Chapter 116: [Extra Update] Memory Blank, Alzheimer’s Disease

Several people quietly returned inside and sat down.

Commander He sat closely beside Mrs. He. Although he said nothing, the tense emotions in his heart silently showed through.

Chu Yue sat on the other side of Mrs. He. Lu Jibao didn’t know what was going on but sensed the atmosphere was off and quietly followed Chu Yue’s side.

Chu Yue looked back at Lu Jibao and said, “Jibao, go get your handwriting practice notebook and pencil.”

“Okay.”

Lu Jibao nodded and immediately went to his small room.

Due to special reasons related to him, Lu Zhanlin stood slightly behind the others, his expression tense and worried. Over the years, Mrs. He had cared for him more than his own family. He did not want anything to happen to her.

Before officially taking the pulse, Chu Yue first conducted the four diagnostic methods of inspection, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation.

She checked Mrs. He’s complexion, tongue coating, eyes, and asked, “Have you experienced a severe decline in your eyesight recently?”

“A bit. Sometimes even with the lights on, I can’t see clearly,” Mrs. He glanced at the person beside her before speaking again to Chu Yue, “At first, I thought it was just presbyopia. After all, I’m at that age, and declining vision is normal. People do get old. But sometimes I can see clearly.”

Clear one moment, unclear the next — this was definitely not a simple eyesight problem.

Mrs. He was aware of this herself.

Upon hearing this, Commander He immediately grew anxious and urgently asked, “Why didn’t you mention this before?”

“These are small matters. You’ve been so busy with your work, it’s not worth mentioning,” Mrs. He comforted him with her words. But in Commander He’s eyes, anything related to his wife was never a small matter.

Because of Commander He’s attitude, Mrs. He developed the habit of minimizing everything and not saying much, simply so he wouldn’t worry too much.

Seeing Commander He so anxious after learning the truth, Mrs. He gently patted his knee and smiled, “When you get your old man’s cold leg pains, you don’t tell me either.”

This loving couple, neither could say who cared more — both put each other first in their hearts.

Chu Yue: We haven’t even started the diagnosis, and I already got a mouthful of love from them. What’s going on here?

Mrs. He’s words shut Commander He up, then she comforted him again, “Now it’s Ayue (Chu Yue) examining me. You should speak less, listen quietly, don’t disturb the doctor.”

Commander He, like a lion with his fur all ruffled, reluctantly obeyed.

“Ayue, continue,” Mrs. He said with a loving smile, fully aware she might be ill.

Chu Yue continued, “How is your memory recently? Do you ever suddenly forget things?”

“Sometimes. Even when I’m doing something, after a while I just forget. But I’m mostly at home these days, with nothing much to worry about, so it’s not a big problem.”

Mrs. He could reassure herself that it wasn’t serious, but everyone else around knew this was not a good sign.

Lu Jibao had already brought the pencil and notebook out. Chu Yue placed them on the tea table, “Jibao just taught you the ‘Eight-Section Brocade’ exercise. The first move is called ‘Shake Head and Wag Tail to Remove Heart Fire.’ You practiced it a few times just now. Do you still remember the exact moves? Can you draw them?”

“I’ll try…”

Saying this, Mrs. He picked up the pencil, touched it to the white paper — then stopped, no longer moving.

She frowned slightly, trying to recall, but for some reason, she only remembered exercising her body just now, and none of the movements came back to her mind.

It was a blank… a blank memory…

Commander He anxiously wanted to speak up, “The first move is to raise your hand! Raise your hand!”

This nerve-wracking silence lasted a long, long time — so long that hearts raced out of rhythm.

Finally, Chu Yue reached out and gently grasped Madam He’s palm, pulling the pencil out and setting it aside.

“It’s okay if you forget. We can still learn again later. Let’s first check your pulse.”

Chu Yue rolled up Madam He’s sleeve and placed her fingers on the spot where the pulse was strongest.

When taking the pulse, quiet is most needed.

Chu Yue closed her eyes, focusing all her attention on it. Lu Zhanlin and Commander He held their breath, even lowering their breathing sounds to the minimum.

Tick… tick… tick…

Time passed slowly.

With her eyes closed, Chu Yue felt the pulse’s beating. The sensation at her fingertips seemed to follow the meridians, deeply penetrating Madam He’s limbs, bones, and even deep into her brain.

After a long while,

Under everyone’s expectant gaze, Chu Yue finally opened her eyes.

Commander He could no longer hold back his anxiety and immediately asked, “How is it? Is she really ill? What disease is it? Is it serious?”

Madam He gently soothed him, “Changzheng, don’t be anxious. Don’t pressure Ayue so much. Let her explain slowly.”

It was the first day of the lunar new year, the start of a new year, yet for this couple who had been through thick and thin for decades, receiving such news at this moment was certainly not something to be happy about.

But Madam He’s condition had not been caught even in the hospital’s routine half-yearly check-ups. Instead, it was noticed early by Chu Yue’s careful attention to the preliminary signs, which meant the earlier it was discovered, the better for treatment.

After a brief silence, Chu Yue spoke again, “It’s Alzheimer’s disease.”

What?

What’s that?

Why does it still have a foreign name?

For a moment, Chu Yue met the confused eyes of the four people around her.

She thought for a moment and explained in another way, “It’s like deteriorating eyesight, poor memory, often forgetting things, and possibly repetitive behaviors like hiding and searching for things. These are early symptoms of the disease. If it worsens, it could develop into dementia.”

“No way! No way! Dementia usually happens at eighty or ninety years old, but Yulan is only just over sixty. How could she have dementia at such a young age?”

Yulan was Madam He’s given name, and now only Commander He still called her that.

Compared to Commander He’s anxious denial, Madam He’s usual calm was broken, showing a trace of nervousness.

Because when Chu Yue mentioned “hiding things and looking for things,” she instinctively reached into her pocket for that wallet.

Many times, the wallet was indeed on her, yet she would search the whole house for it.

Chu Yue didn’t ask about these, but she hit the nail on the head.

“Commander He, please don’t get worked up. Listen to me carefully. Madam He is still in the early stage. Since we discovered it early, treatment and intervention are possible. If treatment goes well, her condition could stay at the initial stage for decades and not worsen.”

After Chu Yue’s calm analysis, Commander He gradually calmed down.

He looked at Chu Yue and asked solemnly, “So what should we do now?”

“Go to the hospital for examinations. Large hospitals have advanced equipment for more thorough checks and more professional professors and doctors who can definitely provide better treatment plans.”

Although Chu Yue’s own studies were in traditional Chinese medicine, she did not reject Western medicine. Technology has its uses. Diseases like Alzheimer’s especially require the assistance of Western medical treatment.