The Enhanced Doctor-Chapter 402 Extremely thin patients

(Special thanks to readers 110720121633400, Pharaoh’s dancer, Ling Yanchuan, Lu Lu of the Elbow Black Intelligence Team, mn020729, Black Sister, European Tuanzhang, Hardworking Crab, Sand Heart, Smart Bookworm, and Tao Tao 1974999 for their monthly pass encouragement.)

Wang Huan’s words somewhat upset Liu Banxia; after all, it was a deputy director’s position, something he had never dared to dream of before. However, he also had apprehensions. One concerned his qualifications, and the other was his master-student relationship with Zhou Shuwen. He didn’t want others to accuse Zhou Shuwen of playing favorites and himself of climbing the ladder through this connection. He couldn’t discuss this matter with others, and from his perspective, he had neither the power to choose nor to nominate himself. Back when he had mustered the courage to knock on Zhou Shuwen’s door and recommend himself for a position at the hospital, the situation was different. Now, he couldn’t just consider himself; he had to think about others as well.

Just as he was pondering, Su Wenhao came back, his face full of joy.

"Sounds like the surgery was very successful. I had initially planned on going in to check, but then I heard they were finishing up, so I didn’t disturb you," Liu Banxia said.

"Teacher Wang supervised me, and the patient was sent to the ICU. Doctor Liang is now performing the mitral valve replacement surgery, so she’ll likely miss lunch," Su Wenhao said.

Liu Banxia nodded. "I was wondering why I didn’t see her when I came down. You should rest a bit too; just assisting is fine for now. This surgery was rather intense. Don’t forget what I said: you need to improve communication with the patient’s family."

"Alright," Su Wenhao nodded happily.

"President Liu, Director Xu from Orthopedics is calling you for a consultation," the scheduling nurse shouted.

Liu Banxia paused for a moment. This was unprecedented. Why would Orthopedics call him for a consultation?

Seeing that there wasn’t anything urgent needing his attention, he left a few instructions and hurried towards Orthopedics. It was quite a distance away, in a different building.

"You got here quickly. I have a patient I’d like you to take a look at," Xu Peichen said with a smile.

"Director Xu, I thought you were calling me about something else. It’s usually me requesting consultations from you; I can’t imagine when you’d need one from me," Liu Banxia said quickly.

"It’s not an orthopedic issue; otherwise, I wouldn’t have called you," Xu Peichen said. "I just treated a patient with a sprained ankle, which is now immobilized with a cast. However, the fracture isn’t my main concern; it’s that the patient is severely malnourished."

"At first, I thought he might have anorexia or be dieting excessively, but that’s not the case. He said he was diagnosed with chronic digestive system pain at thirteen, which affects his ability to eat."

"I’m not very familiar with this condition, but he mentioned he’s undergone numerous tests at various hospitals over the years, yet the cause has never been determined."

"When I heard people saying you were back at work, I persuaded him to stay a bit longer. You’re sharp; help me figure this out. The young man looks quite pitiful."

Liu Banxia nodded. "No problem, Director Xu. How about I transfer him to our emergency center? We have more staff there, so I could arrange a full consultation."

"If that were an option, I would have sent him there directly," Xu Peichen said, shaking his head. "Perhaps he’s undergone too many tests over the years, so he’s quite resistant to further examinations and hospitals. If it weren’t for the severe pain from his ankle, he probably would have just endured the fracture."

"Alright, Director Xu, I understand. You’ve taken pity on him. I’ll give it a try," Liu Banxia said. "But please don’t put too much pressure on me; I’ve never heard of such a condition. It won’t be easy to deal with. I can only try my best."

"Alright, alright, I won’t pressure you. I trust your abilities," Xu Peichen said with a grin.

Liu Banxia didn’t know what to say, but he was quite close with Xu Peichen. Among the directors of other departments, he was most familiar with Jiang Tao from Proctology and Xu Peichen from Orthopedics.

Upon entering the examination room, he saw the special patient.

His first impression of the patient was ’thin.’ If Liu Banxia had to describe him, he was like Fat Toutuo, the tall and thin character from *The Deer and the Cauldron*. Except this young man wasn’t as tall, but he was even thinner than Fat Toutuo.

DING! Task released: Emaciated Patient

Open-ended task: The patient is extremely thin, severely malnourished, extremely impatient, and suspected of having a major, undiagnosed illness. The host is required to diagnose and treat. Task reward will be issued according to the diagnostic result.

Seeing the numerous descriptors in the task, Liu Banxia could only smile bitterly. Based on his experience, this seemed to have gone beyond the scope of merely complicated and difficult cases.

And the patient? Even when he saw Liu Banxia come in, he did not show much interest, just glancing at him indifferently.

"May I perform a physical examination? Just a simple check," Liu Banxia said.

"Go ahead, but it’ll be pointless," the young man said.

A thorough physical examination revealed everything to be normal. Apart from his emaciation, there were no other apparent problems.

The young man had apparently expected this result, as he showed no particular reaction. "Can I go now? Blood tests, urine tests, all kinds of scans... I’ve been through rounds of these every two or three months for the past few years."

"Does it hurt a lot?" Liu Banxia asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

The young man glanced at him and nodded. "Don’t doctors usually use a scale to measure pain? If twelve is the maximum, then I’m at least at a seven right now."

"Actually, if it were just the intensity, it might be bearable. The problem is that the pain is constant. I often wake up from it at night, and then it’s uncertain when I’ll be able to fall back asleep."

"Now, I can only do odd jobs. I managed to pass the college entrance exam and got into a vocational college, but I didn’t finish. Fortunately, delivering food doesn’t require too much physical exertion, aside from occasional bad reviews."

Liu Banxia finally understood why Xu Peichen had taken pity on him. Over a decade of constant pain, and at a level seven—it had already reached a severe or excruciating level.

In medical terms, level seven pain is described as being hit with a stick, while level twelve is considered unbearable, comparable to labor pains.

Without hesitation, Liu Banxia gave him a thumbs-up. "I’m not just saying this to persuade you to accept treatment, but your willpower is truly exceptional. Most people couldn’t compare."

Then he lifted his own shirt. "See this small wound of mine? I even used anesthetic to stitch it up. If I were in your shoes, I probably would have collapsed long ago."

"Huh? You’re Doctor Liu Banxia?" The patient’s eyes finally showed a flicker of interest.

"I was only on the news once, and you remembered me? Well, since I’m a public figure now, how about you cooperate and undergo the simplest examination?" Liu Banxia said with a smile.

The young man chuckled. "This is the first time I’ve met a doctor like you, and it feels... pretty good. Usually, many people would gather around, but they’re interested in my illness, not me."

"I know that whoever cures my illness will become a famous doctor. The simplest test is a gastrointestinal X-ray, right? Honestly, I really hate the taste of barium meal."

"Sigh... people say that prolonged illness makes a good doctor. That’s pretty much you," Liu Banxia lamented. "But I also have to say a word for my colleagues whom you haven’t met. There are still people who genuinely care about you. Like Director Xu, didn’t he bring me over?"

"Alright, let’s do it. I eat so little anyway, so there’s no need to fast. With your reputation, I actually feel a glimmer of hope," the young man said, nodding with a smile.

"Wait here, I’ll step out for a moment and arrange for someone to bring the barium meal," Liu Banxia said, then walked out.

"How did it go?" Xu Peichen, who was waiting outside, asked.

"Director Xu, let’s start with a gastrointestinal X-ray. Please have someone send over some barium meal. The situation is quite serious; I’m not sure if the X-ray will even show anything," Liu Banxia said.

"You saw it too, right? He barely reacted when I was setting his bone. He’s a poor kid," Xu Peichen said, nodding. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"I’m just trying things out at this point. If the gastrointestinal X-ray doesn’t show anything, I’m considering a gastrointestinal endoscopy. I just don’t know if he’ll agree. I’ll do my best to persuade him," Liu Banxia said, his voice lacking confidence.

The barium meal was brought over, and the young man drank it all without frowning. Then, an orthopedic nurse guided him to get the X-ray.

His luck was pretty good; he didn’t have to wait in line for too long. However, they still had to return and wait for the results. The Orthopedics Department didn’t have advanced bedside X-ray machines like the Emergency Center, where images are produced immediately after scanning.

"If this doesn’t show anything, will I need more tests?" the young man asked as soon as he returned.

Liu Banxia nodded. "That’s exactly what I was thinking. No matter what, I was planning to talk you into getting a colonoscopy as well. It’s good that you’re mentally prepared for it. How about we chat for a bit?"

"Sure. Actually, every time I go to the hospital, I go with a sliver of hope. It’s not that I’m resistant to tests; I’m just afraid that each hope will turn into disappointment," the young man said.

"Did you have any dreams in the past? Or, let’s say if your illness is really cured, is there anything special you’d want to do?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Cured? If I were cured, my only wish would be to get a good night’s sleep. What other dreams could I have? Though, before my father passed away, he had dreams for me," the young man said with a bitter smile.

"I was young then, maybe just ten? He constantly pushed me to exercise. He said athletes made good money, so he had me do running, strength training—any kind of training he could think of, he’d make me do it."

"He said that if I could get selected for the provincial team in any event, my future would be secure. But it was truly exhausting. When I ran, I had to carry weights. My back, legs, and arms—all had to be strapped with sandbags."

"I never thought that breathing could be so painful, like a knife scraping my throat with each breath. After that, I rarely spoke to my father."

"My father passed away a few years ago, and I felt some regret. In the years after I got sick, he also took me to many hospitals. He just wasn’t good at expressing himself, and his methods weren’t right, but he was doing it for my own good."

Listening to his words, Liu Banxia frowned. He might actually be onto something regarding the cause of the illness.