A Chinese man has been living in a bent position for 28 years, and doctors are comparing the surgery to straighten him out to be like climbing Mount Everest. But it's only thanks to it that the Chinese man saw the sky for the first time in a long time.
Due to ankylosing spondylitis, Li Huan's body from Hunan Province was in a very unusual position - his chin touched his chest, his sternum rested on his pubic bone, and his face was less than three centimeters from his thighs.
The first signs of the disease appeared in Lee at the age of 18. Then the doctors mistakenly diagnosed him with arthritis and lost valuable time. By the time they managed to make the correct diagnosis, the disease had already progressed greatly. The doctors only shrugged, not knowing how to help the “bent” patient.
Li Huang lived in this helpless state for 28 years. He was completely dependent on his mother, who helped him eat, wash and dress. In her desperation, the Chinese woman took her son to various clinics, paid money for his treatment, but it did not give any results.
The woman thought only one thing: "What if I die suddenly? Who will take care of my son?"
Finally, in June 2020, Li Juana was examined by the head of the spine surgery department at Shenzhen University General Hospital, Tao Huiren.
Despite her impressive experience, this was the first time she had encountered such a serious case. The doctor was shocked by the patient's appearance and how long he had been in this position - touching his face with his thigh.
Due to the constant compression of the skin between the thighs and the sternum, a festering wound formed on Lee's abdomen, which took more than a month to heal.
It was decided that the treatment would be carried out in four stages. During the first operation in August, doctors increased the distance between Lee's face and his legs by breaking the necks of both thighs.
This part of the job turned out to be quite simple, but it was not without difficulties - because of the "folded" position, the doctors had to make a lot of effort to connect Lee to an artificial respiration apparatus, and he had to be intubated through the nose - without any anesthesia and fully conscious.
To prepare for this crucial moment, on which the entire operation depended, the man “opened” his airway for two weeks by inflating balloons. The process was complex and risky, and when everything was successful, the doctors and nurses applauded.
Two weeks after the first surgery, Dr. Tao performed a second one. This time, surgeons fractured several cervical vertebrae to elevate Lee's head. A metal frame was inserted into Lee's spine for strength.
This part of the treatment was the riskiest. One wrong move and the man would be paralyzed for life.
Fortunately, the surgery was successful and the man was able to look into his mother's eyes for the first time in two decades.
Three more weeks passed and Lee found himself back in the operating room. The surgeons' task was to straighten his upper back, which now resembled the letter C. More fractures and pins followed.
And again, victory: after many years of suffering, Lee finally fell asleep, standing up in bed. For more than 20 years, the Chinese man slept on his side, a position that put a lot of pressure on his lungs. Sometimes he couldn't sleep at all - he couldn't breathe.
The final, fourth surgery took place in October 2020. Doctors fitted Lee with artificial hip joints so he could stand and move a little.
A week after the procedure, the man, with the support of the medical staff, took his first steps. Of course, it was not easy for him. From weakness, his head was spinning and his legs were bending. But Lee was happy. He walked four meters on his own. Could he have dreamed of this a year ago?
Dr. Hiuren did the impossible. She took many risks, but in the end everything ended well.
Lee later underwent another surgery, this time on his abdomen. The organ suffered greatly from the constant use of painkillers.
Lee, who is now undergoing rehabilitation in his native Hunan, is very grateful to Shenzhen University Hospital and personally to Dr. Tao for returning him to normal life.
"After all these surgeries, I feel like a newborn," says the Chinese man.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment