CHAPTER 180: VOMITING BLOOD

"So if we know the approximate location, can we perform an enema directly?" the patient asked after a moment of silence.

"That’s hard to say; it depends on the specific situation. We also need to prepare the enema fluid, using different formulas for different conditions."

"It’s not very far from the anus. Can’t we just do it directly?" the patient said decisively.

"Uh... I see," Liu Banxia said, glancing at Wei Yuan, who returned a helpless smile.

"Dr. Liang, Qing Kewa, please check if there are any other patients outside who need to be seen. Dr. Wei and I can handle this," Liu Banxia said.

Liang Xiaolin looked at him, somewhat puzzled as to why she and Qing Kewa were being sent away. It wasn’t as if the patient would agree to an instrument examination just because she and Qing Kewa left.

"Let’s hear it. What did you put in there, and how long ago?" Once Liang Xiaolin and the others had left, Liu Banxia pulled the curtain back.

"A pen. It’s been a week." The patient’s voice was very soft but still clear.

As expected, this patient was too reckless, putting a pen where it shouldn’t be. This wasn’t particularly unusual; they’d seen many things in the emergency department over the years.

"Go directly to the proctology department. It’s been in there for a while, so you’ll likely need both an enema and a colonoscopy to get it out," Liu Banxia said.

"However, I suggest you first get an X-ray. Once the exact location is determined, the removal process will be smoother. We’ve seen many cases like this in the hospital."

"But if I get an X-ray, won’t everyone see it?" the patient said hesitantly.

"We doctors are the ones who would see it. What are you afraid of? Did you try to pass it naturally and fail?" Liu Banxia asked.

The patient nodded. "I was still able to defecate at first, but it didn’t come out. Later, they said eating high-fiber vegetables could help it pass, but that just ended up blocking me further."

"If that’s the case, we can’t send you to proctology for now. Let’s start with an X-ray. There’s a chance surgery may be needed. If widespread adhesions have formed on the bowel wall due to the obstruction, an enema won’t work," Liu Banxia said.

"For your own sake, don’t worry about anything else right now. This is a hospital, not a market, and we are all professionals here. You’ve delayed us so much; under normal circumstances, the X-ray would have been finished by now."

"Alright then, I’ll get an X-ray," the patient finally agreed after some hesitation.

"What happened? He agreed to an X-ray just because we left the room? But we weren’t there at the beginning either," Liang Xiaolin asked when Liu Banxia came out.

"It involves the patient’s privacy. I can’t disclose it to you," Liu Banxia said seriously.

Liang Xiaolin blinked. What was going on?

"Foreign body. The patient is a bit shy," Wei Yuan said with a smile.

Liang Xiaolin understood now and felt a bit frustrated. She’d thought it was some major reason, but it turned out to be just this.

"Dr. Liu, the test results for that patient are out," Xu Dan walked over at this moment.

Liu Banxia took the results, glanced at them, and walked over to the dieting patient. "See? You’re deficient in calcium and vitamin D, and your electrolyte levels are also low. This is all due to your extreme dieting."

"The X-ray results aren’t out yet, but at the very least, you have a bone crack, and at worst, a fracture. If you continue this extreme dieting, in the future, even a simple fall could result in a fracture. To put it bluntly, your bone density is comparable to that of a woman in her sixties or seventies."

"Doctor, is it really that serious?" the patient asked with a bitter smile.

"Do you think I’m joking with you?" Liu Banxia retorted.

"You’re all internet-savvy these days; you can look up your values online and see for yourself. Whatever you want to do, it has to be under the premise of maintaining good health."

"Alright, I’ll stop dieting then. It is what it is. Dieting didn’t achieve much, and it made me suffer a lot," the patient nodded in agreement.

"But don’t binge-eat either. Your gastrointestinal function has likely weakened, so you need to take it slowly," Liu Banxia said.

"We can’t go from one extreme to another. Besides, I don’t think you’re particularly overweight. Why are you torturing yourself like this?"

"My ex-girlfriend thought I was fat, so we broke up. What can I do? I gain weight just by eating," the patient said.

"Let’s wait for the X-ray. In the meantime, I’ll call orthopedics to take a look," Liu Banxia nodded.

This was one of those things beyond medical help. To each their own. Anyway, he thought that while the young man was slightly overweight, he was still fairly well-proportioned.

"Wow, Brother Wu, you got here quickly." After waiting a little longer, Wu Mingyu, the attending orthopedic doctor, came over. Liu Banxia greeted him warmly.

"You could have handled this yourself, couldn’t you? Why did you have to call me? Are the X-rays out yet?" Wu Mingyu asked.

"They should be ready soon. There’s a patient with a suspected intestinal obstruction, so their X-rays might come out around the same time," Liu Banxia said.

"Brother Wu, any inside info on who’s coming from orthopedics? I heard from Director Zhou that the list is almost finalized."

"I’m on it. I don’t know about the others," Wu Mingyu said with a smile.

"However, our orthopedic doctors will transfer over after the new building is operational. For now, we’re mainly on call. The emergency department doesn’t have a high enough patient volume yet, so it would be a waste of resources for us to come over too early."

"Haha, that’s great! With Brother Wu, Director Xu’s star pupil, here, we’re in good hands," Liu Banxia said cheerfully.

"You rascal, Director Xu still talks about you. Are these the X-rays that were brought over?" Wu Mingyu asked.

Liu Banxia looked up to see Xu Dan hurrying over.

Taking the films Xu Dan handed him, Liu Banxia first checked the ones for the patient with the foreign object and sighed internally. "Brother Wei, I’m afraid he’ll need surgery. The pen tip has been pressing against the intestinal wall, and it’s developed ischemic necrosis."

Wei Yuan took the films, glanced at them, and nodded. "Aren’t you coming?"

"I’ll take a break this time. Qing Kewa, you’ll assist Dr. Wei," Liu Banxia said.

"Uh... Dr. Liu, why are you sending me away?" Qing Kewa asked unhappily.

Amidst everyone’s laughter, Liu Banxia gave her a helpless look. "Isn’t this an opportunity for you? Do you think intestinal repair or resection surgeries are common? Do well. I expect a report from Dr. Wei when you return."

"Okay!" Qing Kewa responded cheerfully.

"Right? Anyone interning under you is lucky," Wu Mingyu said, laughing.

"What about this one? The displacement doesn’t look too significant. Does it need surgery?" Liu Banxia passed the X-rays of the fracture patient over.

Wu Mingyu took the X-rays and looked at them. "The displacement isn’t large; conservative treatment will do. Reduction, fixation, then observe for a day to ensure blood circulation isn’t compromised. After that, another X-ray, and he should be fine. You can handle it, right?"

"Please, don’t. Since you’re already here, I’d like to learn your technique," Liu Banxia quickly said.

Ding! Daily task completed (1/20)

Consultation completed. Received 30 Experience Points, 30 Diagnosis Skill Proficiency Points.

Although he had some understanding of orthopedic reduction, it was only for general cases. With swelling this severe, he wasn’t very confident. After all, he’d learned this skill thanks to the system’s enhancement. Truthfully, his practical experience was superficial, and he hadn’t encountered many such cases. Unless he wasted Glory Points on simulated practice in the dream space, which would be a real waste.

Wu Mingyu was truly no-nonsense. He carefully examined the X-ray, then took hold of the young man’s swollen ankle.

"How are you doing? I heard from Dr. Liu that your girlfriend dumped you? The pain must be excruciating, huh?" Wu Mingyu asked with a smile.

"Doctor, I know you’re trying to distract me, but you can’t use that... AARGH!"

He had only spoken half his sentence when the young man let out a loud cry. He was looking at Wu Mingyu as he spoke, and Wu Mingyu was looking back at him. He figured that to set his bone, the doctor would surely have to look at his ankle. He never imagined Wu Mingyu would make such a sudden move. The pain was truly agonizing.

"Plaster cast for fixation. Prepare for a recovery period of at least three months," Wu Mingyu said.

"Doctor, will it really take that long?" the young man asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"That’s assuming you can replenish your nutrients quickly. Your body’s calcium levels are too low. Don’t abuse your body like this again," Wu Mingyu said.

"Sigh... this is the last time," the young man said with a bitter smile.

"Thanks for your hard work, Brother Wu. We can handle the rest," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"Alright, call me if anything comes up after the X-ray," Wu Mingyu said.

"Banxia, we’ve explained the situation to the patient. The patient’s family is on their way. We’ll start prepping for surgery," Wei Yuan called out at this moment.

"Okay, Dr. Liang and I are here," Liu Banxia said.

Sometimes, things were just this frustrating. Normally, a simple enema would have solved the young man’s problem. But now, it had escalated to needing surgery. It was just the young man’s rotten luck. If it had been a different, smoother object, it might not have been an issue. His reluctance to come to the hospital, fearing embarrassment, had led to such severe consequences.

"Doctor, can we get the X-ray a bit later? I’m feeling a bit nauseous right now," the overweight young man said uncomfortably from the bed.

"What kind of nausea? Do you feel like throwing up?" Liu Banxia asked with a frown.

The young man nodded.

"Come on, try to sit up. This might also be due to your extreme dieting. You can’t do this anymore," Liu Banxia said, helping the young man sit up.

"Doctor, I think... URGH..."

The young man was halfway through his sentence when his face contorted, and he suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood. It wasn’t just one mouthful; he vomited several more times, covering the bed in blood.