Healing Doctor

Chapter 75 An Unsolvable Problem

"Young man, let me explain again," the doctor said gravely. "Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) can only break up lithotripsy in one location a maximum of three times, with an ideal interval of two weeks. The interval between your two ESWL sessions is too short, which could easily..."

Indeed, Ji Xiang knew that these were all written in books.

In theory, stones smaller than 2cm can be treated with ultrasonic lithotripsy, but there are various limitations.

The biggest advantage of ultrasonic lithotripsy over laser lithotripsy is that it is cheaper.

The difference between a thousand or so yuan and ten thousand or so yuan is exponential.

"Doctor, don't worry," the little boy said sincerely, "If we do it again, it will definitely be better, definitely better."

He seemed to be comforting the doctor, but also as if he were comforting himself.

The doctor was also helpless. He took a deep look at the little boy and started the machine.

A water-filled bladder was placed against the left lower back, and ultrasonic waves were used to strike it.

The lithotripsy was similar to physical therapy; there was little pain. The doctor adjusted the position several times during the procedure, and after half an hour, the initial shock was over.

After the boy came down, the doctor told him to rest more for the next two days and drink more water. He added that if hematuria occurred, it was normal.

If the pain is unbearable, go to the hospital for treatment.

This is all standard practice; both Ji Xiang and the young boy understand it.

After leaving the hospital, the little boy began to drink a lot of water.

The counselor watched him with distress. Even though the counselor didn't know how much pain he was in, the sight of bright red blood in his urine still chilled him to the bone.

"Xiao Ji, how about... we go to the Second Affiliated Hospital? If you don't have money, I can find a way to apply to the hospital," the counselor said in a low voice, unable to contain himself.

The little boy's clothes were soaked with cold sweat, his face was pale, and he was panting heavily.

But he still insisted, "Advisor, I'll be done soon, I'll be done soon."

The counselor sighed and didn't try to persuade him further.

Nearly an hour later, the boy passed blood in his urine.

Seeing the bright red color of his urine, he wasn't scared; instead, he was somewhat happy, as if the stones would be expelled smoothly with the blood in his urine.

But the pain did not subside at all; waves of sharp, stabbing pain came from my lower back, like being cut by a knife.

Not to mention the young boy, even Ji Xiang, who was watching from a third-person perspective, almost fainted from the pain.

This experience was terrible, even worse than the last time I had kidney stones.

Half an hour later, the little boy was almost in shock. He sat limply on the ground, too exhausted to move.

"Little Ji, how are you feeling?"

"It still hurts." The little boy's voice was already hoarse. Although he only said three words, he used all his strength.

"Let's take you to the Second Affiliated Hospital. The school provides subsidies, and we can also crowdfund."

"Advisor, I should be fine." The young boy was stubborn, and his feelings were quite complicated.

Ji Xiang savored it, a mixture of flavors.

The counselor couldn't persuade the young man, and the application process was quite complicated and there was no guarantee of success. As for crowdfunding... the commissions for those "staff" were simply unbearable.

A classmate of mine tried crowdfunding, only to find himself being fleeced and exploited. He didn't even get proper treatment, while the middlemen made a killing.

The boy was certain, and the counselor had never experienced anything like it either, so she could only go along with his suggestion to find a doctor at the district hospital.

He pleaded repeatedly, made gravel, drank a lot of water, and jumped around.

The stone was broken four times in one day.

Finally, after the last round of lithotripsy, the little boy felt nauseous and vomited violently. The doctor at the district hospital instinctively touched his head, which startled him.

His forehead was burning hot; the little boy had developed a high fever at some point.

He dared not do the gravel again, and even flew into a rage, chasing the little boy away.

Before leaving, he spoke earnestly with his counselor, urging him to take him to the Second Affiliated Hospital as soon as possible.

Although Ji Xiang was in observer mode, he could still feel the pain and helplessness.

After a long day of fussing, Ji Xiang was almost fainting, but the boy was still begging his counselor to do it again.

He's trying, and maybe if he tries again, that wretched stone will be shattered and fall out down his urethra.

It was unclear why the boy's body contained such immense energy. In the instant the boy fainted, Ji Xiang returned to the system.

……

……

"Teacher." Ji Xiang touched his clothes with his hand.

The clothes are dry, no longer feeling like they were pulled out of the water, clinging to the body wetly and uncomfortably.

"Yes, I'm back." The system NPC said calmly, with his hands behind his back and his waist slightly bent.

"Teacher..." Ji Xiang had countless questions he wanted to ask, but he didn't know how to say them.

He was confused by the content of this empathy, and had no idea why the little boy would do that.

"That's also the purpose of creating this system." The system NPC looked at Ji Xiang seriously. "You come from a well-off family, so there are many things you can't understand. Humans can only understand the world from their own perspective; everyone is the same."

"The saying 'where you sit determines where you look' may seem absurd at first, but as you gain more experience, you'll realize it's a profound truth."

Ji Xiang listened quietly, sensing that there was some great secret involved.

"I was just a doctor. At that time, the doctor-patient dispute was already very serious. The two sides were instigated to be antagonistic and full of hostility."

"I want to find a solution. But as you know, ordinary people simply can't solve these kinds of social problems."

"Is it because you don't have enough money for medical insurance?" Ji Xiang asked.

"Yes, but no," the system NPC said. "There are many complex interpretations involved. You'll understand once you've experienced it firsthand enough."

Ji Xiang pricked up his ears, eager to hear what the system NPC had to say.

But the system NPC stopped, its hunched back bending even more, as if a mountain was pressing down on it.

"Teacher, what do you mean?" Ji Xiang asked cautiously.

"Dr. Xiao Ji, you said..." The system NPC said half a sentence, then sighed, "To stop rambling, my students all say that I'm willing to instill values, which is really long-winded and annoying."

"No, I think it's great. Standing taller, you can see farther, and have a commanding view," Ji Xiang said with a smile.

"In short, Zhou Congwen and I discussed this for many years, and finally, a technological breakthrough led to this system. Let's start by collecting data..."

"Data? Teacher, you haven't explained how to resolve medical disputes yet."

Ji Xiang recalled the empathetic experience of having his kidney amputated, and he clearly understood the source of some of the conflicts.

"The solution to this problem is to eliminate the profession of doctor," the system NPC said with a slight smile.

Ji Xiang was surprised.

"Let's not talk about that." The system NPC waved its hand. "I have a question for you."

"Teacher, please go ahead."

"This young patient refuses a suitable surgical procedure due to cost concerns," the system NPC said calmly. "So, if you were the attending physician, how would you solve this problem?"

Without hesitation, Ji Xiang replied directly, "Teacher, I'll ask my mom for some money, 1 to 3 yuan, it shouldn't be a problem."

The system NPC smiled, his gaze towards Ji Xiang carrying a hint of mockery.

"Then let me ask you, what about other patients who can't afford treatment? For example, cancer patients who are suitable for heavy ion bombardment radiotherapy, which costs millions per session and requires advance booking, what do you plan to do?"

"..."

"What are you going to do about all the patients in the world who don't have enough money for treatment?"

"..."

"Even if there are sufficient funds for basic treatment, patients and their families still desire the world's most advanced and technologically superior treatments. How do you plan to address this issue?"

"..."

"This is part of clinical experience," the system NPC said. "It's not a system task; it's a task I assigned to you."

Ji Xiang was somewhat confused.

"Go see how to resolve this matter." The system NPC suddenly smiled mischievously. "Although it's not a system task, I have certain authority, so I'll give you a reward."

"Hehe, teacher, no need." Seeing that the system NPC was in a good mood, Ji Xiang's mood also improved. "But there's no solution to this problem."

"Is there no solution?" The system NPC shook its head. "If the area expands, there's definitely no solution. But if it's within a certain range, it can still be solved using flexible methods. You can research the specific solutions yourself."

"Should I pay his hospital fees?"

"This is a flawed solution," the system NPC said. "It's not that it's completely impossible, but what about the future? All solutions are relative, and your method is not good."

The system NPC spoke in a somewhat convoluted way, but Ji Xiang knew what he had to do.

Since it wasn't a system task, Ji Xiang wasn't envious of what rewards the system NPC would give him; he was more worried about how to solve the problem.

"Get ready for surgical training." The system NPC beckoned. "Laser lithotripsy is just the foundation, the foundation for guidewire manipulation. Do you know why the urologists at the Second Affiliated Hospital seem a bit clumsy to you?"

"Manipulating the guidewire is indeed very difficult."

"Conversely," the system NPC said, "Back when I was about to perform coronary intervention surgery, the vast majority of my students didn't want to have the threads inserted. People are the same; they have a tendency to be lazy. Why would they want to have a DSA procedure and have the threads inserted when they're perfectly healthy?"

Ji Xiang smiled, realizing that even NPCs in the system couldn't do many things.

"Let's put that aside for now. I'll lend you a hand and help you improve your laser lithotripsy skills." The system NPC and Ji Xiang entered the system operating room and began a new surgical training session.

In the real world, Ji Xiang felt that his stone-breaking skills were outstanding, which completely surprised Mr. Wu.

However, it was completely useless in the system's operating room. No matter how flawless Ji Xiang thought his operation was, the system NPC could always find problems.

As time went by, Ji Xiang's surgical skills improved rapidly.

……

……

The next morning, Ji Xiang rode his bicycle to work at the hospital.

He spent the whole night thinking about how to solve the patient's problem, but Ji Xiang's social experience was still shallow, and he simply couldn't answer such an ultimate question.

Upon arriving at the hospital, turning the corner, and before even entering the ward, I heard Mr. Wu's furious voice: "Doing lithotripsy so many times a day, do you want to ruin your kidneys! Didn't I say I'd try to reduce or waive your fees, why aren't you doing it?!"

"Stop acting like this! You're only a few years old, and you already have hydronephrosis and a ruptured ureter. If you don't get proper treatment, your life will be ruined!"

"Sigh," Ji Xiang sighed.

(End of this chapter)