Healing Doctor

Chapter 18: Empathy Once Again

"Teacher Mo, I'm so sorry."

Looking at the completed surgery, Ji Xiang realized he had crossed the line and apologized quietly.

"Bandage it up," Professor Mo said softly, shaking his head helplessly.

The surgery is all done, and it was done quickly and smoothly, so what else is there to say?

Although he could have been furious about this, Mo Chenggui didn't want to. He was simply stunned by Ji Xiang's methods and speechless.

Ji Xiang sighed; he knew he had done something wrong.

Some things shouldn't be done just because you know how.

I haven't even passed the medical practitioner's license exam yet. If something goes wrong, won't Professor Mo have to take the blame for me?

If things escalate into a fight, I might never be able to practice medicine again.

However, the results of his surgical training in the operating room were evident, and Ji Xiang was very pleased.

Truth is infinite, but every step forward brings its own joy.

It was just a minor circumcision surgery, but there was progress, and Ji Xiang was overjoyed.

"Professor Mo, I'm taking the patient here," Ji Xiang said respectfully to Professor Mo after finishing the pressure bandage.

Professor Mo nodded without saying anything more.

Ji Xiang breathed a sigh of relief, determined to step down from the operating table and be a good assistant to Professor Mo, not to steal the spotlight.

Although young, Ji Xiang was raised with strict discipline and understands the most basic principles.

After sending the patient out, Ji Xiang took advantage of the break between two surgeries to find a quiet place to calmly enter the system space.

"Teacher." Ji Xiang greeted the system NPC who was standing outside the operating room with his hands behind his back and his waist bent, like a statue.

Time is limited, so we can't chat much. Ji Xiang is just happy to have successfully completed a surgery and wants to come in and share it with the system NPC.

"Yes, I'm here," the system NPC said.

"I just completed a circumcision using a suture device," Ji Xiang said with a smile.

"I could feel you performing the surgery," the system NPC said. "It went quite well."

"I feel like I've stolen the show."

The system NPC gave Ji Xiang a deep look and shook his head slightly.

"Teacher...I..." Ji Xiang couldn't understand the meaning in the system NPC's eyes. He vaguely felt that his joy seemed to have made the system NPC a little unhappy.

"Would you like to check on the patient's condition?" the system NPC asked.

"what?"

Ji Xiang was taken aback, but immediately said, "Teacher, I'm fine."

He only wanted to share his joy at the successful surgery with the system NPC, but he didn't expect the old man to ask him to empathize with him.

It seems the system NPCs aren't too bothered by their overstepping of boundaries.

Unlike last time, the system NPC didn't give Ji Xiang any instructions, but instead led him directly into another operating room.

The space flickered, and Ji Xiang found himself lying on an operating table after entering the room, while the system NPC disappeared.

Ji Xiang took a deep breath. His local infiltration anesthesia had been done very well, and the patient did not feel any pain during the surgery.

As for the excruciating pain of getting a shot in the head, there was none, so Ji Xiang wasn't afraid.

In addition, the system NPC mentioned last night that the pain level of circumcision under the suture device is only between 3 and 4, which is not unbearable.

All of this helped stabilize Ji Xiang's emotions.

"Dr. Ji, take a look at the suture device first," Professor Mo said. "This thing is really convenient, and it has many post-operative benefits. The only downside is—the biggest downside is that it's expensive."

As Ji Xiang lay on the operating table, listening to Professor Mo's words, he found them somewhat amusing.

It's a bit more expensive, but there are many advantages to using a sewing machine.

A surgery takes only 5 minutes, is simple and worry-free, and not only does it save doctors a lot of trouble, but patients also suffer less.

If I can further improve the level of my surgical skills, the speed will be faster and the results will be better.

"Young man, scars are a man's badge of honor..."

Professor Mo offered his usual words of comfort, while Ji Xiang fast-forwarded to the part about his girlfriend and female friends.

However, he didn't care about any of that. What Ji Xiang cared about most was whether his local infiltration anesthesia would hurt.

Only when the needle touches your own skin do you realize the pain. Ji Xiang has rather complex feelings towards this empathetic system.

"Myself" began to be anesthetized, and the pain was manageable. Ji Xiang carefully observed "myself's" technique.

I could feel it; according to the pain scale, it should be 1, but Ji Xiang felt it was even less than 1, like being bitten by a mosquito.

Especially compared to the last time I received a head injection when I was feeling the same way, my progress is quite significant!

The anesthesia was very effective; at least Ji Xiang did not experience any discomfort during the surgery because he had anticipated it.

If I had to say anything, it would be a little bit of tension and anxiety, but everything else was fine.

The surgery was performed quickly and well. After the surgery, Ji Xiang was transferred to the observation room.

After a few hours of observation, Ji Xiang left the hospital with three boxes of anti-inflammatory medicine.

Although the surgery was performed under sterile conditions, and theoretically there was no need to take oral anti-inflammatory drugs, Ji Xiang believed it was necessary, both as a doctor and as a patient.

It's just a matter of taking oral anti-inflammatory medication for a few days; it's good as a placebo.

As for the claim of antibiotic abuse, Ji Xiang thinks that's nonsense. The industry that abuses antibiotics the most is animal husbandry, and he himself doesn't have the ability to not eat a single piece of meat.

Ji Xiang returned to his "familiar" dormitory once again.

As the anesthesia wore off, the pain became very mild, and Ji Xiang felt somewhat pleased with himself.

My progress is obvious. If it weren't for that excruciating injection last time, I probably wouldn't have realized where I needed to improve.

Of course, the role of system NPCs is also very important.

Without him, I wouldn't have been able to master perfect local infiltration anesthesia, even though local anesthesia doesn't have a grading system.

The pain from the suture was just as described in the article; it wasn't painful.

However, having learned from his previous experience, Ji Xiang did not move around recklessly, but instead tried to distract himself.

Without the unintentional friction of walking, without looking at the repairman's donkey hooves, and without scrolling through short videos of pretty young ladies, Ji Xiang quietly read a book on the history of Ming Dynasty.

If there is still a reaction, Ji Xiang will have nothing to say.

His roommates joked around, but quietly helped Ji Xiang with things like getting meals. Ji Xiang lay quietly in bed, reading "History of Ming" until late at night.

but……

Like the video of Da Lv Ti Zi, Ji Xiang still felt a little uncomfortable at 12:11 am.

Ugh.

Ji Xiang sighed. It was quite frustrating that one could see the effects of an action-romance film in historical records.

He recalled the advice given to him by the system NPC and got up to urinate.

Although he only urinated a little bit, Ji Xiang was very careful and managed to get through this ordeal safely.

Some things still require extensive clinical experience to handle, and Ji Xiang had never known there were similar solutions before.

With his corpus cavernosum no longer congested and feeling completely comfortable, Ji Xiang lay back down on the bed.

Even the History of Ming can't save me, I should just go to sleep.

Closing his eyes, Ji Xiang couldn't help but recall the entire surgical procedure. After all, with the knife on his own body, it was impossible to ignore it.

Place the bell-shaped head cover inside the bag, adjust the length and orientation of the inner and outer panels of the bag, and secure the bag to the bell rod with nylon straps or cable ties. Then insert the bell rod into the ring cutter and tighten it with the knob...

The entire process was carried out smoothly, without any flaws or loopholes.

As Ji Xiang pondered these thoughts, he gradually drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Ji Xiang began to change his own dressing.

As he unwrapped the pressure bandage that "he" had personally applied, Ji Xiang felt the various details. He suddenly felt that this was not so bad; it was good to feel and improve from a different perspective.

Moreover, there's an extra reward for each instance of empathy, which gives Ji Xiang a sense of value for money, or even more.

After removing the pressure bandage, Ji Xiang examined the titanium nails, mentally comparing them to sutures.

It seems... there's a minor problem.

Ji Xiang squinted and saw a little bit of red at the tie.

Bleeding? No way, Ji Xiang observed carefully for ten minutes, his back aching.

This posture is very strange, quite strange; Ji Xiang has hunched over like a shrimp.

If it weren't for Ji Xiang's good flexibility, he wouldn't be able to see it at all.

Ten minutes later, Ji Xiang confirmed that there should be no problem, and after re-bandaging, he lay back down on the bed.

Yesterday's surgery was extremely stressful, and Ji Xiang was afraid to sleep, fearing that the corpus cavernosum would become congested and cause the titanium screws to fall out, which left him quite exhausted.

Recalling the surgical procedure in his mind, and confirming that he had done nothing wrong, Ji Xiang quickly fell into a deep sleep.

In his dream, Ji Xiang dreamed that he became the world's greatest surgeon, with miraculous healing skills, and was respected by everyone wherever he went.

Hehe~~

Ji Xiang wasn't sleeping soundly; he knew it was a dream. Was dreaming in the system space a daydream or something out of Inception?

While becoming a top-notch surgeon is wonderful, unfortunately, by then I was already old and had some prostate problems.

The feeling of his underwear being wet after urinating was very uncomfortable, but Ji Xiang vaguely realized that he might have wet the bed!

He woke up with a start, feeling uncomfortable with the wetness between his legs.

Ji Xiang sighed; experiencing these things in the system space was indeed somewhat uncomfortable.

He sat up to change his underwear and dressings, keeping the surgical area clean. But the moment Ji Xiang sat up, a bright red stain came into view.

Blood!

It was blood!!

There was bleeding in the surgical area, soaking through the pressure bandage!

Ji Xiang was suddenly stunned and immediately became highly tense.

This time, the experience was different from the last time. There was no pain, and I didn't see any swelling or bruising. Instead, I saw blood!

There's still a lot of blood!!

It's over, is it broken?

A ruptured blood vessel, ischemia and hypoxia leading to necrosis... a series of sequelae appeared in Ji Xiang's mind.

Instantly, his hands went numb, and Ji Xiang stared blankly at the crimson stain, at a loss for what to do.

But Ji Xiang tried his best to suppress his fear and calm down before dialing 120 for emergency medical assistance.

After being lifted onto a stretcher, the 120 emergency doctor inquired about her medical history and was left speechless, both amused and exasperated.

"It's nothing serious, the nail just popped open after the blood got congested. Don't worry," the 120 emergency doctor reassured Ji Xiang. "You can just get a stitch at the hospital."

Ji Xiang silently felt it, and without realizing it, he clenched his teeth and his face turned ashen.

If you perform the surgery yourself, you have to bear the consequences yourself, right?

"You look so nervous," the 120 emergency doctor said with a smile. "It looks like there's a lot of blood, but it's actually less than 20ml, just a tiny bit. It's just that it looks scary."

"Call 120, especially in the summer. A few guys at a barbecue stand got drunk and got into a fight. They weren't scared at all when they saw me covered in blood. The scariest ones are the ones who have no injuries at all, just lying on the ground twitching."

Ji Xiang sighed inwardly, gave the 120 emergency room doctor a smile, and indicated that he understood.

He wasn't afraid of blood, but rather saddened and heartbroken.

The surgery was done well, so why is there bleeding?

Ji Xiang was completely baffled.

Upon arriving at the hospital, the emergency room doctor glanced at him and instructed someone to send Ji Xiang to the urology department.

"Doctor, what's wrong?" Ji Xiang asked when he saw that the person seeing him was an old professor.

"That's how suture machines are," the old professor replied. "They're standard equipment; the staples are pre-designed, so you can't control the tightness like you would with hand sewing. It's normal for a few staples to fall out, don't worry."

After being comforted and told not to be nervous, Ji Xiang had completely calmed down and was no longer nervous at all. His thoughts were focused on the system's long-term mission.

It seems that circumcision under the suture device is indeed simple and worry-free, but like an assembly line, it is difficult to achieve the most satisfactory results.

But achieving complete satisfaction is not so easy.

This time the system was more humane and didn't deliberately torture Ji Xiang; he felt almost nothing during the anesthesia and suturing. The old doctor gave Ji Xiang a nice-looking pressure bandage at the end and gave him a satisfied look.

"Awoooooo~~~"

Outside the pharmacy, a sound like a pig being slaughtered could be heard.

Ji Xiang shivered.

"What's wrong?" Ji Xiang asked in a low voice.

"Sigh, don't even mention it." The old doctor was a little downcast as he helped Ji Xiang get dressed and stand up. "Our head nurse... is a man."

Male nurses and male head nurses are not very common, but they do exist, though not as rare as pandas.

"I'm 40 now, and I've finally decided to get my wallet cut off." The old doctor washed his hands, cleaning his forearm as well. The sound of running water aroused Ji Xiang's urge to urinate.

"The closer you are to your own family, the more likely something bad will happen. Your little bit of blood is nothing. He had postoperative bleeding, and his lower abdomen is swollen, probably around 300ml. They're about to go up for incision and drainage."

"..."

After hearing those words, Ji Xiang immediately knelt down.

The system was still kind-hearted and didn't let me experience the worst situation of a direct hematoma in my lower abdomen after surgery.

Ji Xiang walked out of the dressing room with trembling steps and saw more than a dozen doctors whispering among themselves in the ward.

He looked over and saw a huge hematoma on the male head nurse's lower abdomen, dark purple in color, with the skin stretched and somewhat shiny.

Good heavens...

If it were him, Ji Xiang felt he would be woken up again by the system NPC.

Seriously damn good!

Even without empathizing, Ji Xiang could sense the male nurse's pain just by looking at him.

Amidst the sounds of pigs being slaughtered, the male head nurse was lifted onto a stretcher and taken to the operating room.

Ji Xiang, flustered and disoriented, left the urology department with strange, shuffling steps.

That's terrifying! This is the smallest surgery in urology. The person who performed the surgery on that male head nurse must be the director.

Even so, things will still go wrong.

Thinking of this, Ji Xiang's excitement, pride, and elation at successfully completing a surgery vanished like smoke.

Be careful, be careful, Ji Xiang repeatedly told himself.

Ji Xiang hailed a taxi and returned to his dorm. He wasn't in the mood to chat with his roommates and went to bed sullenly.

The swelling in the surgical area was quite severe, but Ji Xiang had anticipated it. An extra stitch was placed, and nothing else went wrong in the following days.

Time flies, and a week has passed.

Ji Xiang wasn't sure how long the system wanted him to experience it, but he estimated that it would be about over once the nails had completely fallen off and he had recovered well.

However, an accident still occurred when the medication was changed a week later.

During this time, Ji Xiang didn't cause any trouble, but instead insisted on changing his own dressings in an odd posture.

Upon removing the gauze, Ji Xiang noticed that two other nails next to the loose, bleeding nail were also starting to loosen.

If it's just loosening, that's not a big deal; Ji Xiang is mentally prepared.

but!

but! !

But! ! !

Near the wound from the nail, Ji Xiang could clearly see yellow discharge!

It's pus!

Ji Xiang's heart jumped.

Pus, postoperative infection!

When it came to empathize, Ji Xiang had absolutely no expectation of this.

Infection, necrosis, removal... It felt like a cold wind was blowing by, chilly.

However, Ji Xiang tried his best to control his emotions so as not to be awakened by the system NPC again.

After closing his eyes, Ji Xiang took a long time to calm down before starting to change the dressing again.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be not as serious as Ji Xiang had imagined.

It should be localized exudation with a slight inflammatory reaction, rather than the foul-smelling pus drained from an empyema patient as seen in cardiothoracic surgery.

When changing the dressing, Ji Xiang's hands trembled involuntarily.

Although I judged that everything was fine, the words "broken" and "cut off" kept lingering in my mind and wouldn't go away.

Even after changing the dressing, Ji Xiang was still worried, even within the system.

He took a taxi to the hospital, asked the doctor to change his dressing, and asked many questions until the urologist in charge of changing the dressing looked extremely uncomfortable.

After adding a set of anti-inflammatory drugs, Ji Xiang also bought Kangfuxin liquid to use with iodine for disinfection.

After all, he was only a half-baked doctor, so Ji Xiang still understood the most basic common sense.

But things backfired.

Every day thereafter, Ji Xiang would change his dressing and carefully observe the oozing.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but the seepage seemed to be increasing, though Ji Xiang wasn't sure.

As the days passed, things didn't go as Ji Xiang had hoped, with the nails gradually falling off naturally. Moreover, the pain worsened during dressing changes, to the point that Ji Xiang needed painkillers to endure it.

On the ninth day, more than two weeks after the surgery, a row of nails had partially fallen off. Ji Xiang gritted his teeth, cut the nails with scissors, and pulled them out.

As the nail emerged, a long trail of pus followed, emitting a faint stench and stained with traces of blood.

"!!!"

Ji Xiang froze, his mind blank.

It was indeed an infection. Due to the effects of the body's own immune system, the initial infection not only did not get better but became more and more serious.

it's over...

"Snap!"

Ji Xiang suddenly woke up.

His heart was pounding wildly, and even without a mirror, Ji Xiang could guess that his face must be deathly pale.

"Scared again?" the system NPC asked, hands behind his back.

Ji Xiang squeezed his eyes shut, trying to confirm what he had just witnessed while feeling the pain, and asked blankly, "Teacher, why is there bleeding? Why is there an infection?"

"When I taught you how to use a suture device for circumcision, I mentioned that there's a possibility of bleeding after the procedure. So, before bandaging after the surgery, you must carefully check to avoid any accidents."

"As for the infection, that's a complication, nothing strange about it."

The system NPC's tone was indifferent, without any hint of blame, but Ji Xiang was so ashamed that he couldn't lift his head.

The surgery, which I thought was foolproof, failed again...

"Don't worry, there shouldn't be any problems with the surgery you just had. You just skipped one step," the system NPC reassured you.

"Check for any possible bleeding; if so, administer two more injections?"

"Hmm." The system NPC smiled, raised his hand and patted Ji Xiang's shoulder. "Surgery is a very serious matter. Learning a surgical technique is indeed a happy thing, but it also brings a lot of anxiety."

The system NPC's words were a bit strange, but Ji Xiang understood what he meant.

Nodding vigorously, Ji Xiang's vision remained a sea of ​​crimson.

"When performing surgery, remember to be extremely careful, as if walking on thin ice," the system NPC warned.

"Teacher, I understand."

After Ji Xiang finished speaking, he looked at the system NPC and asked seriously, "Teacher, is there a way to avoid infection as much as possible?"

"Strengthening attention to detail can help avoid it as much as possible. But, Dr. Ji, please note, it's only about avoiding it as much as possible."

"Teacher, I want to learn!"

After experiencing the empathy firsthand, Ji Xiang was filled with dissatisfaction with his surgery. Even though the system NPC made it clear that this empathy was unrelated to the surgery Ji Xiang had just undergone, but was merely a collection of various complications.

But after experiencing that horror, Ji Xiang wanted to make up for the flaws in his surgery as much as possible, even if there was only the slightest possibility.

Inside the operating room, surgical training was underway, one procedure after another. The operating lights were quite bright, and Ji Xiang was focused intently.

(End of this chapter)