The Enhanced Doctor-Chapter 418: The unlucky young man with continuous illnesses

Chapter 418: The unlucky young man with continuous illnesses

The work in the emergency center was really hectic. Liu Banxia didn’t even have time to see his parents off when they left. Fortunately, Qiaoqiao, his sensible and well-behaved fiancée, was there, so the old couple had almost forgotten about Liu Banxia.

The truck driver with the pleomorphic adenoma was very lucky; the biopsy results showed it was benign. However, the patient with the roundworm parasite wasn’t so lucky. The medication wasn’t working well, and a critical condition notice had now been issued for him.

The elderly patient’s wife also had roundworms. Fortunately, she didn’t have other diseases and possessed a good immune system, so deworming medication would suffice.

"Ah... this is just destiny," Liu Banxia sighed. "These are two different stages of the same disease. You can’t save them once it’s too late."

"Now I’m a bit afraid to go to the old man’s ward. Just looking at it scares me," Xu Yino complained, her face etched with distress.

"It’s only natural to be scared; I’m scared too. But we have no choice. You guys keep an eye on things for now. The university student who was in intensive care is being transferred back to the general ward today. I’ll go and have a look," Liu Banxia said.

This patient was also one he cared about, perhaps another lucky one.

In reality, if you’re hospitalized, you shouldn’t look forward to the doctor caring too much about you. Because if they do, your situation might be complicated.

For instance, the young woman with the urea cycle disorder was happily discharged after staying at the Second Hospital for three days.

Her boyfriend had also followed Liu Banxia’s advice and chosen to tell the truth. The young woman was even happier. Dieting is suffering. If you like me this way, why should I put myself through that?

"Dr. Liu, you’re here," the young woman said happily when she saw Liu Banxia come in.

"Rest well and focus on your recovery. Your school has given you the green light, allowing you to take a special exam during the holiday," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"Well, I still feel I need to study hard, but the doctors and nurses won’t let me," the young woman said.

"You mustn’t get overtired. Even though you’ve recovered a lot, rest should be your priority, with medication as a supplement. You’ll be discharged in a few days. After that, you have to take care of yourself. If you feel any discomfort, come back immediately," Liu Banxia said.

"Also, I heard from your counselor that you’ve been working part-time as a cashier in a supermarket, right? You should stop doing that after you’re discharged. You’ll need at least several months to recuperate."

The young woman nodded; she would definitely take this seriously.

Part of the cost of this hospital stay could be reimbursed, and the rest had been covered through fundraising by the school.

After finishing his rounds, Liu Banxia strolled out and returned to the first-floor hall.

Zhou Yang, Qiaoqiao’s ex-boyfriend, was waiting there. "Dr. Liu, are you finished?" he asked.

"It seems your results are good, otherwise you wouldn’t have such a big smile," Liu Banxia said.

"Hey, if it weren’t for you, I’d be done for. The chemotherapy is also going well. Because we caught it early, there’s no need for a high dose," Zhou Yang said.

"I came here to thank you. I don’t have much to offer, but I brought some fruit for everyone. You must accept it; otherwise, I won’t know how to express my gratitude."

"Haha, I won’t be polite with you. If you’re giving it, I must accept," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"The oncologist mentioned it to you too, right? You need to take care and temporarily stop boxing and gym workouts so as not to stimulate the area further. Your tumor is small and won’t have a major impact on your future life."

Zhou Yang nodded. "They told me everything I need to be careful about. From now on, I won’t even drink alcohol. It’s like I’ve died once; I need to live well in the future."

"Dr. Liu, when you’re free, I’d like to invite you and Qiaoqiao for a meal. In the past, I caused a lot of conflict, I..."

Liu Banxia waved his hand. "No need to say anything else; I’ll definitely join you for that meal. But as you can see, I’m really busy here, so we’ll have to leave it to fate."

"Then you must keep it in mind. I don’t dare to ask Qiaoqiao," Zhou Yang said.

"Okay, but it looks like I won’t have a break until after the Spring Festival. We’ll get in touch then," Liu Banxia said heartily.

Zhou Yang felt relieved. He thanked Liu Banxia a few more times and then left.

"Hehe, Teacher Liu, was that the mastitis patient?" Liu Yiqing sidled up and asked.

"You’re being cheeky. Yes, that was him. We had some conflict before, but it’s all in the past now. It’s just one of life’s experiences," Liu Banxia replied.

"But I asked about his situation last time. It seems there’s a high proportion of male breast cancer patients, and many are discovered in the late stages."

"Teacher Liu, should we pay more attention to this?" Liu Yiqing asked.

Liu Banxia rolled his eyes. "I was just musing. There’s another patient; go handle the consultation."

"Dr. Liu, a patient who fainted at work is being brought in. They woke up in the ambulance," the dispatch nurse called out.

"Okay, leave it to me," Liu Banxia responded.

He couldn’t always just supervise. With no current emergency patients and others also attending to consultations, he had to pitch in.

"Thirty-two years old, fainted at work. Woke up in the ambulance. Vital signs are stable, blood pressure a bit high, complaining of abdominal pain," said the paramedic pushing the gurney.

"I think it might be due to a recent lack of rest. I’ve been under a lot of pressure at work lately, and I haven’t been feeling well," the patient said.

"Let’s examine you first. How does the abdominal pain feel? Where does it hurt?" Liu Banxia asked.

The patient lifted his right hand and pressed his abdomen.

"The spot you’re pressing is McBurney’s point. It could be appendicitis. Let me press it gently," Liu Banxia said, lightly palpating the area.

"Yes, yes, it hurts right there," the patient said, grimacing.

"Let’s do an ultrasound to see what’s going on. Roll the portable ultrasound machine over here," Liu Banxia called out.

"Doctor, can I try medication first instead of surgery? I have an important project at work," the patient said.

"That depends on the situation. Some people can manage it with medication, but others can’t," Liu Banxia replied.

Just then, a nurse brought the ultrasound machine over, and Liu Banxia began examining the patient.

"Looking at the ultrasound image, your appendix does show some inflammation, but it doesn’t look too severe. We can try treating it with medication first. However, if it worsens, surgery will be the only option," Liu Banxia explained.

"Besides, appendicitis can develop rapidly, so we need to keep you under observation. No matter how busy you are at work, you’ll have to make arrangements for today. We’ll reassess tomorrow," he continued.

"Doctor, won’t antibiotics work?" the patient asked, starting to worry.

Liu Banxia shook his head firmly. "You’re not the first person who wants to manage appendicitis with medication, and you won’t be the last."

"Appendicitis is somewhat unique. It’s not like inflammation in other parts of the body. Even if we administer medication intravenously, it might not be enough to halt the progression of the appendicitis."

"Ultimately, this could lead to an abscessed appendix, perforation, peritonitis, septicemia, and a series of complications that could endanger your life."

"Frankly, I’d recommend surgery right away. However, given your strong preference and the fact that there’s still a chance to manage the inflammation, we can try conservative treatment first."

The patient sighed. "Well... let me make a call. I don’t even know if anyone can take over my work at the office."

"Later, we’ll also draw blood for tests and crossmatching, just in case. If it does rupture, the sooner it’s treated, the better," Liu Banxia added.

The patient nodded, saying nothing further.

"By the way, you mentioned feeling unwell recently. Do you have any other symptoms? Since you’re already here, I can take a look at those too," Liu Banxia said casually.

The patient sighed. "Oh... it’s just been a string of bad luck for the past half-month," he said with a wry smile.

"I strained a muscle in my arm playing badminton with a friend and took ibuprofen to manage the pain so I could work. Then I got gastroenteritis. I took Norfloxacin for several days, but it didn’t help. I ended up taking Azithromycin and Prednisone, which knocked me out for several days."

"Before I fully recovered from that, my throat became inflamed. I took Ciprofloxacin for two days, and it started to improve. Just as I thought I was getting better, appendicitis showed up. Work has piled up because of all this. It’s true what they say: when it rains, it pours."

Liu Banxia was at a loss for words. The poor guy had really been down on his luck, plagued by one ailment after another.

But for now, this was the course of action. If the patient hadn’t been so busy, they might have opted for immediate surgery to remove the appendix. Busy people often try to buy more time for work.

The young man looked somewhat thin, likely worn out by his recent illnesses. Gastroenteritis, in particular, has no magic cure; treatment is mostly symptomatic.

"Zhou Qian, please keep a close eye on this patient. If his condition worsens, get any available surgeon immediately," Liu Banxia instructed.

"Okay, Teacher Liu, don’t worry," Zhou Qian replied with a nod.

"Keep up the good work. Both Sister Li and Sister Wang think highly of you," Liu Banxia encouraged.

"Thank you, Teacher Liu," Zhou Qian responded enthusiastically.

She was, of course, happy with the compliment. But what pleased her more was that Liu Banxia had helped her keep her job; otherwise, she didn’t know what she would be doing now. Being a nurse was exhausting and hard work, but it provided a stable income. Given the current job market, it wasn’t easy to find such a satisfactory, albeit not easy, job.

With the patient settled, Liu Banxia returned to his usual routine: supervising the interns and remaining on call.

Hopefully, this unlucky patient’s condition can be managed with medication, Liu Banxia thought. Otherwise, it could impact his salary.