"That black line on your child’s gums is a clear sign of poisoning."
Li Xu spoke in a serious tone, pointing to the boy’s gums. "Look for yourself. This distinct blue-black line is a classic sign of lead poisoning. That’s why the ’normal’ on the report is what’s really problematic."
"Well..."
Zhang Yue i saw Li Xu’s solemn expression, and the faint, yet jarring, black line on the edge of her son’s gums suddenly seed much more prominent.
She was torn.
She was more inclined to believe the results of the "scientific instrunts," but she also felt what Li Xu said made so sense.
"I... I’ll think about it so more."
In the end, Zhang Yue i didn’t let Li Xu prescribe any dicine.
Holding her son, she left the clinic.
Back at ho, her son, exhausted, fell into a deep sleep.
Zhang Yue i started preparing lunch.
As she cooked,
she couldn’t stop thinking about what Li Xu had said.
On a strange impulse, she picked up her phone, opened a web browser, and typed in the words "black line on gums, lead poisoning."
The search results were overwhelming.
A flood of dical articles, forum posts, and even clinical case studies all corroborated what Li Xu had said.
Among them, several articles clearly stated:
"One of the classic signs of lead poisoning is the appearance of a blue-black or gray-black deposit line on the gum margin, commonly known as a ’lead line.’ This is caused by lead combining with hydrogen sulfide in the oral cavity, forming lead sulfide that deposits in the capillaries of the gums."
The descriptions of other symptoms were even more frighteningly consistent with her son’s condition:
"In children, the early symptoms of lead poisoning are not typical and are easily overlooked. Common signs include abdominal pain, constipation, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. Long-term chronic poisoning can lead to nervous system damage, manifesting as poor concentration, decreased learning ability, mory loss, hyperactivity, and delayed intellectual developnt."
Zhang Yue i’s heart instantly sank.
Every word online struck her heart like a sledgehamr.
’Is it really lead poisoning?’
She couldn’t sit still any longer.
She tiptoed to her son’s bedside.
She gently pulled back his lips again,
revealing the faint blue-black line along his gums.
She made up her mind. Today, she would take her son to the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese dicine and get to the bottom of this.
"Chao, Chao, wake up. Mommy’s taking you to the hospital."
Zhang Yue i gently shook her son awake.
Liu Chao groggily opened his eyes, rubbing them. "Mommy, my tummy hurts again..."
"It’s okay, sweetie. Mommy is taking you to get your tummy treated. Once it’s fixed, it won’t hurt anymore."
Zhang Yue i fought back the ache in her heart and forced a smile.
To make sure her son had the strength to go to the hospital,
Zhang Yue i specially made his favorite egg noodles and coaxed him into eating a few bites.
As soon as Liu Chao finished lunch, she wasted no ti, hailing a taxi and rushing him straight to the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese dicine.
The City Hospital of Traditional Chinese dicine was bustling with people, and a long line had ford at the registration desk.
Holding her child, Zhang Yue i finally managed to get a registration number for the general internal dicine departnt.
It was already afternoon by the ti it was their turn.
The consulting doctor was Lin Guorui from the internal dicine departnt, an experienced attending physician in his forties.
Hu Qiming, a junior doctor, was sitting next to Lin Guorui, observing and learning.
Holding her son, Zhang Yue i sat down
and described his symptoms.
She also ntioned the "lead line on the gums" that Li Xu had told her about.
Lin Guorui listened, carefully observing Liu Chao.
His complexion and energy levels were very poor.
He gestured for Liu Chao to open his mouth, and Hu Qiming leaned in curiously to get a look.
Sure enough, a faint blue-black line was clearly visible on the edge of Liu Chao’s gums.
Lin Guorui’s expression instantly grew serious.
"Yes, Ms. Zhang, this ’lead line on the gums’ you ntioned is indeed a classic sign of lead poisoning."
Lin Guorui nodded at Hu Qiming, signaling him to observe carefully.
Seeing that the doctor at the Hospital of Traditional Chinese dicine had also confird the sign, Zhang Yue i’s doubts were completely dispelled, leaving only panic.
"Dr. Lin, then... then what do we do? Does my son really have lead poisoning?"
"We need to run further tests to confirm the diagnosis."
As he spoke, Lin Guorui ordered a series of tests on his computer, including blood lead level, a complete blood count, and liver and kidney function tests. He printed out the order forms and handed them to Zhang Yue i. "Go get these tests done first. The blood lead level is especially crucial for a definitive diagnosis."
"By the way, has he eaten today?"
"Yes, he has."
Lin Guorui sighed with so resignation. "So of these tests require fasting. Eating beforehand will affect the accuracy of the results. You’ll have to co back tomorrow morning on an empty stomach."
Zhang Yue i was very anxious.
But she also knew that many blood tests required fasting.
There was nothing she could do about it.
All they could do was wait.
Just as she was about to leave,
Lin Guorui asked again, "Ms. Zhang, you ntioned just now that it was a Dr. Li Xu who suggested your child might have lead poisoning?"
Zhang Yue i nodded. "Yes, Dr. Li Xu from Li’s Traditional Chinese dicine Clinic. He saw the black line on my son’s gums and said it might be lead poisoning, telling to co to a major hospital for a check-up. But we were examined at the Second Hospital before, and all the results were normal..."
She then briefly recounted her experiences at Li Xu’s clinic and the Second Hospital.
After she finished, Lin Guorui nodded thoughtfully. "Dr. Li Xu’s skills are quite high. It’s not surprising that he could spot the signs of lead poisoning at a glance."
’But... why didn’t the Second Hospital detect it?’
He was a bit perplexed.
But he didn’t dwell on it.
’We’ll see when the blood test results co out tomorrow.’
’Perhaps I’m the one who misjudged.’
Lead poisoning causes a black gum line, but a black gum line doesn’t always an lead poisoning.
...
Early the next morning, Zhang Yue i brought her son to the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese dicine.
This ti, Liu Chao had strictly fasted, and they were finally able to draw his blood successfully. It was sent to the lab for a blood lead level test.
In the laboratory, the technicians skillfully operated the equipnt.
When the results of Liu Chao’s blood lead level ca in, everyone was stunned.
The report showed that Liu Chao’s blood lead level far exceeded the normal range, reaching the level of severe poisoning.
The head of the laboratory gasped.
"This level is too high," the lab director said. "Contact the patient’s attending physician imdiately."
Heavy tal poisoning isn’t an ordinary illness. Lead poisoning in children, in particular, is a matter of public health and safety that must be reported imdiately.
The lab director imdiately called Lin Guorui.
When Lin Guorui heard the results, his expression changed drastically.
He imdiately realized the gravity of the situation. This wasn’t a simple case, but a public health incident that required imdiate reporting. He rose hastily and rushed straight to the dean’s office.
After hearing Lin Guorui’s report, Dean Song’s expression turned grim.
This was no small matter.
If it were just an isolated case of lead poisoning, handling it would be relatively simple.
But the problem was that the patient had been tested at the Second Hospital before, and the results were "all normal."
This suggested that the Second Hospital had either concealed the truth or had serious problems with its testing procedures.
Whichever it was, if this got out, it would trigger a massive public outcry and could even implicate the entire dical system of Feng City.
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