The establishnt of the Obstetrics and Gynecology departnt had truly given the ergency center a shot in the arm.
One shouldn’t assu that just because they’re a doctor, they dare to handle anything. Performing surgery on a pregnant woman requires extre caution.
"Now we’re set, right? As soon as a pregnant patient cos in, we’re ready to call Doctor Huang," Liu Banxia said with a smile.
"Ah... I’m just as thrilled as you are," Shi Lei said emotionally.
"When will the director’s surgery be done today?" Liu Banxia asked.
"If you ask , who should I ask? It depends on the circumstances of the surgery. Although the patient was transferred here, the adhesions are said to be severe," Shi Lei replied.
"No lunch for us, then. I was planning to gather everyone for a spontaneous lunch to welco the three doctors from Obstetrics and Gynecology," Liu Banxia said.
"Haha, you can do it yourself. Considering you’re our rightful steward in the ergency center, it should be no problem," Wei Yuan chid in.
"You’re terrible, with such wicked intentions. Wouldn’t I have to pay out of my own pocket then? I’m not made of money, you know!" Liu Banxia muttered.
"By the way, I’m off the day after tomorrow. Can you guys cover for a bit more? My phone not ringing would be ideal, alright?"
Shi Lei laughed and nodded. "That should be no problem. But why are you asking so early?"
"I have no choice but to plan ahead. I miss my wife," Liu Banxia replied plaintively.
Everyone burst into laughter, seemingly forgetting that this young fellow was a newlywed.
It could be considered his bad luck. Being so highly regarded by the Chief Director and the director, he had no choice but to take on more responsibilities and endure busier schedules.
Otherwise, why would they call him the big steward?
It was because although he wasn’t officially nad deputy director, he effectively perford the duties of one. He handled everything flawlessly, from major and minor matters in the ergency center to communication with the various departnts in the inpatient division.
And it was no small job. The fact that he could put Shi Lei and the others at ease, and reassure Zhou Shuwen, was a remarkable achievent in itself.
"President Liu, could you co here for a second?" At this mont, Wang Huan ca out of the internal dicine examination room and beckoned to him.
Liu Banxia quickly went over; a consultation was needed.
When he entered the consultation room, he saw a female patient in her thirties. With just a glance, he noticed severe jaundice from her skin color and eyes.
"She occasionally has upper abdominal pain and noticed that her skin was yellowish, so she ca to the hospital. An ultrasound showed gallstones, and stones in the common bile duct as well. But during the ultrasound, a mass was observed at the head of the pancreas, so she had an enhanced CT. Take a look at the images," Wang Huan explained.
Liu Banxia sighed internally; this was a consultation he didn’t want to get involved in.
Although Wang Huan was just introducing the situation, it was already apparent. Looking at the patient’s CT scan, with the active contrast agent at the pancreatic head, there was little room for doubt.
Malignant tumors, or tumors located in vascular-rich sites, typically grow swiftly and have many blood vessels. Therefore, during an enhanced CT, the contrast agent in that area will be highly active.
Liu Banxia had a certain apprehension about pancreatic cancer because it was a truly difficult disease to contend with. Looking at the patient’s CT scan, the mass was obvious. It could very likely be stage two.
"What do you think?" Wang Huan asked.
Liu Banxia frowned. "What about the blood test results?"
"They haven’t co out yet. We didn’t think it would be this serious, so we didn’t request for the tests to be expedited, but they should be out soon," Wang Huan replied.
"Judging from the current images, there is a certain surgical indication, but the prognosis is not very clear," Liu Banxia said after a mont of thought.
"Doctor, I just searched online. Is pancreatic cancer basically incurable?" the patient asked.
Liu Banxia hesitated before nodding. "Indeed, that’s the case. All we can do is try to control it. Actually, it’s similar to all other cancers, where the five-year survival rate is an important indicator."
"From the current images, it’s at most stage two and hasn’t invaded nearby blood vessels. However, we can only determine whether there are tastases to the nearby lymph nodes after opening the abdon."
Facing pancreatic cancer, all he could do was tell the patient the truth. This wasn’t a condition that could be sugarcoated.
The patient’s expression instantly turned gloomy. Her suspicions had been confird by Liu Banxia.
"Under these circumstances, I can’t give too much advice right now," Liu Banxia said. "After all, there is still so chance. If it has invaded surrounding tissues and blood vessels, then I wouldn’t say much more. Wasting money and enduring suffering... it would be better to enjoy life."
"Stages one and two are operable. With active cooperation in follow-up treatnt, although there will be so hardship involved, there is still a chance."
"Doctor, isn’t it true that the chance is slim, and it will cost a lot of money?" the patient asked with a bitter smile.
Liu Banxia nodded. "Postoperative chemotherapy is required, which will cause so suffering. But if you respond well to the chemotherapy drugs, then there is a good chance."
"Last sumr, I diagnosed a patient who was in stage one. His current health condition is quite good. Let’s wait for the blood test results to see how your liver function is."
"If possible, I personally recomnd arranging surgery as soon as possible. The progression of pancreatic cancer is very fast. A few days’ delay may change the condition."
"Doctor, could... could I have a child first?" the patient asked.
"This... I personally do not recomnd it," said Liu Banxia.
At this point, the patient’s phone rang. She glanced at it, hesitated for a while before answering, "I’m in Internal dicine Consultation Room 1 right now. You can co over."
Within less than two minutes, a man walked in from outside.
"This is my husband," said the patient.
"Is there a problem with her liver?" asked the patient’s husband.
The patient smiled and shook her head. "The liver is fine. It’s the gallbladder. There are stones in the gallbladder."
Liu Banxia sighed inwardly. The patient still hadn’t decided to tell her husband the whole truth. But this kind of thing couldn’t be hidden, nor was it sothing that should be.
The patient’s husband, on the other hand, let out a long sigh of relief. "That’s good. We can just deal with the stones, right? Can’t they be broken up?"
Upon finishing his question, the patient’s husband looked at Liu Banxia and Wang Huan.
"Gallstones and common bile duct stones cannot be treated with extracorporeal lithotripsy," Liu Banxia replied. "She has quite a few stones. The only way to handle them is through surgical intervention. We need to remove the gallbladder."
"What about dication? Can’t stones be expelled by taking dication?" the patient’s husband asked again.
"That applies more to kidney stones," Liu Banxia explained. "Gallstones, when not severe, can be managed conservatively. However, considering her severe jaundice, surgical intervention is the only option."
The patient’s husband frowned. "Well, that’s alright, let’s go for the surgery. She’ll have to watch her diet afterward, right? She can’t eat foods high in fat, correct?"
Liu Banxia nodded. "After the removal of the gallbladder, she would indeed be missing an organ. That’s definitely sothing to be mindful of."
As of now, all Liu Banxia could do was speak evasively, as it involved patient confidentiality. Unless explicitly permitted by the patient, he had to cooperate with her wishes.
However, he could understand the patient’s feelings. It’s a process to accept such devastating news.
But regardless of her choice, she would have to tell him eventually. Whether she opted for surgery or not, as her physical condition deteriorated, she would have to disclose the truth.
"Why did you rush over? It’s nothing serious. You should go back first. You can take leave when it’s ti for the surgery," the patient said with a smile.
"It’s alright, I’ve already spoken to our manager," replied the husband.
"You’ll need to take care of at the hospital for several days. It might require an open abdominal surgery because I have too many stones, and they’re not easy to treat. So you should head off first," she added.
The patient’s husband frowned and turned to look at Liu Banxia. Liu Banxia didn’t dare et his gaze and turned his head to the side, pretending not to see.
"Tell , is there sothing wrong with her liver?" the patient’s husband queried.
"The liver is fine; it’s just the gallbladder issue. If there were sothing wrong with the liver, wouldn’t I have called you already?" the patient responded.
"Then why do you keep trying to shoo away? Doctor, you tell ," the patient’s husband directed his gaze at Wang Huan.
"Well... actually, the examination isn’t complete yet. We’re still waiting for the results from the blood tests," Wang Huan reluctantly replied.
This kind of situation was truly difficult to handle. If the patient stubbornly refused to say anything, they, the doctors, would be in the most difficult position.
The patient’s husband remained quiet, just fixing his gaze on the patient.
Clearly, the atmosphere wasn’t right; she must be severely ill. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be speaking so evasively.
The patient sighed and finally explained her test results, though she still chose to hold back so information, stating it wasn’t too serious and they would decide on the treatnt once the blood test results were out.
Even so, her husband started wiping away his tears.
For an ordinary family, any kind of cancer diagnosis would be hard to bear.
At this point, a nurse ca in from outside, holding the patient’s blood test report.
The liver transaminases and bilirubin levels were significantly elevated, indicating that the patient’s liver function had also been damaged to so extent.
This was considered normal, as all parts of the body work in coordination.
Given the nurous gallstones in her gallbladder and common bile duct, bile secretion was definitely affected. Additionally, the enlarged pancreatic head and dilated common bile duct were exerting so pressure on her liver.
However, when Liu Banxia flipped to the last page of the report, he was stunned. His eyebrows furrowed deeply. The patient’s tumor marker, CA19-9 antigen, was surprisingly negative.
What a joke!
The patient’s pancreatic head was so enlarged, yet no tumor markers were detected.
DING! Assignnt released: Is it a tumor or inflammation?
Open assignnt: Despite the clear indications from the patient’s ultrasound and CT results, the screening for the patient’s tumor markers was negative. The host needs to diagnose further. The reward will be issued based on the diagnostic results.
Liu Banxia handed the last page of the report to Wang Huan, tapping it with his finger. Wang Huan also frowned upon reading it. What was going on here?
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