Healing Doctor

Chapter 383 Let's Discuss the Matter at Hand

Gradually, life became chaotic, with no distinction between day and night, and the world turned upside down.

After enduring excruciating pain until the very last day, Ji Xiang finally returned to the operating room.

This experience left Ji Xiang speechless, so much so that when he returned to the system's operating room, he did not proactively "report" his empathetic experience to the system NPC as he usually did.

"What did you find?" the system NPC asked.

"..." Ji Xiang remained silent.

"Sometimes you need to advise the patient's family," the system NPC said. "Listen to the patient's opinion. Although euthanasia is not available in China, you can try to avoid doing some useless treatments."

"..." Ji Xiang remained silent.

The system NPC didn't say anything. He led Ji Xiang to the changing room, took out the packet of white Ganoderma lucidum that Ji Xiang had "bought" for him, and flicked his wrist, releasing a cigarette.

Ji Xiang noticed that the pack of cigarettes hadn't been touched, but the cigarettes that had popped out had bite marks on the filter.

It seems that the system NPCs were just using it as a temporary thrill, but never actually smoked it.

"Teacher, it was really boring to be forced to stay at the end."

After an unknown amount of time, Ji Xiang spoke in a deep voice.

That's all he wanted to say.

In his empathy, Ji Xiang forgot his real purpose—to find out why the patient developed pneumonia.

"It depends on the patient's wishes," the system NPC said. "Some patients, no matter how much suffering they endure, insist on living, taking it one day at a time, one hour at a time."

"And what about you?"

"I don't want to, it's too tiring," the system NPC said frankly and directly. "But Zhou Congwen and my wife both disagree."

As he spoke, the system NPC seemed somewhat annoyed. He bit down hard on the filter tip of the white lingzhi mushroom, and a faint crunching sound could be heard.

"Don't overthink it. This is just part of clinical experience. Think about it more when you actually encounter terminally ill patients in the future."

After a long while, the system NPC finally spoke calmly.

"it is good."

"Have you understood what's going on regarding pneumonia?"

"..." Ji Xiang was truly speechless this time.

I was so focused on feeling unwell that I didn't even notice what was causing my pneumonia.

The system NPC smiled, seemingly forgetting the previous unpleasantness, and began to explain the situation to Ji Xiang.

……

……

"Old Lu, how is the patient now?" Director Liu asked impatiently, seeing that Lu Gang looked at the X-rays as if he were reading a fortune teller.

"Not bad. Look here, something feels off to me." Lu Gang's finger tapped on the video reader, making a thumping sound.

"There's nothing wrong with it, at most it's just a slight artifact." Director Liu glanced at it and didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

Ji Xiang scratched his head, about to speak, when Lu Gang's phone suddenly rang.

"Dr. Lu, the patient's blood oxygen level has dropped; prepare for a tracheotomy!"

"I'll go right away!"

Lu Gang pulled the film off, grabbed the film bag, and strode out.

Ji Xiang followed behind him. Director Liu said helplessly, "Ji, I'll wait for you in the office."

"Okay!" Ji Xiang said, and jogged off after Lu Gang, disappearing around the corner.

Director Liu shook his head helplessly.

"Director, Dr. Xiao Ji, this is..." General Manager Wu didn't know how to describe it.

"That's how it is when they first enter clinical practice," Director Liu said with a smile. "They want to learn everything. Once they've learned a lot, they'll naturally know what to do when they realize they don't have enough time."

Ji Xiang followed Lu Gang briskly, full of energy, a stark contrast to the hellish torment he had recently experienced.

It's always better to stay healthy and young. Having experienced the brink of death, Ji Xiang cherishes his current health.

Upon arrival at the respiratory medicine department, the patient had already undergone a tracheotomy, was on a ventilator, and had blood drawn for testing and blood gas analysis.

"Old Lu, the patient might not make it," the head of the respiratory department said regretfully. "I've already spoken with the patient's family, and they're still discussing it."

"Sigh." Lu Gang looked at the patient on the ventilator and sighed softly.

"The patient has a very strong will to live," said the head of the respiratory medicine department. "When he came to the hospital, he couldn't speak, but he wrote on a piece of paper with a pen—'We must do everything we can.'"

"..." Ji Xiang was taken aback.

This is completely different from what I feel personally.

That makes sense, though. People's joys and sorrows are never shared; one's own experiences only represent oneself.

There must be quite a few people who want to live, even if it's just for one more day.

"The handwriting is crooked, but it's still legible. I promised the old man I would do my best, which is why I contacted Director Bai to ask you to come for a consultation."

"But if even you think there's no good solution, then the patient's time is up."

After explaining, the head of the respiratory medicine department said helplessly.

"Teacher, would a patient who is bedridden for a long time still have such a strong will to live?" Ji Xiang asked.

"You must be Ji Xiang." The head of the respiratory department smiled. "Even ants cling to life. Although the final moments may not be comfortable, people think differently."

Ji Xiang realized that the thoughts between people were truly as far apart as mountains and seas.

In empathy, both the patient and "themselves" felt that this was an endless torment, but in reality, patients who have been bedridden for many years still beg doctors to live a little longer when they come to the hospital.

Recalling the system NPCs, Ji Xiang seemed to have gained a deeper understanding.

These kinds of things really need to be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

"I feel like something's off about the scans." Lu Gang crossed his arms, rested his chin on his right hand, and frowned as he looked at the patient.

Hearing Lu Gang speak, Ji Xiang finally snapped out of his life-or-death dilemma. Such reasoning can only be applied to specific cases and cannot be generalized.

He dismissed the extraneous thoughts and picked up the patient's medical record.

Sure enough, Bai Xintong was right there, just as the system NPC had predicted.

"Teacher Lu, the patient is taking oral Nifedipine, subcutaneous insulin injections, and has been taking diuretics long-term."

"Hmm? Is there a problem?" Lu Gang asked casually.

The head of the respiratory medicine department looked at Ji Xiang with great interest.

Everyone knew that Director Bai had "assigned" Lu Gang to work under a resident physician. At first, everyone thought that Director Bai was recklessly suppressing Lu Gang.

However, in the recent medical licensing examination, Ji Xiang achieved the highest score nationwide, and even a perfect score. The head of the respiratory department felt that this was somewhat abnormal.

She had looked at the test paper, and she was certain she wouldn't get a perfect score on it.

Now, Ji Xiang stood right in front of him and said, "Nonsense."

The next second, Lu Gang's eyes lit up; the thin veil of secrecy had been pierced.

"Yes, it's Adalat!" Lu Gang shouted. "Prepare the bronchoscope; the Adalat casing must be blocking the trachea!"

"Old Lu, are you alright?" the head of the respiratory medicine department asked in confusion.

"Hurry up, the patient can still recover if we remove it now." Lu Gang waved his hand without hesitation.

(End of this chapter)