Chapter 409
Du Leng always dresses formally for work, sporting a suit, leather shoes, shirt, and tie – almost his standard outfit. His hair is also meticulously groomed, giving him the perfect appearance of a societal elite.
“Senior Sister Qiu, you might want to keep your expectations low, because I’m afraid of disappointing you. Just treat me as an utterly ordinary resident doctor.”
Zhou Can said with a modest smile.
“You say you’re ordinary, but your performance is anything but! Young male doctors like you generally have a very strong ego and take great pride in their work. They like to be praised, but you are the exact opposite, always trying to keep a low profile. Under Director Jia’s guidance, hiding your true ability is never welcomed; you need to show your real skills so that Director Jia can point out potential issues.”
Qiu Hong was not convinced by his act.
This female doctor was not easy to fool.
“Xiao Zhou, there’s really no need to hide your talents deliberately. Whether following me on ward rounds or sitting in on consultations, as long as it doesn’t lead to medical disputes, you are free to express your opinions and views.”
Director Jia also told him not to be overly modest.
“Understood!”
Zhou Can was very astute, always knowing when to show his abilities and when to hide them.
As a newcomer in Digestive Surgery, he would seize any opportunity to perform well.
“Let’s go, let’s visit the ward!”
Director Jia stood up first, struggling slightly as he walked towards the door.
Qiu Hong naturally stepped forward to support him.
Judging by his age, Director Jia was definitely over sixty. But needing support to walk was somewhat beyond Zhou Can’s expectations.
Those engaged in light physical work, even at an older age, it’s hard to tell their real age from their appearance.
The saying “A man at forty is like a flower” isn’t without reason.
As they reached the corner of the hallway, they saw a dozen doctors and nurses waiting there.
Among them were several middle-aged and older doctors.
It seemed that Director Jia was quite popular in Digestive Surgery.
Zhou Can didn’t really like this style of ward rounds; being of low status, following the Director on rounds felt more like a superficial inspection.
Once inside the ward, he realized that Director Jia’s approach to rounds was more direct.
He did not check the regular beds.
He only checked the key cases.
He went straight to bed number 3.
The patient lying on the bed was an emaciated old man, with waxen-yellow skin, bloodless pale lips, and deep-set eyes.
“Patient in bed 3, male, 71 years old, has a history of recurrent abdominal pain for 17 years. About three months ago, his condition began to worsen. Five days ago, he fainted several times due to severe pain and finally came to our hospital after experiencing black stools for four days due to unbearable pain.”
The attending physician had just finished introducing the basic situation of the patient when Zhou Can became interested.
Diagnosing various cases was his passion.
Pathological diagnosis and retrospective analysis were among his strongest areas.
A nearly twenty-year history of abdominal pain indicated a chronic condition.
Such diseases are generally not fatal.
Many people manage symptoms with medication, living with the disease.
In fact, over 90% of the population over thirty in our country have various chronic diseases which don’t impact life severely enough to cause extreme consequences like unbearable pain or life-threatening conditions. Hence, many individuals live with diseases, often without any treatment.
Not to mention, a fungal skin infection is one of the most common diseases among the elderly.
Such as athlete’s foot, ringworm, genital itching, and so on.
As for chronic gastritis, enteritis, diabetes, hypertension, asthma, etc., these are also very common.
Tumors and polyps are also considered chronic diseases.
This patient’s abdominal pain and recent black stools indicate gastrointestinal bleeding.
The lesion is likely in the stomach or intestines.
“Six days ago, without any apparent triggers, the patient experienced abdominal pain and various discomforts, nausea, and vomited twice. No coffee-ground blood, no significant bloating, no significant reflux acidity, no heartburn. He then fainted again, had an accidental fall, suffered incontinence, and excreted about two hundred grams of black stool. No convulsions, no frothing at the mouth, and he woke up on his own shortly after…”
This case is intricate and challenging.
No wonder Director Jia focused on this patient at first.
“Thereafter, the patient had another episode of black stool, a positive fecal occult blood test, and vomiting. The patient’s urine was not yellow. He was admitted with a diagnosis of duodenal ulcer and enlarged liver and spleen.”
The symptoms indeed resembled a duodenal ulcer.
Enlarged liver and spleen also needed to be considered in the diagnosis.
“In the past, when the patient experienced abdominal pain, he intermittently took Propantheline and Gastropin, which effectively relieved his symptoms.”
This is typical of chronic disease patients.
Medication works, so no one wants to be hospitalized.
Just buying some medicine will do.
“Eleven years ago, the patient was treated once at the local hospital and diagnosed with a duodenal bulb ulcer, accompanied by superficial antral gastritis. He was discharged after treatment.”
“Currently, the patient’s body temperature is 36.8 degrees Celsius, pulse 76/min, blood pressure 120/80 mmHg…”
The attending physician reviewed the patient’s basic condition, past medical history, and treatment history.
Zhou Can stood at the foot of the bed, along with a few other resident doctors and resident trainees, only able to watch from a distance. He really wanted to see the patient’s test reports and then make a comprehensive diagnosis.
For now, he could only wait for Director Jia’s observations.