The Enhanced Doctor-Chapter 533: Doctor , am I going to die?
"Banxia, do you think we should give the patient some antihistamines?" Xu Hui asked during their meal.
"My personal opinion is to hold off for now and monitor the patient’s condition," Liu Banxia said after some thought. "We might be on the wrong track. Although the patient tested positive for a copper allergy, they might actually be allergic to another substance."
"If we give them antihistamines, we might overlook the true allergen. What if the patient encounters these substances again when they catch a cold after being discharged?"
"This time, the allergic reaction was indeed triggered by the patient’s weakened immune system, but the reaction was too severe. I believe this allergy will still manifest, regardless of their future health."
"If we keep focusing on copper, which we can’t even locate, we might miss other substances. Let’s put our heads together and rethink this. Everyone, give it some thought."
Xu Hui nodded. "I’ve been thinking the same, but this case has me so confused that I’m hesitant to prescribe anything."
This was indeed a torturous case. So far, deducing the sequence of the three illnesses was already quite an achievement.
But what exactly triggered the allergic reaction and who the main culprit was remained unclear. Blaming copper at this stage wasn’t justifiable.
They were in a dilemma, partly hoping for the patient to have another allergic reaction, which might help identify the allergens. Yet, they also worried about a severe reaction, potentially leading to shock or cardiac arrest.
This was a common predicament for doctors. Sometimes, to verify a patient’s response to an illness, one had to take a risk. But this risk could come at a high price, possibly leading to serious repercussions.
"Here’s the plan: Xu Yino, Huang Bo, you two will stay with this patient," Liu Banxia said after finishing his meal. "The patient might experience anaphylactic shock, requiring a dose of epinephrine. If sudden cardiac arrest occurs, defibrillate. Keep a close watch. Doctor Xu’s and my future happiness depends on you two."
The two grimaced; this was not an easy task, and the pressure was immense.
Returning to the emergency hall, Liu Banxia stretched and rolled his neck.
He wanted to clear his head, but how could it be that simple?
At that moment, a young man walked in from the entrance and headed directly toward Liu Banxia.
"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."
A series of hacking coughs wracked the young man, causing him to double over.
"That’s a nasty cough. Do you have your ID? Let the nurse help you with registration," Liu Banxia said, walking up to him.
"It’s been constant coughing, and it’s gotten worse these past few days. There’s no phlegm," the young man managed to say after catching his breath.
"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."
Just as he finished speaking, the young man began to cough violently again.
After this bout of coughing, when the young man moved his hand away from his mouth, Liu Banxia frowned. "You’re coughing up blood. Lie down on the examination table; let me examine you."
"Doctor, am I... am I..."
The sight of blood on his palm made the young man’s legs feel weak.
"Don’t panic. You might have just irritated your throat from coughing so hard," Liu Banxia said, helping the young man to the examination table.
"Doctor, am I dying? I shouldn’t have let it drag on," the young man blurted out.
"Don’t get so anxious yet; we don’t know what’s going on. If you’re too nervous, we can’t even measure your blood pressure properly. Su Wenhao, take his temperature and blood pressure. I’ll do the auscultation," Liu Banxia said comfortingly.
The young man was very cooperative, unzipping his cotton-padded jacket and lifting his shirt himself.
"Look at how smoothly you just moved. Do you look like someone who’s terminally ill? Stay calm, don’t panic," Liu Banxia comforted him again.
With that, he began to listen carefully to the young man’s chest.
"Teacher Liu, his temperature is a bit high at 38.5 degrees Celsius, and his blood pressure is 115/80," Su Wenhao quickly reported as Liu Banxia removed his stethoscope.
"Let’s draw some blood for testing. His heart sounds are normal, left lung sounds are normal, but the right lung sounds are a bit off—it might be inflamed. You said you shouldn’t have let it drag on; how long have you been coughing?" Liu Banxia asked.
"I started coughing around the Lesser New Year," the patient explained. "I thought I’d caught a cold or something. I took some anti-inflammatory drugs and cough medicine, but it didn’t help much.
"I thought it was because of the cold weather, that I was just reacting to the cold air. It got a bit better after I started wearing a mask, so I didn’t pay much attention to it. But it worsened again when I went home for Chinese New Year, even after I took some more medicine."
"That’s quite a while, a cough history of over half a month. Do you smoke or drink? Any personal or family history of diabetes or hypertension?" Liu Banxia questioned.
"I don’t really drink, but I do smoke. As for other medical history... my mom has hypertension, does that count? My maternal grandfather also has hypertension. My dad’s side is fine," the patient replied.
"Alright, let’s proceed as I said. We’ll do a blood test first, and then a chest X-ray," Liu Banxia nodded. "I’m guessing it’s pneumonia or bronchitis. Let’s see how things turn out. Have you had a similar coughing history before? Even a brief one counts."
The patient shook his head. "In the past, it was just when the wind irritated my throat or I choked a bit from smoking. We do surveying, so we’re always out in the field."
"No wonder your skin looks a bit coarse. Go and register yourself. Come back and find this doctor; he’ll give you the slips for the tests," Liu Banxia nodded.
They didn’t immediately use the X-ray in the resuscitation room because the patient’s current symptoms weren’t that urgent. Although he was coughing up blood, it was only a small amount.
If he were coughing up large amounts of blood, that would be critical. He would need an immediate blood transfusion and be rushed to the endoscopy suite.
Judging from the auscultation, pneumonia seemed more likely. After the blood test and X-ray, they should have a clearer direction.
"Teacher Liu, the young patient who had surgery today is feeling great; he wanted to thank you again," Li Hao came over at that moment.
"I don’t have time at the moment. I’ll swing by the ward tonight to see him," Liu Banxia said, then turned to an elderly couple approaching them. "Are you two relatives of a patient? Or is there something else?"
"Are you President Liu? Dr. Liu Banxia?" the elderly man asked.
Liu Banxia nodded. "I am. How can I help you?"
"Dr. Liu, thank you so much," the elderly couple said hastily.
"Please, don’t thank me yet. What’s this about? Are you a patient’s family?" Liu Banxia asked, quickly stepping aside as they looked like they were about to bow.
"Liming told us if you hadn’t diagnosed him right away, he wouldn’t have made it. The director you recommended was excellent; his life was saved," the elderly man said.
"You’re Shen Liming’s parents? Please, don’t say that. He’s recovering very well right now, and his test results are also good," Liu Banxia said quickly.
Shen Liming was the patient who had undergone a total hip replacement for osteosarcoma. Unexpectedly, he had acted quickly, notifying his parents right after Liu Banxia had finished talking with him.
"Have you seen Liming?" Liu Banxia then asked.
"We’ve video-chatted with him but haven’t gone upstairs yet. Liming said his stay at the hospital has been very good, all thanks to your excellent care. He was crying by himself during the New Year, and then you all saw him and kept him company for most of the night," the patient’s mother said.
"Haha, New Year’s is indeed a time for reunion. However, you needn’t thank me for that. I was actually quite busy then; it must have been one of our nurses. I wasn’t even aware of it," Liu Banxia said with a laugh. "Sister Li, these are Shen Liming’s parents. Could you please take them to his ward? Our department’s nurses will also assist with his rehabilitation later on."
"Regarding his condition, you two don’t need to worry. The chief surgeon is top-notch, and Liming’s physical condition is also quite good, so his recovery is even faster than expected."
The elderly couple nodded gratefully. When they first heard the news, they truly felt as if their sky had fallen.
After the elderly couple left, Liu Yiqing approached with a beaming smile and said, "Teacher Liu, you’re the best!"
"What are you up to now?" Liu Banxia asked cautiously.
"It’s about that patient with smoke disease who came in yesterday; I wanted to talk to you about him," Liu Yiqing said. "Teacher Zhang Xiao mentioned he has agreed to the surgery, but he’s still in the acute phase, so we’ll have to wait some time." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
"Alright. You’ve started hanging around the neurosurgery department now, have you? Let’s go take a look. After all, he was referred by my father-in-law," Liu Banxia nodded.
Upon arriving at the neurosurgery ward, Lin Chenglin looked at Liu Banxia with a resentful gaze when he saw him.
"Uncle, Auntie, have you been here with him all night? He’s fine now; he’s on anticoagulants," Liu Banxia said.
"Dr. Liu, thank you so very much," Lin Chenglin’s father said.
"You tricked me! Yesterday, you said it was nothing serious and I’d just need medication. Now I have to have surgery to sort out my blood vessels!" Lin Chenglin also spoke up.
"What else could I have said? You were already very stressed back then. If you had another episode, it would have been bad for your health," Liu Banxia replied with a laugh. "Although I haven’t asked, I expect this surgery will also be performed by our hospital’s Director Xiao. Rest assured, he’s a top-ranked expert even nationally."
Lin Chenglin nodded. "Dr. Zhang also recommended Director Xiao. However, my body isn’t ready for surgery yet. I need to wait until a certain period has passed, and then we’ll schedule it."
"We’re practically neighbors, so come by and keep me company when you’re free. Everyone says smoke disease is hard to diagnose. By the time there’s a more certain diagnosis, it might already be a cerebral hemorrhage."
"If you hadn’t decisively ordered an enhanced CT scan for me, they really wouldn’t have found it. I won’t say much more in terms of thanks, but rest assured, by the time you get married, my surgery will be done, and I absolutely have to be there for the wedding banquet."
"That’s a must. Try not to dwell on troubling matters for now. The New Year holiday is over. Have your child come and stay with you for a few days; it might improve your mood," Liu Banxia said.
"That’s what I wanted to ask you about. Will my son inherit this disease from me?" Lin Chenglin asked.
"That’s hard to say. There is some familial clustering, but it’s not clearly established. However, a screening test can be done," Liu Banxia said.
"Alright, you go ahead and get busy. Anyone can tell you that President Liu is a very busy man," Lin Chenglin said with a smile.
"I really am busy. There’s still one patient today whose cause of illness we haven’t figured out," Liu Banxia nodded.
