CHAPTER 151: 151 SOCIAL PAIN POINTS

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This was the first multidisciplinary joint consultation Liu Banxia organized after becoming the chief resident of the Emergency Department. Both the Endocrinology Department and the Orthopedics Department were very cooperative; Director Ding Yuanhang from Endocrinology and Director Xu Peichen from Orthopedics came in person.

"Director Ding, Director Xu, the patient has intermittent claudication, and I haven’t conducted any further examinations yet. Since I don’t have much experience in this area, I can only trouble the two of you," Liu Banxia said.

Ding Yuanhang nodded, leaned over to examine the patient himself, and said, "We should do a color Doppler ultrasound later and also get a magnetic resonance angiography of the lower limbs and feet to see how the blood vessels are doing."

"Didn’t you check his bones?" Xu Peichen asked.

"Director Xu, I’m not very good at that. The patient seems to have hit his fourth lumbar vertebra when he fell. We haven’t taken an X-ray yet," Liu Banxia replied.

"My opinion is similar to Director Ding’s," Xu Peichen said. "If the lesion isn’t too severe, we should first try conservative treatment. You will then be responsible for debridement, converting the chronic ulcer into an acute one, which should heal better."

"If there’s truly no other option, we’ll have to amputate. Still, it’s best to conduct thorough tests first; it’s been delayed for quite some time. However, you need to clearly explain to the patient and his family that there could be numerous complications."

Liu Banxia nodded, his face flushing slightly.

He had panicked a bit, as he too had considered the worst possible outcome. However, he shouldn’t have panicked. At the very least, he should have completed all the required instrumental examinations before calling for a consultation.

These two directors were good-tempered; otherwise, he would have had to listen to them complain.

Liu Banxia also knew how to operate an ultrasound machine; in the Emergency Room, he sometimes had to use it for patients needing emergency treatment. But he hesitated to perform it on Grandpa Cao, afraid he might misdiagnose, so he opted to leave it to an expert.

However, he did perform an arterial palpation of Grandpa Cao’s lower limbs, which made him breathe a sigh of relief to some extent.

The pulse on the left was strong, indicating there wasn’t much wrong with his left leg. The pulse on the right was weaker, but not entirely feeble. He was hoping the symptoms weren’t severe and could still be managed.

"Dr. Liu, these two are Old Cao’s sons." Just as the two directors left, Grandpa Cao’s two sons rushed over.

"Your father’s condition is a bit critical right now. Let me briefly explain his situation to you," Liu Banxia said.

"Due to his long-term diabetes, he has developed diabetic foot on his right side, with three ulcerated, suppurating cavities. We haven’t conducted further tests yet. I’ve filled out all the necessary forms, so you can pay for the tests and come back here once they’re done."

"Doctor, can my dad’s foot be saved?" asked the elder son of the Cao family.

"It seems you have some understanding of the situation. Right now, it all depends on his actual condition. Amputation is only our last resort," Liu Banxia replied.

"Moreover, if it really comes to that, I must advise you to be prepared; even with amputation, the mortality rate is very high. We will conduct the instrumental examinations soon, and then we’ll assess the situation."

"The best outcome would be if there are no major problems, and we only need to perform debridement to resolve Grandpa Cao’s symptoms. But we also need to be mindful that his blood sugar must be controlled, and Grandpa Cao also has some hypertension; these things also need attention."

"We bought him medication for his blood sugar! We even planned to give him insulin directly, but he was too scared," Cao family’s second son chimed in.

"You should go in and keep your father company for a bit, so he doesn’t worry," Liu Banxia suggested.

The two brothers nodded and walked straight into Treatment Room Two.

"It’s a good thing he took that fall; otherwise, Old Cao would have been in real danger. Dr. Liu, we’ll be heading off now. Don’t forget, you must come to my place for dinner when you have a day off," Uncle Jiang said.

"Don’t worry, when the time comes, I’ll bring them both. We’ll come as a group to enjoy your cooking. You can also entertain our foreign friend and let her experience your culinary skills," Liu Banxia replied.

"That sounds wonderful! It’s settled then," Uncle Jiang said happily, then led his son-in-law away.

"Sigh, there really are many good people in the world. If that uncle hadn’t brought Grandpa Cao over, or if he hadn’t met you and had just received simple sutures, who knows what would have happened," Liang Xiaolin remarked with emotion.

"Dr. Liu, are you inviting me to dinner?" Qing Kewa asked cheerfully.

"Yes, we must eat. Let’s wait a few days," Liu Banxia said with a wry smile.

"Dad, we gave you so much money, why did you buy all that useless stuff? Now look what’s happened! You knew those things were scams, yet you still bought them."

"Exactly! And you dismissed the caretaker we hired for you. If someone was looking after you, we could rest a bit easier."

The voices of Cao’s two sons drifted from Treatment Room Two.

"I can walk and get around; why do I need someone to wait on me?" Grandpa Cao’s voice also came through. "I also know that many of those things are scams. But can’t they at least keep me company and talk? I’ve already bought them; wouldn’t it be a waste not to use them?

"What’s the use of raising you two? You’re not even as good as Uncle Jiang’s son-in-law; he carried me all the way to the car. How many times have you actually visited me? Once? Twice?"

Treatment Room Two fell silent.

"Xu Dan, go guide them to their examinations. I’ll contact those departments now and try to get everything done before the end of the shift," Liu Banxia said.

Xu Dan nodded and quickly hurried in.

"Dr. Liu, I’m so embarrassed. I heard everything. You do what you think is best; no need to ask anyone else. I’ll sign whatever is needed," said Grandpa Cao, emerging in a wheelchair.

"Grandpa Cao, it hasn’t come to that yet. Let’s do the examinations first. I’ve already called both departments. We’ll do the ultrasound first, and then go directly for the MRI," Liu Banxia said.

"If you’ve brought enough money, you might as well pay a larger deposit. At a minimum, he’ll need to stay in the hospital to adjust his blood sugar and overall condition, so please complete the admission procedures. Rest assured. While I’m not particularly close with Grandpa Cao, I have seen the old gentleman play chess before."

"Dr. Liu, thank you very much," said Cao family’s second son.

"Please, don’t mention it. I’ll have one of our Emergency Department nurses go with you to save you any unnecessary detours," Liu Banxia said.

The two brothers were very grateful and kept thanking him as they left.

"Those two are really something. I actually thought it was Grandpa Cao who didn’t want to live with them," Liang Xiaolin said with a frown after they had gone.

"Ah, every family has its own difficulties. Nowadays, if elderly people live with their children, they might not necessarily be comfortable," Liu Banxia said.

This was indeed a societal sore spot. Take Grandpa Cao, for instance; he knew those things were useless but was still willing to be deceived. For what reason? Simply for the desire to have someone to talk to.

However, these were their family matters, not something an outsider should comment on.

"But they really have done a poor job. At the very least, they should visit the old gentleman regularly, have a meal with him, chat with him. No matter how busy they are, they should be able to squeeze out that much time."

Seeing Liang Xiaolin’s eyes widen, Liu Banxia hurriedly added that last part.

Hearing his words, Liang Xiaolin was satisfied. She cheerfully took Qing Kewa with her and began writing up the medical records.