Healing Doctor

Chapter 575: The free one is the most expensive.

The scene shifts to the patient returning. Director Zou speaks to Ji Xiang, who then opens the software system and directly views the CT images that were just completed on the computer.

Generally speaking, abdominal discomfort is not a suitable condition for a CT scan.

Even if there is a tumor, as long as it is not too large, it will be difficult to see on the scan due to the overlapping of the intestines and the accumulation of gas in the intestines.

This examination is particularly meaningless for many surgeons who have poor image interpretation skills.

Director Zou sat in front of the computer, while Ji Xiang stood to his side, holding the mouse and scrolling the mouse wheel.

As the impact continued to slide downwards, Ji Xiang suddenly stopped.

The camera lens also froze and zoomed in, with one of the two film crews giving Ji Xiang a close-up, while the other focused on the computer screen.

A small, white patch appeared in the patient's right mid-abdomen. Its density was different from the surrounding area, but it was too small to be noticeable.

From an ordinary person's perspective, nothing can be seen at all, and even from the perspective of an ordinary doctor, the abnormality in the imaging is incomprehensible.

But Director Bai and Director Liu in front of the screen were slightly taken aback.

There really was something in the patient's intestines!

They were both confident in Ji Xiang's diagnosis, but when they actually saw this scene, they were both slightly surprised.

"What is that?" Director Liu asked, frowning.

"Judging from the location, it looks like a Meckel diverticulum, but the density isn't like that."

"Didn't you already have a colonoscopy?" Director Liu asked, still a little confused.

"Tch." Director Bai glanced at Director Liu with disdain. "Xiao Ji said beforehand that there might be problems with the examination by the head of a lower-level hospital. See, I knew it. And did you notice anything strange about Xiao Ji's questioning of the patient's history?"

"weird?"

"He specifically asked the patient if they had ever had a capsule endoscopy, especially since it's in the south, where the economy is developed and capsule endoscopy is widely available. It's not like that here; not many people know about it, let alone that it's widespread."

Director Liu was speechless.

He also knew that there might be problems with gastroscopy and colonoscopy examinations at lower-level hospitals, and that patients might even be going to unlicensed clinics that only scam money and don't even have medical licenses.

"Hey." Director Liu chuckled, then stopped talking and focused on the screen.

On the screen, Ji Xiang and Director Zou began to mutter something to each other. Even though the camera was very close, it was impossible to hear what they were talking about.

Moreover, the camera angle was slightly off, making it impossible for lip-reading experts to interpret the images.

However, this part was not long, and then Director Zou began another consultation.

This consultation was significantly more detailed than previous ones; it wasn't a scattershot approach, but rather a targeted inquiry.

Generally speaking, one should not ask leading questions during a medical consultation, as this would introduce a subjective element and increase the probability of arriving at an incorrect diagnosis.

However, now that there are objective images, Director Zou inquired about the patient's treatment process at the local hospital and which hospital performed the gastroscopy and colonoscopy, etc.

What's astonishing is that the patient didn't have the gastroscopy and colonoscopy done at the local county hospital. Instead, one day, when he was about to go to the county hospital for treatment, he saw a banner displayed by the local gastroenterology hospital announcing a special price of 50 yuan for gastroscopy and colonoscopy to benefit the local community.

Because it was cheap, I had the examination done at a gastroenterology hospital. The examination revealed inflammation, and I was given intravenous antibiotics for 7 days.

Everyone felt particularly helpless about this medical history.

"I did encounter a similar situation," Director Liu said with a smile, turning to look at Section Chief Bai. "Three years ago, I treated an elderly man with kidney cancer. He recovered well after the surgery and was discharged smoothly. The day after his discharge, I received a call from his daughter, and I was a little panicked."

"I thought there was a problem with the surgery, and I was really scared."

"Partial nephrectomy or total nephrectomy?" Director Bai asked.

Director Liu's face flushed slightly, but he quickly returned to normal. "Total nephrectomy."

"What a disappointment," Director Bai said disdainfully. "You're so weak you can't even fart properly."

Partial nephrectomy is far more difficult than total nephrectomy. If you remove one kidney directly, as long as the ligation is done well, or if necessary, you can suture it twice to prevent bleeding.

"Listen to me," Director Liu immediately continued the conversation. "I asked about the situation, and the patient's daughter said that she had been taking care of her father at the hospital recently and had some gastrointestinal discomfort. She was planning to come to our hospital for a gastroscopy and colonoscopy. But on the way, she saw the gastroenterology hospital's guys offering free gastroscopy and colonoscopy."

"The most expensive things are the free ones," Director Bai pointed out incisively.

"After the procedure, I told her she had precancerous lesions and needed IV drips and acupuncture treatment," Director Liu said with a smile. "So, the patient's family panicked and immediately called me to ask what to do."

Director Bai did not ask any further questions.

Similar situations are incredibly simple: come to the Second Affiliated Hospital for another checkup, and if you're sick, get treatment; if not, just put your mind at ease.

"They said the gastroscopy and colonoscopy were free, but they didn't sterilize them and just used tap water to clean the pipes," Director Bai said, digressing from the main point.

"Many people still don't get tested for hepatitis B, HIV, or syphilis. They're really bold. Have you ever encountered patients who were infected because of this?" Director Liu asked.

Director Bai didn't continue the casual conversation; the topic was meaningless to him.

He looked at Ji Xiang and Director Zou on the screen, where the next step of the diagnosis and treatment plan had been determined—another gastroscopy and colonoscopy.

And so, we come to the part we all love: the animation.

This seamless transition fast-forwards directly to the patient undergoing a gastroscopy and colonoscopy.

Sure enough, Meckel's diverticulum was found, along with polypoid hyperplasia, shallow ulcers, and... a white membrane in the intestinal lumen.

"Too many antibiotics have been used," Director Bai said, frowning. "This is troublesome."

"What bacteria do you think caused the white film?" Director Liu asked.

Generally speaking, there are a large number of bacteria in the gut, and these bacteria interact with each other to achieve a stable living environment.

When external forces intervene, the gut microbiota may become imbalanced, and certain bacteria may exhibit dominant growth.

Once a white membrane is found on the surface of the intestine, it means that the patient's dysbiosis is severe, which cannot be solved by surgical removal of Meckel's diverticulum.

"Minor" surgeries have become complicated.

"It's usually Clostridium difficile," Director Bai said.

"..." Director Liu shrugged.

The scene shifts back to the consultation room, where Ji Xiang and Director Zou are talking.

Director Liu was not flustered after learning the result; instead, he had a sense of certainty that he had the victory in his grasp.

The patient sat down in front of Director Zou with a slightly uneasy expression.

Director Zou first explained the situation and briefly described the dangers of gut microbiota imbalance.

"Meckel's diverticulum can be removed with a relatively simple minor surgery, but the dysbiosis that causes a white membrane to cover the intestines makes treatment more complicated."

"Director, then..." The patient looked at Director Zou speechlessly. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Will it be very expensive? It must cost a lot of money."

"No, the next step in treatment requires the preparation of stool capsules, which you will take orally for a period of time."

"!!!"

(End of this chapter)