Chapter 201 Childbirth Injuries
Because Li San Niang smelled a very obvious odor of urine, which was coming from Granny Cai.
Sure enough, according to what Granny Cai and the old woman next to her said, Granny Cai had been unable to control her urination since the year before last.
In layman's terms, it's called wetting your pants; in professional terms, it's called urinary incontinence.
Although they were wealthy and had plenty of clothes to change into, and servants to attend to them, even if they changed clothes promptly and cleaned themselves thoroughly, they would still always have a lingering smell of urine.
Therefore, Grandma Cai used a strong fragrance to cover it up.
But actually, if you get close, the strong floral scent mixed with the faint smell of urine makes you want to vomit.
"Grandma Cai, could you lift your clothes so I can take a look?"
Grandma Cai had only sought out Li San Niang for treatment because Li San Niang was a female doctor, so she naturally wouldn't refuse what Li San Niang said.
"My old woman is filthy, please forgive her, female doctor."
The old maid and another younger woman who had arrived but hadn't spoken yet helped Granny Cai take off her clothes. Qiu Xiang also consciously pulled up the curtain, creating a separate little space inside, isolated from the outside world.
Li San Niang put on a mask, washed her hands in a wooden basin on a shelf, dried them, rubbed them until they weren't cold, and then put on the white cotton gloves that she had ordered from Qiu Niangzi that fit her hands well.
After having Qiu Xiang tie the gloves that went all the way up to her upper arm, Li San Niang told Granny Cai that she was going to go see the **.
Li San Niang's meticulous approach made Granny Cai realize that coming to see this female doctor was absolutely the right decision.
Otherwise, how could one possibly discuss such a serious illness in detail with male doctors, let alone perform an examination?
Even though Granny Cai was over fifty years old, the old doctors who treated her were about the same age. In the past, it was just the old women around her who relayed Granny Cai's symptoms, and then the old doctors would prescribe medicine.
No matter how much medicine I take, my condition hasn't improved.
It wasn't until rumors began circulating on the streets that the first female doctor in Chang'an had killed a villain that they noticed there was actually a female doctor.
Later, the story of Li San Niang encountering villains on the street and sewing up someone's intestines at a wine shop was spread by seven or eight shopkeepers on that street while they were gossiping together.
Granny Cai heard such juicy news from her servants and that's when she decided to seek treatment from Li San Niang.
Grandma Cai wanted to come, but the young woman who accompanied her, Cai Niangzi, initially disagreed.
Hearing the rumors, Cai Niangzi felt that Li San Niang, who was capable of killing villains, must be a ruthless woman and not a good person. She should not associate with her, otherwise she might get into trouble.
In the end, it was Cai Niangzi who noticed that Cai Apo was not eating well and could not sleep at night. She felt that she was getting old and had contracted such a wretched illness. She didn't even dare to get close to her grandchildren for fear of being disliked by her sons.
Seeing her in pain, Cai Niangzi thought, "Alright, I'd better go see this female doctor. It would be a relief for Grandma Cai."
However, now that Cai Niangzi was standing to the side, looking at Li San Niang's smooth and meticulous manner, she had a slightly different opinion of Li San Niang. She felt that no matter what kind of person Li San Niang was, her attitude towards patients was really good.
After a careful examination, Li San Niang could tell that Granny Cai had definitely given birth multiple times in her early years and had done heavy physical labor for a considerable period of time.
Grandma Cai not only suffers from urinary incontinence, but she also has grade II severe uterine prolapse.
Part of it has already prolapsed out of the abdominal cavity and is protruding outside the body.
While examining her, Li San Niang asked Granny Cai when she first gave birth, how many children she had in total, the intervals between births, and when her period stopped.
After hearing Granny Cai's answer, it was indeed exactly what Li San Niang had guessed.
"I got married after I came of age, and gave birth to my eldest son at sixteen. My first husband died in an accident. I married my second husband with my eldest son in tow, and gave birth to two sons and a daughter in five years. I gave birth to my youngest son when I was thirty. I think my period ended about seven or eight years ago, but I don't remember very clearly."
“Grandma Cai, this protruding part that looks like a ball is your uterus. It’s because you had multiple births when you were young and didn’t recover well, which is why it’s showing at this age.”
I'll wipe it clean with a damp cloth and then help you put it back on. It might be a little uncomfortable; if it hurts, please call out to me, Grandma.
Li San Niang took the cloth dampened with cooled boiled water handed to her by Qiu Xiang, gently wiped away the prolapsed uterus of Granny Cai, and then skillfully helped her push it back into the abdominal cavity.
During this process, Grandma Cai did not cry out, but judging from her facial expression, she must have been in some discomfort and pain. However, she was probably used to enduring it as an elderly person, so she kept quiet.
After everything was settled and everyone sat down, Li San Niang noticed that Granny Cai had a layer of fine sweat on her forehead.
“Grandma Cai, I’ve put it back for you this time. If you’re not careful, it might fall out again. Judging from your clothes, you must be well-off. So we can cut some new cloth and use soft, fine cotton to make this style,” Li San Niang said, turning the pattern she had drawn upside down to show the three of them.
Li San Niang drew the shape of the most common modern briefs. "Wearing these kinds of briefs can alleviate Grandma's symptoms. However, the finished briefs must be boiled in boiling water for half an hour and then sun-dried for half an hour to make them clean."
Cai Niangzi stepped forward, put away the pattern given to her by Li San Niang, folded it up, and put it into her sleeve pocket. She planned to buy cloth on her way home, make it by lamplight that night, boil and dry it the next day, and it would probably be ready for Cai Apo to use by the afternoon.
"Although you are not young, Grandma Cai, our girls, no matter how young or old, are always the most delicate."
Upon hearing this, the four women of different ages present, apart from Li San Niang, were somewhat taken aback.
Ignoring their surprise, Li San Niang continued, "Grandma, do you often experience pain in your tailbone?"
Li San Niang turned around and stood up, touching her lower back and sacrum, and said to Granny Cai, "Right here, Granny, do you experience pain here normally?"
"The female doctor was right, there is indeed pain and discomfort in this area."
“I will prescribe a decoction to replenish the middle and boost the qi for the old woman, and I will also teach her a method to relieve these symptoms.”
Li San Niang first wrote down the prescription, and then wrote down the specific instructions on how to do Kegel exercises, also known as Kegel exercises.
Simply put, it involves contracting the anal sphincter and pelvic floor muscles for five seconds and then relaxing for three seconds. These are the two muscles that women use for urination and defecation. Exercise these two areas for 15 minutes each time, at least three times a day, whenever you have time.
The aim is to enhance muscle tone by stretching the pubococcygeus muscle of the pelvic floor, thereby improving sphincter control and alleviating the effects of urinary incontinence and uterine prolapse.
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