Practicing Medical Skills in a Small Clinic-Chapter 63: This Illness Can Be Cured

Driven by his professional sensitivity as a doctor, Li Jingsheng realized that the daughter’s frequent coughing was definitely abnormal.

Moreover, his current level of respiratory diagnosis had reached Master Level, a complete notch above his previous skills in diagnosing respiratory diseases.

He could almost determine a person’s health status, whether seriously ill or not, just by listening to the cough, observing the facial expressions during coughing, the effort involved, and whether the patient coughs up phlegm or blood.

Such diagnostic skills are seldom found in resident doctors.

One can only begin to fathom these mysteries at the Attending Level.

He faintly diagnosed that the woman’s cough bore significant similarity to the elderly man’s.

After coughing, the woman’s face was slightly flushed.

"I’ve been coughing for almost a week, maybe a bit longer. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been working and taking care of my father at the same time, running back and forth, and haven’t had a proper rest. I usually get like this when I’m tired, and it gets better in a few days with rest."

The woman didn’t think much of it.

When faced with various signs of illness, ordinary people often fail to give due attention due to a lack of vigilance and professional knowledge.

By the time the condition worsens and they go to the hospital, it has already become severe.

After hearing this, Li Jingsheng frowned, looking serious.

"How long have you been taking care of your father?"

"Probably over a month!" She replied while looking at the elderly man somewhat uncertain. "Dad, when did I start taking care of you last month?"

"It should be the 16th."

The elderly man remembered very clearly.

By calculating the time, it had been 32 days.

"Come, let me take your temperature!"

Li Jingsheng said to the woman.

"I’m fine, why take my temperature? Just focus on treating my father."

The woman quickly waved her hand to refuse.

"Don’t worry, it’s free. It’s just a simple temperature check, which might help in diagnosing your father’s condition. At least I think it has significant reference value."

Li Jingsheng said seriously.

"Sister, let Dr. Li take your temperature. The doctor recommended by Sister Ou, who lives in my neighborhood, can’t be bad."

The male relative advised his sister to cooperate with the examination.

Li Jingsheng’s heart moved slightly; Ms. Ou was indeed admirable.

In the morning, while having an infusion here, she even stood up for him.

He didn’t expect her to recommend the Sunshine Clinic to her neighbors after going back.

He must thank her properly next time.

"Alright then, please take my temperature."

The woman agreed.

He checked her temperature, and it was 37.1 degrees.

Low fever.

Typically, when a patient’s temperature rises to around 37 degrees, the fever is not obvious.

However, it holds great significance for a doctor’s diagnosis.

Our human body temperature is actually gradually decreasing.

Previously, 37 degrees was considered normal body temperature, but now most people’s body temperature has dropped to around 36.6 degrees.

This has both advantages and disadvantages.

According to scientists, every degree increase in human body temperature can double the immune power.

When we get sick, the body fever occurs as the body’s immune mechanism acts to burn body fat and stored energy, raising the body temperature to achieve stronger immunity, thus eliminating invading viruses and bacteria.

From this perspective, fever is a good thing.

It is a signal of the body’s immune mechanism waging a war and launching an offensive against invading pathogens.

As for the benefits of a decrease in body temperature,

when the body’s temperature decreases by about 0.5 degrees, immunity is weakened, but the body’s metabolic rate slows down, consumption decreases, and lifespan will increase by about 15%.

Although this view has only been confirmed in animals, it appears applicable to humans as well.

Now, the average lifespan of humans worldwide is increasing significantly, which cannot be denied.

It is certainly not solely due to human medical and technological progress; the decrease in human body temperature likely also plays a part.

After taking her temperature, Li Jingsheng fell into contemplation again.

One by one, disease names with symptoms of coughing and fever flashed through his mind.

Chronic bronchitis?

However, the patient’s lymph nodes under the armpit and neck were not swollen, so this could be ruled out.

He was at a loss, as his small clinic had limited resources and couldn’t conduct many tests, so he resorted to seemingly outdated but practical methods to eliminate suspected causes.

Ultimately, he aimed to identify the true cause by filtering out the false claims.

His respiratory diagnosis reaching Master Level brought him a wealth of diagnostic experience, allowing him to connect each case he had seen in the respiratory system to this current one.

This experience was phenomenal.

It gave him the feeling of exploring further and reaching new heights.

He was very clear; this was the Attending Level of respiratory diagnosis.

Systemic lupus erythematosus? No oral blisters, can be ruled out.

...

At this moment, a disease name, both familiar yet feared by clinicians, suddenly emerged.

"Tuberculosis!"

This disease has an insidious onset, accompanied by low fever, night sweats, weight loss, fatigue, and cough, with severe cases even coughing up blood.

Furthermore, in its early stages, it is extremely difficult to distinguish from lung cancer.

Even in imaging studies, the cavities caused by tuberculosis and cancer are very similar, leading even veteran doctors with years of experience to potentially misjudge.

The best way to confirm whether it’s lung cancer or tuberculosis is to conduct a biopsy.

Li Jingsheng felt like he had seen a lighthouse in the dark; the more he thought about it, the more likely the elderly man’s illness was not lung cancer but the notoriously hard to diagnose tuberculosis.

In clinical medicine, tuberculosis is infamous.

Difficult to diagnose, difficult to treat, prone to recurrence, and greatly harmful.

Moreover, this disease is infectious.

"After visiting the flower and bird market, the elderly man began coughing and running a fever a few days later. His daughter, after taking care of him for a while, also developed low fever and cough symptoms. Additionally, the ultrasound, bilateral lung X-ray, and CT all indicated multiple lung nodules with visible cavity signs... If it were lung cancer, it couldn’t be contagious. Besides, once lung cancer progresses to a certain stage, severe cancer pain will occur."

Li Jingsheng’s eyes shone brightly.

There’s no mistaking it, the patient highly likely has tuberculosis, not lung cancer.

"Dr. Li, is there a result?"

The woman asked nervously.

After taking her temperature, Li Jingsheng frowned and remained silent, which made her anxious.

"The elderly man’s disease should be treatable. However, the treatment period might be relatively long, possibly needing one or two months, or even longer."

Li Jingsheng said seriously.

"Really?"

The elderly man was more excited than anyone else upon hearing this.

He sprang up, staring at Li Jingsheng like a drowning man grasping a life-saving buoy.

This is human survival instinct.

If there’s a chance to live, no one would choose to die.

Even ants cling to life, let alone humans, the ethereal of all things!

The woman also revealed a radiant smile on her face.

"I can’t guarantee it, but there’s more than a 95% chance. The premise is that you must cooperate with the treatment, take your medication on time, and avoid foods you shouldn’t consume."

Li Jingsheng said solemnly.

The elderly man’s face instantly showed a first ray of hope after being suppressed by despair for many days.

"Having a 95% chance is already high. As long as my disease can truly be cured, I will definitely cooperate with whatever treatment is needed."

In order to survive, the elderly man unleashed a strong will to live.

At this moment, even if it meant spending all his savings, he was willing to spend every last penny to cure his disease.

Compared to the elderly man’s excitement, his son remained much calmer.

"Dad, don’t rush into this." After calming the elderly man and letting him sit down again, the son looked at Li Jingsheng and spoke in a serious tone, "Dr. Li, we came through a referral, so I’ll speak openly!"

Li Jingsheng nodded.

"Please go ahead!"