial bladders, are all changes brought about by Sanqing. In the future, they will definitely be able to develop new technologies to improve my health." The condition makes my paralyzed life less uncomfortable.”
Director Wu nodded repeatedly: "That's very good. This person must look at the problem from a development perspective."
"The world is constantly evolving, and so is medical technology. Who knows if new technologies will be developed in a few years that can make your life better."
"For example, the brain-computer interface technology that is very popular now. It is said that foreign countries can already allow monkeys to play games through consciousness. China will definitely follow suit. When it reaches the clinical stage, it will definitely be of great benefit to paralysis patients."
"At that time, maybe you can do a lot of things just by wearing a brain-controlled device. With just a thought, you can type and play games on computers and mobile phones, drive wheelchairs to move freely, and even go out for fun."
Brain-computer interface technology liberates limbs. This is a future that Zhu Jun never thought of.
Listening to Director Wu's words, I imagined myself wearing a helmet, sitting in a wheelchair, relying on my thoughts, walking around, seeing the scenery of the motherland, and fulfilling my wish for many years.
His nose suddenly became sore, and hot tears welled up.
"Director Wu, if that day comes, I will die in peace."
****
In the days that followed, he began a long wait.
One month later, the artificial bladder was transplanted.
Half a month later, the new bladder and the original shrunken bladder grew together seamlessly.
After all, he is a young person, his body's regeneration ability is relatively strong, and his blood vessels and nerves grow very well.
Later, he was pushed into the operating room again.
The bladder reflex arc reconstruction surgery is very complex. The doctor needs to have an in-depth understanding of both urology and neurosurgery, as well as the hands-on ability of a neurosurgery expert to perform the surgery.
Because this operation requires opening the spinal cord cavity and selecting one from a large number of nerve fibers for surgery. In particular, nerve transposition and anastomosis must be performed near the spinal nerve root, which is far away from the nerve target organ. Not only is the operation difficult, but the patient is also Recovery is not easy either.
The surgeon needs to use a surgical magnifying glass to perform microscopic nerve anastomosis surgery, and the suturing technique requires very precise techniques to achieve the surgical expectations.
If you are a urologist, you don’t understand nerves at all, and you don’t know how to pick out the required nerves in the bones.
A simple neurosurgeon does not understand urology, does not know which nerves are responsible for the bladder, and does not know the condition of the patient's bladder before surgery.
Generally speaking, a team of urologists and surgical doctors is required to perform joint operations.
Fortunately, although this surgical idea is cutting-edge, it is not unique. Doctors from some hospitals in China are also conducting research on this topic.
Dr. Hou from Haishi has been engaged in microsurgery for decades, specializing in bladder reconstruction surgery. He has rich experience in this area and was invited to perform the surgery.
He optimized the original surgical idea based on the patient's actual condition.
The use of epidural anastomosis of the anterior and posterior roots of the spinal nerves to reconstruct the urinary reflex arc not only shortens the distance of nerve regeneration, but also reduces the risk of complications after opening the dura mater. It achieves precise anastomosis of the anterior and posterior roots of the spinal nerves, reduces the difficulty of the operation, and makes the patient more comfortable. Easier to recover.
When Zhu Jun woke up from the anesthetic, Director Wu was already waiting in front of the bed.
He looked at Zhu Jun with a smile and said, "Your operation was very successful. Not only was the bladder function rebuilt, but the intestinal function should also be improved."
"Because the somatic nerve fibers used in the surgery will act on the pelvic ganglion after regeneration. In addition to controlling the bladder, the pelvic ganglion can also control the rectum, so in theory it can improve defecation and defecation at the same time."
"You should be able to remove the catheter soon and say goodbye to the urine bag that has been with you for 9 years."
Zhu Jun was suddenly so excited that tears filled his eyes, and there were thousands of words in his heart that could not be expressed at the moment.
I could only say "thank you" with choked sobs.
"The next period of time is very critical. You need to practice hard to form regular urination."
"You can't feel the urge to urinate yet. You need to urinate regularly every day. When the time comes, ask your family members to tap on the Achilles tendon, which is the location of the heel. I circled it for you with a pen."
"You may have to experiment with the strength, because the skin's reaction to the pressure is transmitted to the bladder. There is a process. It will be fine once you get used to it."
"Every day's postoperative conditions should be recorded in detail and provided to us as follow-up records. That's pretty much it."
"In short, I sincerely wish you to abandon the urine bag as soon as possible and cure urinary incontinence."
Director Wu explained in detail the postoperative precautions and some details, and then left.
Leaving behind a family of three immersed in joy.
After a while, Zhu Ming came over, lifted his brother's right foot, and carefully touched the heel, with a curious expression on his face.
"Xiaojun, do you think this is really that magical?"
The mothers also came over, touched their sons' abdomen, and said, "Hey, my belly is a little bloated. Do you need to pee?"
It had been several hours since Zhu Jun woke up after the operation, and it was indeed time to urinate.
Zhu Jun nodded: "Brother, give it a try and pay attention to your strength. Director Wu has said that you should do it lightly first and then harder. It is best to tap..."
Before he finished speaking, a stream of bright yellow liquid spurted out and flowed into the urine bag along the catheter.
Zhu Ming was stunned immediately: "I haven't exerted much force yet."
The mothers on the side cried with joy: "God bless, Xiaojun can finally pee by himself."
Zhu Jun corrected him: "Mom, it's still far from enough. I still need help from others to pee now."
The mothers pretended not to hear and rushed up, looking eager to try: "Come on, let me try too."
Zhu Ming couldn't laugh or cry and said: "Mom, I just finished urinating. Just wait until next time. I'll let you come next time."
After all the hard talk, the reluctant mothers were persuaded to leave.
In the following days, Zhu Jun urinated on time every day, 3-5 times a day, about 300 ml each time.
It's much better than when he used a catheter before.
Before, he would urinate dozens of ml every time, no more than 100ml each time, and he would urinate at least a dozen times a day. Although the total amount was not much different, in terms of experience, it was a world of difference.
He couldn't urinate completely at a time of tens of milliliters, and urine flowed out at every turn. The smell and feeling made him very uncomfortable.
But now, as long as he performs the operation at a fixed time every day, he can pee heartily.
The transition from hell to earth was completed in an instant.
Apart from the fact that he still needs help from his family and cannot be completely controlled by himself, it doesn't seem to be much different from before he was paralyzed.
In this way, after a week, Zhu Jun was completely accustomed to this new way of urinating.
On this day, when the nurse removed the catheter and the urine bag.
On Zhu Ming's face, which had been filled with sadness for many years, the corners of his mouth turned up unconsciously, and a bright smile gradually appeared.
He looked at his brother and mother, and hope and confidence in life once again emerged in his heart.
"It's just too troublesome for them. They have to do such a simple thing. It would be great if I could do it myself."
An idea flashed in his mind. He wished he could grow a long tentacle like the monster in the movie, so that he could replace his brother and mother every day and perform the function of pressing the heels.
It really doesn't work, even if it grows a phantom limb.
Just when he was sighing in his heart.
Tuk-tuk-tuk!
Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
Looking up, Director Wu appeared at the door with a strange man.
The man has a neat crew cut and is carrying a toolbox in his hand. He looks to be in his 40s, but his eyes are clear and rare for this age.
When he saw Zhu Jun on the hospital bed, he immediately nodded and showed a friendly smile.
Zhu Jun's family looked at each other, unsure of where this person was.
Director Wu coughed lightly and introduced in a solemn tone.
"Zhu Jun, do you remember what I said before that Sanqing Group will make you a mouth control device to control urination independently?"
"This is Mr. Wang of Sanqing Group, R&D Director of the Medical Device Division. His artificial heart project has brought new life to countless heart failure patients."
"Today, he came specifically to make that mouth control device for you."
When Zhu Jun and the other three heard this, they were stunned for a moment.
The three of them never expected that the R&D director of such a large group as Sanqing could come to their door and tailor-make a trivial thing for themselves.
