Reviewer: Yuan Zhengang (Oriental Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital Affiliated to the Second Military Medical University)
On the train home, a woman in her 50s calmly told her story.
Happy families are mostly similar, unfortunate families have their own pains, and when liver cancer suddenly falls on themselves or their loved ones, no one can be truly calm and objective.
There are superstitions of ordinary people in the story, and there is also the helplessness of life, old age, illness and death. And those cold medical knowledge, I hope they can leave a deeper impression on you through the story.
First, the middle-aged fortune, the husband found out diabetes
Image source: Stand Cool Helo
There are some things that I thought would never happen to me, but fate made me unbelieving.
It was 2010, and my husband's brother died of kidney failure. When I went back to my hometown to attend the funeral, someone in the crowd whispered, "It's really strange, everyone left so early..."
That's true. Previously, my husband had 3 brothers who had died of illness one after another, none of whom had lived past the age of 32, and his father had died when he was very young. On the contrary, he, as the eldest son in the family, jumped out of the "farm gate" and settled down in the city, and he was able to live to be more than 50 years old, which was already a long life.
My husband is a student and talks about medical knowledge one by one. He usually does not smoke, only drinks some wine when he meets with friends, and does not stick to the internal organs and fat meat when eating.
But perhaps because of the lack of exercise and too good life, my husband still found out diabetes in his 40s, a little fat.
Since then, he has paid more attention to health, eating green vegetables and coarse grains every day, putting less oil and salt in cooking, trying to be as light as possible, walking after meals, and climbing the mountain every Saturday.
Although my husband and I are both highly educated people, people will know at a certain age that fear of nature and fate is the norm in life.
So one day at dinner, I mentioned it consciously or unconsciously.
"You say, do we want to do a full physical exam?"
"Really, thanks to the fact that you are still a graduate student, which one of you has been fooled by selling health care products recently, right?" Our unit has a physical examination every year, and I take my blood sugar every day, and spend all that unjust money on. ”
Seeing that I didn't speak for half a moment, my husband's expression became mild: "I know what you are worried about." Who doesn't want their family members to live a long and healthy life? Rest assured, my own body I know. ”
But I still have a bad hunch.
Second, the late physical examination report found that the liver occupied a place
Image source: Stand Cool Helo
In 2012, more than two years have passed, and my husband's blood sugar control is not bad, and he is full of red light and refreshed every day. The family's life went unexpectedly smoothly, and it was seen that the son was also working and getting married.
Just when we were about to retire and enjoy the joys of the world, a medical report once again broke the peaceful life.
It was his last physical exam at the unit. Originally, we should have got the physical examination report in January, but at that time, it was close to the Spring Festival, and we went back to our hometown in advance and did our son's happy wine together, so we did not go to get the report for a long time.
Just after going to work a few years ago, the physical examination agency called directly to remind my husband to go to the hospital for a review as soon as possible.
Open the physical examination report and look at it, it reads impressively:
Alpha fetal protein (AFP) is elevated, abdominal ultrasound found to have a low echo mass in the liver, hepatic malignancy is suspected, and hepatobiliary surgery is recommended.
"Liver cancer? Are you kidding. The husband disdainfully threw the report on the table, "I have never even had hepatitis B and C in my life, and the annual physical examination is normal, how can I get liver cancer?" ”
At first, he was resolutely reluctant to go to the hospital, and shouted that "these examinations are all pit money, and no illness is said to be a disease." At my repeated urging, he agreed to go and see it so that I could rest assured.
3. The hospital confirmed that advanced liver cancer with portal vein cancer is difficult to remove by surgery
In the crowded corridors of the hospital, I accompanied him to do enhanced CT and MRI, thinking in my heart: It will be all right, it must be a misdiagnosis...
But I still understood the "PLC" written by the doctor on the examination form, followed by an indeterminate question mark.
"Doctor, my husband is not liver cancer, right?"
"It's a bit like, you have to combine liver imaging and other tests to confirm the diagnosis."
After a round of examinations, the doctor suddenly asked me: "Are you a family member of XX?" Follow me. ”
The office was a little frighteningly quiet. The doctor gave me the report with a solemn face and slowly said the words I had always wanted to hear.
"It's liver cancer, it's advanced. Be mentally prepared. ”
There was a "buzzing" sound in my head. A nerve in the temple is hurting in the process.
No way! This is not true!
"Doctor, does my husband still have to save him?" Do you want chemotherapy or surgery? You must save him Doctor! ”
"I'm sorry, but your husband's tumor has grown into the portal vein trunk, blocking the blood vessels, and it is difficult to cut clean." Now you can only treat conservatively, at most three months, and your family will accompany him on his last journey. ”
I stood still, my heart pounding as if something had hit me.
If I had done the physical examination earlier, if...
Although I knew that this was just my wishful thinking, it would come eventually.
Yet the reality was far harsher than I thought.
The doctor prescribed a bunch of drugs, and the thought of "there are still medicines to cure" seemed to be relieved.
I tried to calm my mood, carrying the line of collusion with the doctor in advance: "Husband, it's okay, just the doctor said, you are a fatty liver caused by diabetes and obesity, a little cirrhosis, not liver cancer." ”
He was stunned, but turned to smile with relief: "I just said that I can't get liver cancer." ”
"I'm sad to death, and you're still laughing." I looked at him with disgust, "The doctor said that cirrhosis is dangerous, and you have to promise me that you can't drink alcohol again." ”
However, when he saw the medicine prescribed by the doctor, he frowned again, like a kite line that suddenly tightened, and raised my heart to the throat again.
"You always treat yourself as a doctor." The doctor said that this medicine is to treat cirrhosis and liver protection, so it naturally has his reason for opening, and it will not harm you. ”
I looked away, trying to avoid his sharp gaze.
Fourth, the truth surfaced, diabetes may be one of the "culprits" of liver cancer
Image source: Stand Cool Helo
But there are some things that can't be hidden after a long time.
One day, he went to the hospital for an infusion as usual, and the doctor on duty chatted with him, and he didn't know why he suddenly talked about liver transplantation.
"You have liver ascites now, why don't you consider changing your liver?" Some patients with cirrhosis and ascites change their liver just like normal people. ”
"Liver swap? I don't think I'm that far yet, right? ”
Hearing this, my heart clucked a little, and I quickly looked at the doctor.
The husband opened the mobile phone and checked the Internet, and his face suddenly sank: "You guys, is there something hiding from me?" ”
It was then that I realized how pale white lies were in the face of illness.
My husband's body trembled slightly, but he didn't speak, just looked out the window fixedly. In the middle of the night, he roared coldly, "Lord, you open your eyes and see!" Give Lao Tzu a good man not a long life, do not want to be so desperate!! Not a single one!! ”
He seemed to remember my previous worries, and looked at me as if I wanted to say something, but he didn't open his mouth.
"Doctor, I don't understand. I didn't have any symptoms before, and I wasn't a hepatitis B carrier, so how did I become a terminal liver cancer? ”
"It could be caused by diabetes. You have type 2 diabetes and have a 2 to 3 times higher risk of liver cancer than the average person. Diabetes can lead to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, which then progresses to liver cancer. Some people abroad have also found that these two diseases have common genetic defects. The doctor sighed slightly, "And the early symptoms of liver cancer are very hidden, and many patients are found in the late stage, unless your tumor grows very large at the beginning." ”
Why is there an increased risk of liver cancer in people with diabetes?
"So how much hope do I have if my husband has a liver transplant?"
"Liver transplantation can prolong the life of liver cancer patients, but the specific effect varies from person to person, and it is best to do it early."
Do you know the actor who played Wu Yousi in "Daming Palace Words"? At that time, like you, the cancer was stuck in the portal vein, and he tried every means, found the best doctor, and even underwent two complete liver replacement surgeries, and finally the metastasis recurred. ”
Five, 39 days, the heaviest farewell
In the weeks that followed, my husband seemed to be dozens of years older.
I watched with my own eyes as he grew thinner, skinny to the bone. Every time I wiped himself, the circle of protruding ribs on my chest made me unbearable.
When my husband left, his eyes were wide open, and his consciousness was unconscious. I cried heart-wrenching.
From the time liver cancer was diagnosed to his death, it was exactly 39 days.
And the day after he left, it was the Qingming Festival.
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