Healing Doctor

Chapter 98 Everyone gets carried away sometimes.

"We're doctors, we have to have a conscience!"

The doctor sitting opposite Ji Xiang looked like Mo Chenggui, but a bit more greasy. However, when he said this, he didn't sound righteous; instead, he was full of frustration.

"Director, you're right!" Ji Xiang quickly recalled his identity and realized that he was this person's student and a junior doctor under this person, so he immediately flattered him.

"Being a junior clinical doctor really suits my role as a resident physician," Ji Xiang thought to himself.

"Tell me, how could I have let the patient go? Whether we did the surgery or not would have been problematic; it was a difficult situation."

The middle-aged doctor looked worried, his hands trembled, and his face was pale.

Seeing that something was wrong, Ji Xiang didn't know how to respond and tried to recall his memories.

"I know that doctor-patient disputes have become more and more serious in recent years, but we still have to do the surgeries we can. If we send patients away to the capital, it will cost us a lot more money!"

You saw the situation back then; if I hadn't become a patient, I would have gone home to wait to die.

I honestly don't know whether to do it or not. If I do it, the patient might recover. If I don't, the patient can live for at least a few more years.

Director Geng's eyes became increasingly bloodshot, and he talked incessantly to Ji Xiang with red eyes.

It seems like saying one more word makes me feel a little better.

"Teacher, it's because you have a kind heart." Ji Xiang offered a dry, uninspired joke.

Even though I know it's useless, we can't just not talk to each other when we're face to face.

Taking advantage of this lull, he searched his memory for the conversation.

The person in front of me is Ji Xiang's teacher, surnamed Geng, who is also the director of the urology department at this hospital.

A month and a half ago, Director Geng saw a patient during his outpatient clinic. The patient had undergone a nephrectomy several years ago and now only had one kidney.

Kidney cancer is also known as lazy cancer because it progresses very slowly, especially if it is removed in the early stages, it can basically be considered cured.

However, kidney cancer has a peculiar characteristic—after treating one side of the kidney, the chance of the tumor recurring in the other kidney is as high as 2-4%.

In other words, 2-4 out of every 100 kidney cancer patients may have bilateral kidney cancer.

This patient was indeed unlucky; after all the kidneys were removed, a space-occupying lesion was also found in the other kidney, and it was considered malignant.

Since it was a unilateral kidney, a total nephrectomy was no longer an option. Director Geng suggested that the patient go to Beijing for further consultation.

They said they were just looking around, but they were actually trying to get rid of the patient. The underlying message was clear: we can't treat this patient here, please go somewhere else.

The patient may look like a normal person, but anyone in clinical practice knows where the trouble lies. Even those who aren't doctors, as long as they have common sense, understand this.

The surgery was too risky. With only one kidney left, which is so precious, no one would dare to make a move without absolute confidence.

But is there anything 100% certain in clinical practice?

Risking execution for little reward is a foolish thing that few people do.

After learning the details, the patient's family broke down in tears, clinging to Director Geng's clothes, sobbing uncontrollably.

The patient may not be able to work anymore after surgery, but as long as there are people around, the family is complete. If the person passes away, the family falls apart.

The walls of hospitals have heard more prayers than churches.

Doctors have also witnessed all kinds of life and death separations.

Logically speaking, he should have been heartless by now.

But everyone has moments of losing their temper, and when faced with the weeping of the patient's family, this old doctor, Director Geng, lost his temper.

Director Geng saw that the patient's family was not well-off and could not afford to go to the provincial capital or the capital city. Sending the patient away would just mean letting him wait to die at home.

After several rounds of hospital-wide consultations, and with Director Geng's insistence, the surgical plan was submitted, and a partial nephrectomy was prepared.

Before the surgery, Director Geng repeatedly explained to the patient and his family the possible complications, especially bleeding that could lead to shock or even death.

The patient and their family had no choice but to agree.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly after the surgery, the patient recovered well, and was discharged from the hospital with great gratitude.

One and a half months later, just two hours ago, something big happened.

When the patient was brought in, he was pale and his body was cold and wet; it was obvious at a glance that he was in shock.

Director Geng was immediately dumbfounded.

The advantages of partial nephrectomy are obvious, but there are also many disadvantages, the most serious of which is delayed postoperative bleeding.

Originally, Director Geng was worried and had been concerned about the patient for a long time after the surgery. However, the patient was fine, so he thought there should be no problem.

One and a half months after the surgery, this delayed bleeding was a bit late, but it did occur, and the probability was not low.

After learning what had happened, Ji Xiang looked at Director Geng with a particularly helpless expression.

"Little Ji..."

As Director Geng spoke, his eyes reddened, and tears streamed down his face.

"Director, look at you." Ji Xiang wanted to find tissues to wipe Director Geng's tears, but there was nothing in the office. He took out a few pieces of gauze from his white coat pocket and handed them over.

"I shouldn't have had that surgery. If I hadn't, there wouldn't have been any bleeding; and if there hadn't been bleeding, the patient's family wouldn't have come looking for me. If no one had come looking for me, I'd be happily watching the game at home right now."

"What a miserable life! Why do I always get so easily aroused?"

Ji Xiang was taken aback.

Director Geng's rambling parallel sentences seemed familiar, but I couldn't quite place where they came from.

"Director, the patient's family still approves of you," Ji Xiang quickly reminded him, fearing there might be some misunderstanding in his memory.

"They think it's nothing, but I can't stand it!" Director Geng burst into tears.

"..."

Ji Xiang found it strange.

In clinical practice, let alone a senior chief physician, I have witnessed many life-and-death situations.

The surgery was performed, and we did our best. But after the surgery, problems arose. The patient's family didn't say anything, so why was Director Geng so upset?

"Xiao Ji, you don't know," Director Geng said, choking back tears, "I wasn't planning to do the surgery, but I went ahead with it anyway. The patient recovered well after the surgery, and his family even sent me a chicken."

Ji Xiang silently watched Director Geng.

Although he looked a bit greasy, you could tell he was speaking from the heart.

Director Geng knew the patient was beyond saving, so he talked to himself a few more times to relieve his stress.

When it comes to matters involving human life and death, anyone would be under immense pressure. Even if he acted out of good intentions and did his best, the outcome was not optimistic.

"I took the old hen, that was fine, but I didn't notice there was 200 yuan left. That won't do, I know that family is struggling financially. That day I drove to the village to return the money."

"My heart ached as soon as I entered the patient's home. His parents were paralyzed and bedridden, and his wife was taking care of them at home. He had one and a half kidneys removed, and he was just starting to get back to work after recovering a little."

"We can't not work; if we collapse, our families will collapse too."

"This isn't just one life, it's the life of an entire family."

Director Geng wiped his tears with gauze from Ji Xiang's pocket and then blew his nose.

The gauze was rough, and Director Geng used a lot of force, leaving his nose bright red with faint traces of blood.

"Director, is there really no other way?" Ji Xiang knew that interventional surgery would be useful, but even after so many years, interventional surgery is still a high-end procedure, and there are really not many people who can do it.

"There's only half a kidney left. Are you going to cut it all off? If you cut it all off, he'll need dialysis year-round. His family can't afford that; they don't have the means." Director Geng's eyes were red.

Ji Xiang remained silent.

"Come up on stage," Director Geng said. "Be quick-witted. I'm not feeling well today. You're young and have sharp eyes. Once we open the peritoneum, we'll see bleeding in the kidneys. Try your best to find the bleeding point."

"If we can find it, and it's tied off, maybe he can survive. If we can't find it..."

Ji Xiang sighed deeply in his heart.

He knew that what Director Geng said was just a possibility, the most beautiful wish.

Most likely, when they see the kidney, there will be a pool of blood inside, and nothing else will be visible. The suction device will suck away the blood, and before they can find the bleeding vessel, the person will be gone.

"Director, I'll do my best, I'll do my best." Ji Xiang reassured him before asking, "I heard that the interventional radiology department can perform hemostasis treatment, so..."

"Only the provincial capital can do it. It would take four or five hours to get there now. Do you think the patient can hold on for that long?"

Director Geng sighed and prepared to change his clothes.

He had considered all the possibilities, but considering the patient's condition, family factors, and the hospital's technical capabilities, he could only go on stage and try to find the artery that was bleeding.

Hoping for better luck for himself and for better luck for his patients, Director Geng prayed blankly in his heart.

"Professor Zhou, your surgery was truly excellent! You really deserve to be called one of the top experts in the country. Today, I had my buttocks surgically removed with a small incision—it was an eye-opener!"

Suddenly, flattering voices came from outside the door.

"Hehe, it's a minor surgery, simple." A cheerful voice came in.

(End of this chapter)