Healing Doctor

Chapter 612 Savior

"Dad, are you uncomfortable in this position? Move slowly, let me help you find a position that won't hurt."

The son was very filial; he gently helped Ji Xiang change positions several times until he saw that Ji Xiang's pain expression had eased slightly.

"Dad, do you think I don't know their hospital? A while ago, a hospital had a New Year's Eve dinner and they hung up a banner that you would never guess what it said."

"What is it?" Ji Xiang asked, enduring the pain.

"A tiger brings might and power to welcome the New Year; the operating room is overflowing with money."

"..."

Ji Xiang remained silent.

"Think about it, your grandson's air enema only costs a little over 200 yuan and is done in half an hour. But if he went into the operating room, it would cost at least 10,000 or 20,000 yuan, plus hospitalization, IV drips, and so on. The same illness could cost a hundred times more."

At this point, the man seemed to realize something was amiss, and he quickly explained apologetically, "Dad, it's not that we're unwilling to spend money, you know what I mean."

Ji Xiang nodded earnestly, offering the man a sliver of comfort.

"We certainly won't skimp on necessary expenses; I'm just worried about you suffering. Think about it, a large incision, a small knife cutting through, and then cutting off a piece of intestine—is that the kind of suffering a human being would endure?"

"In our hometown dialect, we say this damages your vitality and undermines your very foundation. Even if you were over seventy, I wouldn't be able to handle it."

"The doctors in hospitals are incredibly corrupt these days; even good people will be skinned alive if they go in. If they catch a patient, they can squeeze a dead toad until it urinates."

Ji Xiang felt helpless as he listened to the man's repeated explanations.

There's an old joke: A man from out of town got into a taxi and asked where he was going. He arrogantly replied, "To the most expensive place in your city." The taxi driver ended up taking him to the hospital.

There's so much to say about this; it would take a whole day and night to tell the whole story.

Ji Xiang didn't bother to explain further; he roughly understood the patient's family's line of thinking.

Distrust, coupled with past experiences, led to me, an unsuitable patient, lying outside the radiology department waiting for an air enema.

Now Ji Xiang is only worried about one thing—the gastrointestinal surgeons are incredibly timid, like Zhao Mengmeng, they are the type of doctors who are clinical novices.

When pressured by the patient's family, the patient gave in without principle, even began to doubt themselves, and then started to actually perform an air enema according to "their" son's opinion.

Ji Xiang really couldn't say what the consequences would be if that were the case.

What if the intestines rupture due to pressure, causing the intestinal contents and tumors to scatter... Ji Xiang couldn't bear to think about it anymore. Even though he knew it was just a feeling, he felt uncomfortable all over just thinking about the consequences.

Ji Xiang even regretted that he shouldn't have chosen to participate in the empathy session as a patient.

"I am coming."

A familiar voice appeared.

Even after finding a more comfortable position, Ji Xiang couldn't help but look up. His previous frustration dissipated; he knew his savior had arrived.

It's Professor Zhou Congwen!

The familiar voice was like heavenly music, warming Ji Xiang's heart. It was Professor Zhou who had come to his aid; he should be alright.

"Brother Zhou, look, it's him." The radiologist pointed at Ji Xiang and said, "He was brought in by Bai Wuchang from the ER. He said the patient's family insisted, so they dumped him here and got busy. What kind of mess is this? The ER is getting more and more disgusting these days."

Professor Zhou patted the radiologist on the shoulder, and Ji Xiang felt that he was signaling to the radiologist not to escalate the conflict.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Zhou Congwen, a gastrointestinal surgeon." Professor Zhou walked over, his face serious, and said to the man, "What kind of examination do you need? I'll take a look."

"Here are the blood test results, and here is the CT scan." After handing the auxiliary examination reports to Zhou Congwen, the man couldn't contain his emotions and said disdainfully, "Do you guys give kickbacks to the emergency department for performing surgeries? Otherwise, why would the emergency department doctor strongly recommend that my dad go to the operating table?"

This was a life-or-death question. Out of the corner of Ji Xiang's eye, he saw Professor Zhou's gentle and refined smile, which was completely different from when he was talking to other doctors.

"There's no such thing as kickbacks, that's all nonsense." Zhou Congwen chuckled as he took out the film and glanced at it a few times in front of the LED lights on the corridor ceiling.

From Ji Xiang's perspective, he saw Zhou Congwen scan the film twice, having already scanned all 44 windows. But Zhou Congwen didn't speak, nor did he put down the film; instead, he continued to stare intently.

Professor Zhou knew his own situation perfectly well; the reason he didn't immediately put the film down was because he was putting on an act.

If a doctor simply glances at the film and puts it down, it gives the patient's family the impression that the doctor is not attentive. Given the already low level of trust, neglecting details will only exacerbate the problem.

Professor Zhou truly lives up to his reputation as a student of the system's NPCs and one of the system's creators; he has extensive clinical experience.

Professor Zhou paid attention to even such a small detail, and Ji Xiang trusted Professor Zhou more and more.

Professor Zhou managed his time exceptionally well.

The doctor neither gave the patient's family the impression that the scans were reviewed hastily, nor made them feel that the doctor was incompetent and took so long to review a single scan.

He handled everything perfectly.

"It's an intestinal obstruction."

"Dr. Zhou, it's intussusception," Ji Xiang's "son" corrected.

"Intussusception is also a type of intestinal obstruction. So, since it's cold in the hallway, let me find you a warm and cozy place."

"Hurry up and do the air enema, then we'll go home," the man said irritably.

His voice was loud, almost like a shout, as he could no longer contain his irritable temper.

"Xiao Hua".

Upon hearing Ji Xiang speak, Professor Zhou immediately came over and took Ji Xiang's hand.

His hands were warm, and he wasn't using much force, but they made you feel reassured.

"Sir, my name is Zhou Congwen. We need to discuss your illness in detail. May I take ten minutes of your time? Just ten minutes."

"It's too cold in this corridor, especially in the middle of winter. If you catch a cold, you'll suffer even more. I'll find you a warmer place to get a checkup and explain the situation to you and your family. You can choose whichever you prefer."

As he spoke, Professor Zhou tucked Ji Xiang's clothes in and inadvertently shielded Ji Xiang from the cold wind with his body.

"Dr. Zhou..." the man frowned.

His voice was much softer. Putting myself in his shoes, the doctor's words were reasonable and persuasive, and could be accepted by most people, except for a very small number of patients with antisocial personality disorder or their families.

"Xiao Hua, listen to what the doctor says, I'm still okay." Ji Xiang quickly made his stance clear while he was still able to speak.

He was genuinely afraid of giving himself an air enema.

Not only do they insert a tube into your anus, but they also pump air into it; just thinking about it makes me feel nauseous.

In addition, excessive pressure inside the intestines can cause the stomach to become full of stool...

The consequences could be disastrous.

(End of this chapter)