Healing Doctor

Chapter 381 Long-term Bedridden

Ji Xiang leaned closer to look at the images on the viewer.

The patient's lung markings were coarser, more pronounced on the left side. While this could be somewhat explained as hypostatic pneumonia, Ji Xiang felt it differed from typical hypostatic pneumonia.

Director Lu Gang is right. The sudden appearance of a lesion in one lung means there is a problem, but the specific problem cannot be seen from the scan alone.

"Teacher Lu, has the patient experienced aspiration?" Ji Xiang asked.

"The occasional coughing shouldn't be related to aspiration," Lu Gang said without turning his head.

"Teacher Lu, why?"

"Pneumonia caused by aspiration is not like this; the inflammation will be much more severe," Lu Gang said irritably.

He was like a student who couldn't solve a puzzle, finding fault with everything and being unhappy with nothing. His tone was arrogant and full of impatience.

Director Liu was worried that Ji Xiang would be unhappy because of Lu Gang's tone, after all, he had just obtained the provincial natural science certificate and published a paper in The Lancet, and was in the midst of his success.

But seeing Ji Xiang's focused expression as he watched the film, he didn't say anything.

Ji Xiang was also confused, so he held his breath and entered the system space.

After explaining the patient's condition to the system NPC, the NPC said, "Patients who are bedridden for a long time do indeed experience many problems."

His words were leisurely, and his gaze toward Ji Xiang seemed to be seeking Ji Xiang's opinion.

"Feel the same way?" Ji Xiang was taken aback.

"Want to give it a try?" the system NPC asked. "This time, the empathy might be a little special."

Ji Xiang frowned and stared intently at the system NPC.

The wrinkles on the faces of the system NPCs seem to be etched with stories.

"Let me tell you something," the system NPC said slowly. "Ten years ago, I suffered from a serious illness: aortic dissection."

"!!!"

"I was already in my late 80s or early 90s at that time. As we in the medical field know, elephant trunk surgery is extremely dangerous, with a very low survival rate. Even if someone has elephant trunk surgery in their prime, not many of them will survive."

"I've seen through the decades of life and don't want to suffer anymore. I called all my students over, looked at each one of them, and told them my last wishes. I mainly told them that I refused treatment and that they shouldn't waste resources on an old man like me who is about to die."

"And then what?" Ji Xiang asked curiously.

"I pressed the insulin and milk pump myself, thinking I would just pass away without any pain or injury. But when I woke up, Zhou Congwen was standing in front of me."

"..." Ji Xiang frowned. Was Professor Zhou really that stubborn? He wouldn't listen to the old man's words.

This is no longer a matter of medicine, but involves medical ethics.

"He just won't listen to me." The system NPC sighed. "You know, it's really painful when a person wants to leave but can't."

"After all, you're perfectly fine." Ji Xiang still preferred Professor Zhou Congwen, who had "saved" him from dire straits several times.

"Well, I was lucky. The newly developed 3D printing equipment provided me with the necessary support. It was done with interventional surgery, no open-chest surgery, and I didn't suffer much." The system NPC smiled slightly and didn't argue with Ji Xiang any further.

"Want to give it a try?" the system NPC asked.

Ji Xiang thought for a moment, then nodded and replied, "Okay."

"Medicine is a vast and profound field, and medical ethics is even more so, with many abstract and speculative aspects. You can't truly understand it without firsthand experience."

The system NPC chattered on and on as it led Ji Xiang to the next operating room.

The light and shadow flickered, and Ji Xiang subconsciously closed his eyes. When he opened them, he suddenly realized that he didn't even have the strength to open them.

"!!!" Ji Xiang was startled.

But then I realized that I was feeling the presence of an elderly person who was nearing the end of their life.

Calming down, Ji Xiang silently felt the functions of "his" body.

There was no urinary tract stone or the excruciating pain of a broken collarbone, but Ji Xiang felt as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on him, weighing a ton, and he had to exert all his strength to breathe.

The energy that once allowed me to run a half marathon effortlessly has vanished without a trace, leaving only an empty shell. The strained breathing seems to be the only proof that I am alive.

Having underlying medical conditions, Ji Xiang, like other patients consulted by Lu Gang, lay peacefully in bed.

Having gotten used to being busy, it feels nice to suddenly have some free time.

The feeling of being bedridden for a long time wasn't too uncomfortable for Ji Xiang, and he began to recall the surgical procedure, simulating it in his mind again and again.

The family took good care of the child, and they hired a reliable nanny. There were no instances of abuse by the nanny when the family members were not present.

Eating is the most painful thing every day; swallowing alone takes a lot of energy. Besides eating, there are also medications, such as Nifedipine and subcutaneous insulin injections.

Just surviving takes all of one's strength; only now does Ji Xiang understand what kind of state that phrase describes.

As the days went by, one day the nanny took a day off, and her daughter fed herself medicine. She genuinely wanted to take care of herself, but she was unskilled and clumsy, which led to her choking.

Ji Xiang carefully sensed the coughing and realized that in addition to the personal information he had provided as a system NPC, he also needed to understand the cause of the patient's pneumonia.

The coughing didn't seem to have any major negative effects, except that I had more phlegm afterward.

More than half a month later, I experienced choking cough again due to coughing, wheezing, and excessive phlegm.

As time went on, Ji Xiang could clearly feel himself getting weaker and weaker, and even coughing and expectorating became difficult.

As his already limited energy was gradually drained from his body by an invisible hand, Ji Xiang felt himself becoming increasingly tired.

This kind of fatigue is different from pain. Lying down for a long time makes all my bones ache, as if countless ants are gnawing at me. The sourness is indescribable.

But Ji Xiang did not forget the purpose of this empathy; he kept a close eye on what exactly caused the pneumonia.

However, after a period of time, the condition worsened, and Ji Xiang still couldn't find the cause.

As the infection worsened and her temperature rose, her daughter arranged for her to be admitted to the hospital.

When he arrived at the hospital, Ji Xiang no longer felt like he could be saved, unlike when he fractured his collarbone; his feelings were somewhat complicated.

For the "self" now, simply surviving is an exhausting experience.

Occasionally, Ji Xiang would think about the choices the system NPC made when he had aortic dissection. At the time, he didn't think much of it, but now Ji Xiang gradually understands the choices the system NPC made.

I'm already in so much pain even before I've had the elephant trunk surgery and aortic replacement.

but!

This is just the beginning.

On the first day of hospitalization, after a thorough examination, the doctor found that "I" had a lot of phlegm, so he asked the nurse to suction it out.

As the suction catheter was inserted, Ji Xiang felt as if he had entered hell.

(End of this chapter)