CHAPTER 479: ALL FOR THE PATIENT

Early the next morning, Liu Banxia rose early and had a hearty meal in the cafeteria, ready to greet her day in the clinic with full energy.

Yesterday had been quite stimulating, a mix of joy and worries.

The joyful part was that all the surgeries performed yesterday were successful, and a treatment method had been found for the patient with sepsis. All that remained was to observe the results.

The worrisome part was that the patient with liver cirrhosis still hadn’t found a liver donor, and his heart and kidney failure had become severe. This meant he could only say his final goodbyes to his family.

Even if a donor were found, performing a transplant would be impossible unless matching heart and kidney sources could also be found simultaneously. That, however, was unthinkable.

In fact, he had been transferred out of the ICU the previous night; Liu Banxia had made the arrangements before she rested.

Everyone wants to see miracles, but the very reason they are miracles is that they don’t happen often.

"Oh, are your spirits better today?" Liu Banxia asked with a smile upon arriving at Tang Feifei’s ward.

"Dr. Liu, I didn’t wet the bed last night," Tang Feifei said proudly, as if she had accomplished an extraordinary and great deed.

"Really? Are you sure?" Liu Banxia asked earnestly.

Tang Feifei nodded vigorously.

DING! Task: Tang Feifei’s Bedwetting – Completed.

Reward: 400 Experience Points, 300 Diagnostic Skill Proficiency Points.

"Thank you. Thank you for your contribution to medicine," Liu Banxia said even more seriously.

Tang Feifei was startled. "Dr. Liu, why are you thanking me? Shouldn’t I be the one thanking you?"

Liu Banxia shook her head. "In pathology, there’s no direct correlation showing that functional changes in the thyroid cause enuresis."

"Although treating you this time was a bit of a fluke, it has at least provided us with detailed data. In the future, when we encounter similar patients, we can pay more attention to this aspect."

"All medical conditions evolve, and we need to collect more case studies to discover solutions to problems we previously couldn’t resolve."

Tang Feifei stuck out her tongue. She hadn’t expected her bedwetting to seemingly result in a contribution!

"Just relax and be happy today," Liu Banxia said. "If there’s no relapse tomorrow, you can complete the discharge procedures and go home happily for the Spring Festival."

"You don’t need to worry about your thyroid for now. As long as you take good care of yourself, I believe your thyroid hormone levels can be regulated within two or three months."

"This condition is chronic, so after it improves, you’ll need to continue with a lower dose of medication to consolidate the effects. We also need to monitor your thyroid hormone levels regularly."

Tang Feifei nodded. "Does that mean I only need to rest for a few months?"

Liu Banxia gave her an amused look, making Tang Feifei feel a little embarrassed.

This was a common scenario with patients.

When patients first learn they have a certain illness, their initial thought is often to do whatever it takes to get better, putting everything else aside.

Tang Feifei was no different. She had initially planned to rest for at least a year to fully recover.

But now? Not wetting the bed anymore meant her body was recovering quickly. She began to wonder if just a few months of rest would be enough. After all, she had been preparing for that movie script for so long.

"In principle, I wouldn’t recommend it," Liu Banxia said. "However, the decision is ultimately yours. Truthfully, very few patients take their doctor’s advice completely to heart."

"I can only offer a suggestion: even if you resume filming, manage your time well and ensure you get plenty of rest. Also, don’t forget to monitor your thyroid hormone levels. Your medical records from here can serve as a reference for any hospital."

"Alright, thank you so much," Tang Feifei said.

"Alright, that’s all for now," Liu Banxia said. "We’ll see how things are tomorrow morning. If there are no issues, you can be officially discharged."

Tang Feifei nodded happily, her mood even brighter today.

「Back in the Emergency Center lobby」

Liu Banxia went to Xu Hui’s internal medicine clinic. "She didn’t have any symptoms of bedwetting this morning. I guess it really is related to her thyroid."

"In that case, your theory might actually be sound," Xu Hui said.

"The human brain is truly mysterious. Even if you discussed this with neurologists, they’d likely struggle to understand it. There’s no established connection. I’ve certainly never heard of one in my entire life."

"That’s exactly it," Liu Banxia said seriously. "In the future, we can use this case study to, shall we say, make some educated guesses when we’re out and about. Who knows? It might even bring us some recognition."

Xu Hui gave her a helpless look. "Just go and do your work. Stop hanging around here annoying me; I still have patients to see."

"Heh-heh, I’m going upstairs to the ward to check on the patient we’re temporarily ’fostering’ from last night," Liu Banxia said.

"Teacher Liu, Teacher Liu! We encountered a small issue during our rounds just now," Xu Yino said, running over.

"Go on, what is it?" Liu Banxia asked.

"It’s about the patient with the abdominal vascular malformation you admitted last time. His father asked if they could go home first and have the child’s surgery after the Spring Festival," Xu Yino said.

Liu Banxia frowned slightly. This was something she had forgotten to consider. "How has the child been after meals these past few days?"

"He still experiences a little pain, but it’s much less than before, which shows the thrombolytic medication is working. However, we’ve also been controlling his food intake, so that might also be a factor," Xu Yino hastily added.

"I was just about to go upstairs. Let’s go check on him together," Liu Banxia said.

This was one of the typical problems encountered around the Spring Festival; cases like this weren’t easy to manage.

"How has your recovery been these past few days?" Liu Banxia asked once they reached the ward upstairs.

"Dr. Liu, it’s not as painful anymore. Can I go home for the New Year first and then have the surgery?" the child asked.

"So, you’re keen on going home for the New Year, are you? How do you understand your own condition then?" Liu Banxia asked with a smile.

"I don’t think there will be any danger in the next few days. I’ll be careful when I eat, and that blood vessel is working normally now, right?" the child asked.

"Your understanding isn’t entirely off, but you also need to know that there are certain risks involved as soon as you leave the hospital," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"Firstly, your malformed blood vessel could develop problems due to unforeseen factors. Secondly, you’re currently taking thrombolytic drugs, and any accident could affect the surgery."

"Thrombolytic drugs affect blood clotting, which is why we postponed your surgery while we worked on stabilizing your condition."

"However, this decision isn’t up to you; it’s up to your parents. They are your legal guardians. If you all insist on being discharged, I will explain the necessary precautions to you."

"Otherwise, I was planning to schedule your surgery for the first day of the New Year. If everything went smoothly, you could be discharged by the fifth day. Even with minor complications, seven to ten days would be sufficient, and it wouldn’t affect your studies next semester."

"Actually, staying in the hospital isn’t too bad. It’s just that with the Spring Festival approaching, the child doesn’t want his grandparents on both sides to have a worrying holiday because of him," the child’s father said.

Liu Banxia nodded with a smile. "I considered that as well, which is why I didn’t outright refuse your request to leave. However, I must inform you of the potential dangers. Whether they materialize or not, it’s my duty to tell you."

"Discuss it among yourselves and then let me know your decision. Since this wouldn’t be a discharge due to full recovery, there’s some additional paperwork to complete."

The child’s father nodded. They indeed needed to discuss it; this seemed a bit different from what he had initially imagined. He had thought there was nothing to worry about now. It was just a matter of the child taking thrombolytic medication, which could be done at home. Then they could celebrate the New Year peacefully at home, and the child could have the surgery afterward.

"Teacher Liu, are you really going to let them be discharged?" Xu Yino asked curiously after they stepped outside.

"It depends on their decision," Liu Banxia said. "If discharge doesn’t pose a direct threat to life, what can we do? We have to respect the patient’s wishes."

"It’s also because it’s the Spring Festival, this special holiday, that some surgeries were rescheduled, and we simply overlooked this child’s case. However, there shouldn’t be any major problems; the thrombolysis has been quite effective."

"You might encounter similar situations when you’re attending to patients in the future. These things need to be discussed. We can’t assume that just because we’re doctors, all patients must listen to us."

"Otherwise, why do you think some patients feel doctors aren’t up to par and file complaints after discharge? Often, it’s because we physicians regard ourselves too highly. Patients pay for treatment, so we must provide good service."

Xu Yino nodded. That was indeed true. When dealing with patients, one sometimes couldn’t help but feel a slight sense of superiority.

As they stepped out of the ward, they saw several people walking towards them, each holding a phone.

"And who might you be?" Liu Banxia asked, her voice firm.

"Uh... Dr. Liu," the young man leading the group said nervously, "we’re here at Xu Hongtao’s invitation to do a live stream for him."

"Hold on," Liu Banxia said. "We need to confirm with Xu Hongtao first. And remember, this is a hospital. Even if the patient consents, you need to be mindful of your surroundings. Understood?"

"Understood, understood! Don’t worry, we promise we won’t cause any trouble," the young man said hastily.

Liu Banxia’s "fierce reputation" was well-known; no one in the Emergency Center dared to openly defy her. Besides, she was right. They needed to confirm with the patient, Xu Hongtao, who was the man from yesterday with the temporarily reattached arm. It seemed there was no longer any need to worry about his psychological state.

Xu Yino, standing beside Liu Banxia, looked at her earnestly. Even a simple walk through the ward was a learning experience. In Teacher Liu’s mind, the patient truly came first. Otherwise, why would she ever allow these people to potentially cause a commotion in a patient’s room?