CHAPTER 62: 062 LOCHIA NOT STOPPING

It was a bit embarrassing for Du Jiang to say his wife was sick in front of an outsider.

But Yan Ting had no such scruples and blurted out, "Du Heng, it’s been almost a month since I gave birth. Why is there still so much lochia?"

Upon entering diagnostic mode, Du Heng put aside any thoughts about gender, focused entirely on his role as a doctor, and felt no awkwardness.

Hearing Yan Ting’s account, Du Heng’s mind raced, and knowledge about postpartum conditions quickly surfaced. "Lochia that recedes slowly usually lasts for three to four weeks," he explained. "You’ve just finished your confinement period, so it’s normal to still have some."

At this point, Yan Ting said, "I looked it up online, and it said the same thing you did—that some women do take longer. But by this stage, the amount is usually minimal for most, while mine is still quite a lot."

"Hasn’t it decreased at all?"

"It had already become very little, but then it suddenly increased a few days ago."

"Increased? How much more?"

As Yan Ting spoke, she kept her hand on her lower abdomen, rubbing it gently, clearly in discomfort. Frowning, she thought for a moment before saying, "I can’t say exactly how much, but I have to change my underwear four or five times a day, and I go through more than half a roll of toilet paper."

Du Heng listened, his own brow furrowing. For this stage postpartum, that amount was indeed excessive and abnormal.

Du Heng walked closer to the bedside. "Could you move over a bit? Let me take your pulse." He then sat on a stool by the bed.

Yan Ting shifted to the edge of the bed. Du Heng observed her posture and said, "Actually, it would be better if you lie down on the bed and extend your arm out flat."

Yan Ting did as instructed.

Du Heng began the pulse diagnosis, his fingers moving slowly over the Cun, Guan, and Chi positions on Yan Ting’s wrist. The Cunkou pulse was tight, fine, firm, and long, extending to the Guan position. This indicated a Ren Meridian pulse pattern.

"What does the lochia look like?"

"It’s particularly dark and dirty, and the fishy smell is also very strong."

"Does your lower abdomen hurt a little too?"

"Yes, it’s been a constant, dull ache."

Du Heng withdrew his hand. "Haven’t you been to the hospital to have it checked? Didn’t you ask your attending doctor who handled your delivery?"

"You’re not supposed to go out during the confinement period, so I didn’t go to the hospital. But I did call and ask. My attending doctor said it was normal and just told me to pay attention to hygiene and ensure I was getting enough nutrition."

Du Heng nodded. "Did they prescribe any oral medication for you?"

"No, they didn’t."

"Postpartum lochia is the waste blood that surrounded the fetus and should be expelled during delivery. Some women might clear it in three or four days, while others take longer, perhaps until the end of their confinement period. By then, however, the amount should be negligible."

Du Heng frowned slightly; Yan Ting’s situation was genuinely puzzling. "But the amount you’re experiencing is far too large. That’s not right."

Seeing Du Heng’s frown, Du Jiang asked worriedly, "Is this problem serious?"

"That depends." Du Heng stood up. "The duration isn’t the main concern; the problem is the excessive quantity. The pulse indicates a deficiency in the Ren Meridian, which would explain persistent lochia. However, we need to understand why the volume is so high before any medication can be prescribed."

Du Jiang looked at Du Heng with anxious eyes.

"Persistent lochia, or lochiorrhea, primarily stems from three causes. First, retained placental fragments from delivery. Second, poor uterine contractility. And third, bacterial infection."

Du Heng paced back and forth a couple of times, then said thoughtfully, "You delivered in a hospital. With current medical techniques and standards, retained placental fragments are highly unlikely. As for the second point, uterine contraction issues..."

Du Heng looked at the couple. "It was a natural birth, correct? How did the delivery go?"

Du Jiang was stumped; how would he know the details? He could only turn his gaze to his wife.

Yan Ting, however, remembered it clearly. "Yes, it was a natural birth. There weren’t any particular issues. After my contractions started, they took me to the delivery room, and I waited there for my cervix to dilate. If anything, it was actually very fast—maybe half an hour from start to finish."

"Yes, yes, 37 minutes! I was timing it," Du Jiang chimed in, as if finding his chance to contribute, eagerly continuing Yan Ting’s account. "She went into the delivery room, and I called my mom and my sister. She was out before they even arrived!"

Could it be an infection?

Du Heng glanced at the bedding and other items on the bed, which all appeared clean. He turned to Yan Ting and asked, "Do you change your undergarments frequently?"

The baby started to fuss, no longer content to lie quietly on the bed. Yan Ting had no choice but to sit up again, cradling the baby and gently soothing him. "Oh, very frequently," she replied. "As soon as they get even slightly soiled, I change them immediately. Like I said, I change four or five times a day."

"Have you been bathing?"

"Of course, I bathe every day. Otherwise, the smell would be unbearable."

Du Heng thought he might have found the issue. Bathing during the confinement period could potentially lead to infection.

"Showers?"

"No, my doctor told me to take sitz baths and even gave me a medicinal soak to add to the water."

Du Heng was taken aback. Sitz baths, and with a medicinal soak—that practically eliminated the possibility of external infection.

If her personal hygiene is good and she’s using medicated sitz baths, how could an infection still occur? Du Heng couldn’t understand. Or maybe it wasn’t caused by an infection? But then, he couldn’t think of any other reason for this situation.

Moreover, Yan Ting’s pulse indicated a deficiency in the Ren Meridian, and that her blood was not being properly contained.

"Wait here for a moment. I need to get my Medicine Box."

With no other immediate ideas, Du Heng decided he had to start with the most basic examination.

He left the confinement room and found Wu Buwei to get the car keys. Ma Zichen, who was nearby, was looking at Du Heng strangely.

Du Heng felt a bit baffled by her stare. "What are you looking at me for?"

Ma Zichen’s mouth twitched. She reached up to cover the corner of her own mouth. "Du, what happened to you?"

Du Heng touched the corner of his mouth and finally felt a small cluster of blisters there. There weren’t many, just around the corner of his mouth. But once he touched them, the sensation of blisters intensified, and his entire lip area felt fiery hot.

Du Heng knew that before long, his mouth would be covered in them again.

What the hell, there’s just no explanation for this, he thought, thoroughly frustrated. He took the car keys and went to retrieve his Medicine Box.

Upon returning, he didn’t immediately examine Yan Ting. Instead, he pulled Du Jiang aside and asked, "Do you have any Bezoar Antidotal Tablets at home?"

"Yes, we do. You need..." Du Jiang’s voice trailed off as he suddenly noticed the shiny blisters at the corner of Du Heng’s mouth. He stared in astonishment. "Hey, man, what happened to you?"

At Du Jiang’s exclamation, Yan Ting also looked over.

When she saw the blisters on Du Heng’s mouth, she flushed with embarrassment.

Early in her pregnancy, elders had warned her that women in confinement could supposedly ’clash’ with others. Therefore, she should avoid visiting other new mothers’ confinement rooms, and similarly, only those very close to her should visit her own.

Now, seeing the blisters on Du Heng’s mouth, she couldn’t help but feel that she had somehow caused this, and she felt terribly awkward.