Chapter 458: Chapter 394: A Nightmare a Day
Jay subconsciously started to nod.
"Don’t."
Chen Yu, however, raised a hand to stop him, his expression serious. "Jay, this isn’t a decision you can make lightly. You need to think about it carefully. How about this: take three days. I want you to give it some serious thought, discuss it with your family, and then give me an answer."
Chen Yu removed the needles, stood up, and gestured for Coach K to leave with him.
As soon as they were out of the hospital room, Coach K asked anxiously, "Chen, are you sure his nerves can’t recover?"
Chen Yu shook his head. "Of course they can recover. His nerve damage isn’t that severe."
Coach K froze, a little confused.
’If he can recover, why did Chen Yu make it sound so terrifying just now?’
Chen Yu said, "Mike, he made a mistake because of his arrogance. If he doesn’t learn his lesson, he’ll keep making them. I’m doing this to make him understand that returning to health will require a great deal of effort. Do you see what I mean?"
After the surgery yesterday, Chen Yu had already had a serious talk with Paxson.
First, he had asked about the Bulls’ stance: were they going to give up on Jay?
Paxson refused. They clearly wanted to give Jay another chance.
Chen Yu then proposed that Jay sit out a season. A long rehabilitation process would teach him a lesson, and hopefully, he would learn to focus on basketball and become more disciplined.
Talent is talent, but to make it in the NBA, you absolutely need self-discipline.
Not to mention Jay already had deficiencies in his natural talent.
Paxson naturally agreed. They also felt Jay had discipline problems this season and had gotten seriously carried away.
So, for at least the next year, Chen Yu would have to provide Jay with a training and rehabilitation plan, as well as guide him psychologically, to help him return to the court as a better version of himself.
Of course, if Jay gave up on himself, then none of this follow-up would happen.
And as for the costs of all this follow-up, aside from what the insurance company covered, the Bulls would have to pay a significant amount.
It was essentially a consulting fee.
Chen Yu wanted to use Jay as a starting point to make the Bulls the first client for his consulting company.
After all, they were his hometown team.
And Paxson was clearly very interested. He knew full well that player development was no simple matter, and in this area, Chen Yu was obviously more of a professional.
Even if the fees were expensive, it would be worth the money considering the potential return.
Coach K understood. His expression turned serious as he said, "Chen, thank you. Jay is lucky to have met you."
Chen Yu didn’t just treat the body, he treated the mind.
"I believe he’ll make the right decision." Coach K glanced back at the hospital room.
Chen Yu went to meet Old Williams and the others.
’I’ll have to explain things clearly to them later so we can all play our parts in this act.’
Paxson was in a much better mood. Seizing the opportunity, he pulled Chen Yu aside to ask about the details of the consulting service.
"I’d mainly provide medical and training services. For example, with the medical services, unlike before, I could offer two to three physicals per player each season, issue comprehensive medical reports, and provide health improvement plans to help them play through the entire season in good health."
As Chen Yu explained, he glanced at Eddie Curry, who was standing a short distance away.
"Take Eddie, for example. I imagine you’ve put in a lot of effort to control his weight."
The guy weighed nearly 300 pounds when he was drafted, putting him right on par with O’Neal.
"You have no idea." Paxson gave a wry smile. "We know he’s young and we’re worried he’ll be susceptible to outside influences, so we strictly control everything from his training to his daily food and drink. You could say we’ve practically become his nannies. But even with all that, his weight is still gradually increasing. He’s almost up to 310 pounds this year."
If this was his weight while being monitored, he’d only be heavier without it.
And with excess weight comes a decline in athletic ability and a host of other problems.
After all, they’re young and easily drawn in by the glitz and glamour of the NBA, leading them to squander their talent and lose their way.
Just like Brown. Toward the end of the regular season, a report from the Wizards’ team psychologist showed that he, having just turned 21 and now legally able to drink, was already showing a strong interest in binge drinking.
They’re just too young, their minds not yet mature enough.
Earning millions of US dollars at eighteen or nineteen... even full-grown adults can’t control themselves, let alone them.
"And that," Chen Yu said with a smile, "is where my value comes in."
He suddenly frowned.
While sizing up Eddie Curry, Chen Yu had subconsciously activated the Eye of All-Seeing.
It had become a habit for Chen Yu, especially when dealing with professional athletes. Whenever he had a free moment, he would instinctively scan their bodies with the Eye of All-Seeing.
It was convenient, after all.
And just now, as his gaze swept over Eddie’s heart, Chen Yu saw a problem.
First, Chen Yu intuitively sensed that his heart was slightly enlarged.
Just because a player is over six-and-a-half feet tall and 300 pounds doesn’t mean his heart is bigger than an average person’s. In fact, their hearts are roughly the same size.
An enlarged heart is a medical condition that needs treatment.
However, because these athletes undergo high-intensity training year-round, the exercise causes the heart’s small blood vessels to dilate and changes the myocardial oxygen supply, which can lead to the heart becoming slightly larger.
This is not a good thing. Excessive high-intensity training places an enormous load on the heart.
Exercise itself is good, but professional sports are different. They come at the cost of overtaxing the body, and it’s common for athletes to retire covered in injuries.
Chen Yu had once read a research report claiming that athletes who compete professionally for 10 years have a 27 percent higher probability of developing heart disease than the average person.
Chen Yu didn’t know how they came up with that specific number, but the conclusion was certain: excessive exercise makes the heart more prone to problems.
And perceptibly, Eddie Curry’s heart was a bit larger.
Most importantly, in that brief scan, Chen Yu keenly noticed that his heart rhythm was somewhat abnormal.
So Chen Yu focused his gaze, looking deeper to examine the problem with his heart.
For example, to see if there were any physiological structural defects, i.e., a congenital heart defect.
He didn’t see any.
But then, Chen Yu discovered the problem.
Of the coronary arteries covering the surface of his heart, the left anterior descending artery was significantly narrower on the inside than normal.
This condition, in layman’s terms, is coronary heart disease.
"What’s wrong, Chen?" Paxson noticed Chen Yu’s expression change.
Chen Yu didn’t say anything, simply waving Eddie Curry over.
Eddie Curry turned his head, and seeing no one behind him, realized Chen Yu was calling for him.
He immediately walked over and looked down, asking Chen Yu what he needed.
He was still quite well-behaved in front of Chen Yu.
Without saying much, Chen Yu took his hand and silently began counting his heartbeats.
Eddie Curry didn’t dare pull his hand away, but his expression clearly changed.
Beside them, the color had already drained from Paxson’s face.
’Chen Yu specifically called him over, and now... what’s he doing? Counting his heartbeat?’
It was obvious Chen Yu had seen something wrong with Eddie Curry.
The feeling was like being at the hospital when the doctor suddenly gives you a strange smile. He felt like his own heart was about to stop.
In truth, the Eye of All-Seeing had made it very clear.
"Eddie, do you ever feel any discomfort in your heart during normal daily activities?" Chen Yu asked while still counting.
"No," Eddie Curry said, shaking his head quickly.
The moment Chen Yu mentioned "heart," Paxson truly felt his own was about to go into cardiac arrest. He clutched his chest and asked frantically, "Chen, is something wrong?"
’His heart!’
For a professional athlete, a heart problem was the most devastating issue possible.
Just think of Reggie Lewis. His sudden cardiac death wasn’t just a tragedy for the Celtics, but for the entire league.
Chen Yu didn’t answer, instead continuing his questions. "Eddie, what about after training? I mean after routine high-intensity training, or after back-to-back games. Have you ever experienced heart discomfort, shortness of breath, or felt like you couldn’t catch your breath?"
"No." Eddie Curry shook his head again.
But Chen Yu clearly saw his heart rate speed up and a flicker of panic in his eyes.
Without a doubt, he was lying. He had definitely experienced something similar.
"Eddie, you can’t gain any more weight," Chen Yu said, letting go of his hand with a sudden sigh.
There are many risk factors for coronary heart disease.
There are genetic factors as well as acquired ones.
Setting aside genetics for a moment, which would require checking family history and genetic testing.
But in terms of acquired causes, all sorts of bad habits can lead to coronary heart disease. We can probably rule out smoking and drinking; at his age, he likely hasn’t started.
But obesity, overeating, and issues like high blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar are also major factors.
And as a professional athlete, his physical condition was far superior to that of an ordinary person. While his obesity was a problem, given his size, it wasn’t yet at an irreversible stage.
Therefore, Chen Yu was more inclined to believe it was caused by genetic factors.
Eddie Curry, feeling guilty, nodded repeatedly, visibly relieved.
He thought Chen Yu was just saying he was fat.
’It’s normal for overweight people to have heart palpitations and shortness of breath.’
"Dr. Chen, I’ll be careful," he quickly promised.
Paxson was still standing right there.
Chen Yu waved a hand, dismissing him.
Eddie Curry walked away as if he’d been granted a pardon.
Beside him, Paxson also let out a clear sigh of relief. "Chen, you really scared me to death. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely make sure he loses weight."
He also thought it was just a problem of obesity.
Chen Yu looked at Paxson and couldn’t help but sigh.
’Two of his team’s promising rookies running into major problems within two days... isn’t this a bit too cruel for him?’
’But early detection means early treatment. If it’s ignored, it will become a huge problem later on.’
"John, I’m afraid I have some bad news for you," Chen Yu said, pulling Paxson aside.
Paxson’s smile froze on his face. His voice trembled slightly as he asked tentatively, "Chen... there isn’t a problem with Eddie’s heart, is there?"
Without a proper examination, Chen Yu couldn’t be definitive. "It’s a possibility," he said. "I noticed he’s showing some symptoms. For example, his face is a little puffy, and his fingernails have a slight bluish-purple tint. These are both signs of insufficient blood supply to the extremities."
"Oh, and his ears."
Chen Yu pointed to his own earlobe. "If a crease appears in this spot, it indicates insufficient blood supply to the heart. The worse the blood supply, the deeper this crease will become. In the medical community, it’s called Frank’s sign, and it’s a characteristic feature of heart problems."
Of course, this symptom can also appear in obese people.
The key is that obesity itself can easily lead to coronary heart disease.
But in a real hospital setting, no doctor would look at your ears. There are far more accurate methods to confirm coronary heart disease.
However, this kind of observation isn’t without its scientific basis.
Even from a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, the earlobe area corresponds to the lung and heart meridians, so changes in the earlobe can also reflect problems with the heart.
"So, John, find some time and schedule an appointment for him with a cardiac specialist."
Chen Yu patted Paxson’s shoulder.
It was truly one piece of devastating news after another.
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