Tokyo, 1994, starting with medical training

Chapter 69 Then I'll leave it to you.

Mrs. Ando gripped the bed sheet tightly with her left hand.

"But……"

"Will surgery leave a scar?"

"Moreover, I've heard that wrist surgery is very risky; if a nerve is damaged, the hand will go numb..."

"Wouldn't conservative treatment be a safer option?"

She was making a last-ditch effort, which is the mindset of most patients.

Even knowing the severity of the illness, the fear of the operating table often overcomes reason.

Especially women like Mrs. Ando who live a comfortable life and care about their image.

The centipede-like scar on my wrist is even harder to accept than the fracture itself.

Imagawa Ori did not immediately refute.

She simply watched Mrs. Ando quietly, patiently waiting for her to finish speaking before continuing.

"Mrs. Ando."

I completely understand your concerns.

"Indeed, any surgery carries risks and will leave scars."

"But if you are diagnosed with VISI deformity and leave it untreated, your wrist will be so damaged that you won't be able to hold a teacup, let alone pursue a career in tea ceremony."

"Your choice of Gunma University Hospital is a sign of your trust in us."

"As long as the surgery goes well and the patient cooperates with the post-operative rehabilitation, it's possible to make it to next year's Chumucha-e (first tea ceremony), although it's a bit of a stretch, it's not entirely hopeless."

These words struck Mrs. Ando precisely where it hurt.

A brief silence fell over the ward.

As a member of Maebashi City's high society, Mrs. Ando's greatest fear is not pain, but being ostracized by the circle.

Next month, at the first tea ceremony, the president's wife of the tea ceremony association will personally prepare the tea.

The white mist sprayed from the humidifier slowly dissipated into the air.

Her lips moved, and her eyes began to waver.

"Then...can the surgery guarantee a cure?"

"When can it be done?"

"Would tomorrow be okay? Or the day after?"

Since we've decided to go through with this ordeal, it's better to end it quickly than suffer for a long time.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Ando." Imagawa Ori shook her head. "Although I'd like to, it can't be done tomorrow, and it won't be possible the day after."

"The earliest surgery date is after the new year."

Mrs. Ando was taken aback.

Why?

"Wasn't surgery absolutely necessary? Why have it been delayed for so long?"

"I'm willing to pay extra, could you please arrange it, doctor?"

"Really, money is not a problem."

As she spoke, she became somewhat anxious and even tried to reach out and grab Imagawa Ori's sleeve.

Imagawa Ori simply lifted her right hand, which was swollen like a steamed bun.

"Look at your wrist."

"The swelling is very severe right now; the skin is under too much tension."

"If surgery is forced under these circumstances, the incision will be difficult to suture, the skin is prone to necrosis after surgery, and it may even lead to exposed bone and infection."

"Then it won't just be a matter of scarring; you might not even be able to save your hand."

She stopped there.

Starting tomorrow, it will be a six-day holiday from the end of the year to the beginning of the new year.

Although the hospital will remain open, it has effectively entered a period of no surgeries.

Unless it's a case of massive bleeding, internal organ rupture, or vascular injury that would lead to immediate death if left untreated, or amputation if left untreated.

This is what is known as "ultra-urgent surgery".

Otherwise, all elective surgeries will be postponed until after the new year.

The reasons are valid and realistic.

The first is risk management.

Postoperative patients require close monitoring and care.

However, during holidays, hospitals only have on-duty doctors and a minimum number of nurses on duty. If complications such as massive bleeding, infection, or embolism occur, there are simply not enough people to handle them.

Secondly, the auxiliary departments were shut down.

The pathology department was closed, the blood bank only kept enough blood for emergency use, and even the supply room responsible for sterilizing surgical instruments only had one emergency window open.

Without an appointment in advance, you can't even find a clean scalpel at this time.

Therefore, December 28th is a red line.

Even someone as greedy as Imagawa Ori wouldn't dare to commit a crime against the wind at this critical juncture.

Of course, rules are rules, but people are flexible.

If the person lying in bed wasn't Mrs. Ando, ​​but rather Congressman Ōkawara himself, or a wealthy donor who donated a building to the hospital.

Even if it's the night of the New Year, even if it means dragging the hospital director out of bed, this surgery still has to be done.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Ando only had a little money.

Since we haven't reached a level where the hospital can disregard the rules, we have no choice but to abide by them.

"Then... what should we do?"

After hearing what Imagawa Ori had to say about the consequences, Mrs. Ando's face paled slightly.

"After the MRI is completed, we can perform manual reduction."

"I will try to push the displaced cranial bone back in and then fix it in place with a plaster cast."

"However, because the ligament is torn, this reduction is difficult to maintain for long."

"But at least it can relieve your pain and allow your soft tissues to rest, creating better conditions for surgery after the New Year."

Imagawa Ori patiently comforted Mrs. Ando.

Never say to a patient, "Because we're going on holiday," but rather, "It's for your own good."

This is also a required course for doctors.

"Then I'll leave it to the doctor."

Mrs. Ando could only nod helplessly.

……

After seeing a few more patients, the morning clinic follow-up session came to an end.

Kiryu Kazusuke held Mrs. Ando's medical report in his hand.

As the resident physician in charge of the patient, Kenji Tanaka naturally fell to push the wheelchair.

The two walked to the radiology department located on the first floor of the hospital.

"Caution: Strong magnetic field."

"Pacemaker wearers are not allowed to enter."

At the end of the road, on the heavy lead protective door, there is a conspicuous yellow warning sign.

Kiryu Kazusuke pushed open the heavy soundproof door, and a blast of cold air hit him.

To maintain the low-temperature environment of the superconducting coils, the air conditioning in the MRI room is always running at full blast, making the temperature several degrees lower than outside.

"This way, please."

The radiology technician was a middle-aged man who was somewhat balding. Although he looked reluctant, he didn't dare to slow down.

On this last working day of the year, nobody wants to cause trouble.

"There will be a lot of noise, please wear earplugs."

"Don't move it, or the image will become blurry and you'll have to redo it."

The technician slipped a heavy coil onto Mrs. Ando's wrist and then pressed the button to get her into bed.

With the hum of the motor, she was slowly pushed into the narrow, dark cylinder.

The MRI we use today is a completely different concept from the one we will have 20 years from now.

There is no wide aperture, no silent technology, and no fast imaging sequence.

That cylinder with a 60-centimeter aperture is practically a living coffin for someone with even a slight case of claustrophobia.

Once you lie down inside, it feels like being swallowed up by the world.

The noise and activity of this machine when it's working is comparable to that of a construction site.

Even so, this 1.5T superconducting magnetic resonance scanner from Siemens remains one of the most expensive and daunting pieces of equipment at Gunma University Hospital.

dong dong dong-

Da da da da—

The piercing sound of gradient field switching, even through thick glass and walls, still made one feel the floor vibrating slightly beneath their feet.

In this day and age, getting an MRI scan is practically an endurance race.

In addition to standard T1 and T2 weighted scans, fat-suppressed sequences are also required. Thin-section scans may also be necessary to visualize the ligaments clearly.

The gradient field switching rate is too low, and the sampling matrix is ​​only 256x256.

Even if you want to go fast, you can't.

For slightly more complex areas, it's common to spend an hour scanning.

(End of this chapter)