My daily work as a doctor: My treatment value is increasing.

When Ye Fan, a tall and thin young boy with diarrhea, came in, Lu Renxin was immediately alert to a chronic inflammatory bowel disease—Crohn's disease.

After learning more about his condition, Lu Renxin discovered that his symptoms were exactly consistent with the characteristics of Crohn's disease.

Its diagnosis requires a comprehensive analysis of clinical manifestations, endoscopic examinations, imaging examinations, and pathological histology.

When typical symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and weight loss occur, doctors can only strongly suspect the condition.

The next step is to perform endoscopic or imaging examinations to identify characteristic changes that support Crohn's disease.

A diagnosis can only be made after obtaining pathological evidence and completely ruling out other causes such as intestinal tuberculosis.

Looking at Ye Fan's father's wary expression, as if the doctor was trying to rip him off, Lu Renxin realized that if he didn't explain clearly, the test results probably wouldn't be issued.

So he put down his pen and stared at the impatient parent: "Based on the patient's current symptoms, it's definitely not something that can be solved by a simple stomach upset or a few packets of montmorillonite powder. I had him tested to rule out Crohn's disease."

Ye Fan's father was stunned by his sudden aura, opened his mouth, and stammered, "..."

"What...what's wrong with me?"

"It is a chronic, relapsing, inflammatory disease with an unknown cause, mainly affecting the digestive tract, especially the terminal ileum and adjacent colon," Lu Renxin explained patiently, but his explanation was too technical, leaving Ye Fan's father still puzzled.

He paused, met Ye Fan's father's bewildered gaze, his eyes darting around, and patiently gave an analogy:

"Simply put, your child's immune system is out of control. It's no longer protecting the body, but instead attacking the gut as if it were an enemy. This attack damages the gut, and if the gut is damaged, how can the body not be affected?..."

With his clear and concise explanation, Ye Fan's father finally understood a little. He unconsciously reached into his pocket and pulled out a corner of a red hard cigarette case, wanting to smoke a cigarette to calm down. However, he suddenly realized that the occasion was inappropriate, suppressed his impulse, and pushed it back.

"Can his illness be cured?" Ye Fan's father's dark face was a mixture of struggle and entanglement, yet also a trace of calm.

"First, can it be cured?" Lu Renxin was a little confused. Wouldn't normal parents, after being shocked by such news, panic and rush their children to get checked out?

Lu Renxin has had quite a bit of contact with patients and their families, including those who brought their parents or children to see a doctor.

He has seen parents in the pediatric ward patiently comforting their crying children in the corridor at one or two in the morning.

I've also seen children who stay up at the feet of elderly patients at night, sleeping on their stomachs.

Of course, I've also encountered elderly people where three or four children are arguing at the door about who should keep watch at night.

Comparatively speaking, people tend to value their children far more than their parents.

Children are often unwilling to give up on their children's treatment as long as there is even the slightest hope, but when it comes to the elderly, many hesitate and deliberate, ultimately deciding to give up.

It is truly rare to find someone like Ye Fan's father who is so indifferent to his son.

Crohn's disease commonly affects adolescents, recurs frequently, is difficult to cure completely, and is therefore known as the "cancer that doesn't kill."

"Cancer?" Ye Fan's father didn't quite understand Lu Renxin's long string of words, but he did recognize these two words.

"It's that serious? He's so young, and he has cancer." Ye Fan's father's face was full of astonishment and disbelief. "Can someone so young get cancer?"

Lu Renxin quickly reassured him: "This is just a metaphor, it doesn't mean that Crohn's disease is cancer. Besides, your son hasn't been diagnosed yet. I ordered the tests to find out if he actually has it."

Ye Fan's expression remained unchanged. He stood in the consultation room like a background figure, as if he wasn't the one who was sick and the topic of their conversation had nothing to do with him.

"How much will the checkup cost?" Ye Fan's father asked.

It's normal for family members to ask about the cost, so Lu Renxin glanced at the total price on the computer and told them, "It's less than a thousand yuan in total. The main reason is that your son doesn't have medical insurance. If he did, it would be much cheaper."

"If we don't get treatment, then... what will happen?" Ye Fan's father felt embarrassed to ask this question, and his voice lowered.

Ye Fan's calm and composed face finally changed, revealing a mocking smile, as if he could have foreseen his father's choice.

"The consequences will be severe." Lu Renxin pointed to Ye Fan's stomach and buttocks.

"Because inflammation penetrates the intestinal wall, the intestines will thicken and harden, eventually blocking the passage and forming an intestinal obstruction. What's more troublesome is that the inflamed area can directly rot and perforate, breaking through the intestines and skin. The hard lump on the child's buttocks that won't heal may be a fistula."

"That's why I insisted on having a gastroscopy, colonoscopy, and blood tests. The main purpose is to check whether his intestinal mucosa has the typical cobblestone-like appearance through endoscopy, and to check whether there is thickening of the intestinal wall, abscesses, or fistulas in the abdominal cavity through imaging examinations. Only after a diagnosis can we proceed with further treatment."

"Whether it's hormones, immunosuppressants, or biologics to control inflammation, there are prerequisites. The child is still growing, and the disease will rob him of his nutrition. Every day of delay will cause irreversible damage to his growth and development."

The consultation room fell silent instantly. Ye Fan's father's Adam's apple bobbed as he listened to these words. He turned to look at his taciturn son beside him, hesitating to speak, but after much deliberation, he finally made up his mind: "Doctor, don't prescribe it for us. It's definitely not what he's looking for. There's no need for tests, and I don't have that much money."

Lu Renxin stared at Ye Fan's father in astonishment, never expecting that a father would give up on saving his own son.

But Ye Fan's father just awkwardly reached out and pressed hard on his shoulder, as if he hadn't done such an intimate gesture in a long time. His voice was hoarse: "You know our family's situation. We can't afford medical treatment at all. Your brother just got into university, and tuition and living expenses are a huge expense."

"Actually, you're not in any serious condition. You just get diarrhea occasionally, it's nothing to die from."

Ye Fan's father, who usually found fault with everything Ye Fan did, surprisingly showed a tender fatherly side today: "You're a teenager now, it's time for you to share the burden of the family and think about your parents."

Silence, an unusual silence. Ye Fan quietly raised his eyes and looked at his burly father, his eyes filled with despair and resentment.

He opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to refuse. He never had a choice. Since his father had said so, it meant he had made up his mind not to give him a single penny.