Chapter 995: Chapter 995: Has Teacher Liu Made a Diagnosis?
"Teacher Liu, the blood test results for that child are out. The white blood cell count is somewhat high, but liver and kidney function are normal." Su Wenhao came to Liu Banxia’s side.
"The chest X-ray looks clean. His rapid breathing and elevated temperature should be caused by the high fever. I also asked if he had a headache, and the patient denied it."
"What do you plan to do next?" Liu Banxia asked.
"I plan to first lower the fever, and not give antibiotics yet. Let’s observe and identify the source of infection. I’m also considering doing a stool test to see if there’s an infection in the digestive tract." Su Wenhao replied.
Liu Banxia nodded, "Alright, let’s proceed this way. Make sure to reassure the child’s father emotionally to avoid disturbance during the consultation."
Su Wenhao hurried out to make arrangements.
At this moment, Qiaoqiao’s friend, Chu Wanting, came over again.
"Are you still a bit worried?" Liu Banxia asked.
Chu Wanting nodded, "Director Liu, I didn’t say much in front of my father just now. At his age, undergoing such major surgery, is he more likely to get sick in the future?"
"You can rest assured about this, the prognosis for rectal cancer is still very good." Liu Banxia replied.
"As long as he maintains a good diet, rest, and appropriate exercise, the impact is minimal. Just because they have cancer cells doesn’t mean the body is failing, as long as the cancer cells haven’t metastasized, it’s fine."
"Don’t be frightened by the word cancer; what’s most important is to look at the staging. From the current gastroscopy images, I think it’s only stage two. We’ll know more after the pathology results post-surgery."
"We’ll not only remove the intestinal segment where the tumor is located, but also clean some lymph nodes above and below. I’ll take some more distant samples during sampling, so that you can be reassured and we can better clarify the condition."
"That’s quite good, sigh... we’ve hardly enjoyed any blessings." Chu Wanting sighed.
"Older generations are all the same; even if they’re uncomfortable, they don’t want to go to the hospital for a check-up because they’re afraid of spending money." Liu Banxia said.
"Don’t worry about the old gentleman’s condition. Tell the family to help lighten his mood over the next few days. It’s still necessary to control his blood pressure, otherwise during the surgery there might be minor issues."
"By the way, I’ve entrusted a skilled anesthesiologist from our emergency center. There’s no need to worry in this area. If everything goes smoothly, he can start gentle activity after lying in bed for two days post-surgery."
"Thank you, Director Liu, you’re so attentive." Chu Wanting quickly said.
"All these arrangements are standard. The most important task over the next few days is to keep the old gentleman happy." Liu Banxia said.
"Though there’s no clear theoretical basis, my patients who face their issues positively usually recover better. As for the old gentleman’s situation, I honestly don’t see any major concerns."
"In the past, many of my patients worried about whether they could preserve the anal sphincter; we aren’t dealing with that. That’s the real concern; some who insist on preserving it may find the subsequent pathology results unsatisfactory and still need removal."
"You shouldn’t worry too much. Qiaoqiao even said if she weren’t feeling so cumbersome, she’d come and take a look. She actually wants to come, but I convinced her to stay put; she’s restless at home."
"Haha, whenever we post about playing outside on social media, she gets quite anxious." Chu Wanting said with a laugh.
"Director Liu, I won’t bother you any further. I see you’re quite busy here, always having patients come for consultations. As for deciding on a surgical method, I’ll discuss with my brother when he arrives."
Liu Banxia nodded, "Alright, no hurry. I have some minor privileges here, and I should use them as needed. You can decide the day after tomorrow; talking to a nurse or doctor is fine, or you can call me directly."
"Each of these surgical options has its pros and cons. The time isn’t long, just over two hours. It’s not too complex, quite manageable."
"Thank you, Director Liu." Chu Wanting expressed her gratitude.
This is the difference between knowing someone and not knowing them, some degree of consideration can be given. Otherwise, for someone unknown, surgery scheduling would be an issue, and you’d have to quickly decide on what surgery to undergo.
"Teacher Liu, the lab just delivered the results. That patient can already be diagnosed with PCP pneumonia." At this moment, Huang Bo hurried in.
"The results came out so soon?" Liu Banxia asked in surprise.
"I asked for a favor from the laboratory. Teacher Liu, how should we treat this?" Huang Bo asked.
"PCP pneumonia is very troublesome; our current treatments seem to be only symptomatic. The key is to identify what’s causing his weakened immunity; that’s the real issue." Liu Banxia said.
"We’ve ruled out the factor of being an HIV carrier. Let’s conduct a lumbar puncture to check for any positive immune system-related symptoms."
"Teacher Liu, shouldn’t we also consider the possibility of other malignant tumors?" Huang Bo asked.
"Of course, we need to consider that, but it’s up to you to make the judgment." Liu Banxia said.
"If it’s a malignant tumor that’s advanced enough to complicate with PCP pneumonia, it indicates that this tumor’s progression is already very alarming, potentially transitioning from stage three to stage four."
"Ah, I understand. In such a situation, there should be corresponding signs in the patient’s physical condition, and we can proceed with targeted diagnostic tests." Huang Bo quickly said.
"Then what? What else do you need to do?" Liu Banxia continued to ask.
"I also need to gather more background information from the patient, examining their past experiences to see if there are any clues to help with diagnosis." Huang Bo replied.
"Broadening our thinking, it might also be some immune system diseases causing the patient’s weakened immunity. Malignant tumor patients are susceptible to this illness due to its impact on the immune system."
Liu Banxia nodded in satisfaction, "Then I’ll take a walk with you, just ignore my presence."
Huang Bo happily led the way, enjoying this form of inspired teaching.
Arriving at the patient’s bedside, the patient’s spirit seemed even weaker now. The family members accompanying him showed faces full of worry.
"We’ve already confirmed it’s PCP pneumonia, caused by weakened immunity." Huang Bo stated.
"We can provide symptomatic treatment for this pneumonia, but we still need to locate the cause of the weakened immunity."
"Think carefully; besides the diarrhea symptoms, are there other conditions? Like any pain, or problems with coordination while walking, any such issues?"
After thinking for a while, the patient shook his head, "There’s none of that. Doctor, is this illness very dangerous?"
"If we can identify the cause that’s making you susceptible to PCP pneumonia, it shouldn’t be a problem for you." Huang Bo said.
"That’s the root cause. If we can’t identify the root, even if we control your pneumonia this time, other diseases might flare up shortly after."
"Your immune system’s defense is too low; not only do external bacteria pose a threat, but internal bacteria can also harm you."
Huang Bo’s explanation was clear; the patient could understand it.
Currently, this PCP pneumonia is already very dangerous, and there’s a more dangerous disease in his body that hasn’t been identified yet.
"Hmm... Doctor, I used to have pharyngitis, but it was never very severe. Does that count?" the patient asked after some thought.
Huang Bo furrowed his brow, feeling that the information provided by the patient was somewhat lacking.
"What about other situations?" Huang Bo continued to ask.
"Honestly, there’s nothing else. I have athlete’s foot, but that doesn’t relate to pneumonia, right?" the patient asked.
"Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection that healthy people can easily acquire too. Think more, even minor symptoms like chest pain, stomach pain, or pain in other areas, do you have any?" Huang Bo asked again.
The patient thought carefully and shook his head.
"Doctor, does otitis media count? It’s not serious and doesn’t require medication; protecting the ear canal resolves it in a few days." The patient’s wife spoke up.
Huang Bo hesitated, feeling otitis media also seemed unreliable.
"How long has he had this otitis media?" Liu Banxia chimed in.
"It’s been some time, though never severe; it’s not like others with ear discharge." the patient replied.
"And the pharyngitis? Does it frequently occur?" Liu Banxia followed up.
The patient nodded, "Sometimes it feels like there’s tightness in the throat, occasionally dry coughing, and sometimes with phlegm. But it’s never severe; drinking warm water and taking medicines clears it up quickly."
"Huang Bo, give me another look at his blood test sheets." Liu Banxia requested.
Huang Bo hurriedly retrieved the blood test sheets and handed them to Liu Banxia.
Inwardly, he was quite expectant because Liu Banxia initially mentioned he was just observing the consultation process. Now, he’s speaking up, which definitely implies he has a certain judgment about the patient’s condition.
Despite not having diagnosed it himself, he didn’t feel embarrassed. Given the patient’s currently critical condition, even if still in the initial stage of PCP pneumonia, there’s always a possibility of being rushed to ICU.
Because this disease is truly perilous, even symptomatic treatment doesn’t offer very apparent results. The main priority remains diagnosing unidentified illnesses to restore the patient’s immune system.
Once immunity improves, then we can help the patient through this tough time.
The only consolation is that the patient isn’t an HIV carrier, increasing the chances of a cure.
Reviewing the blood test report, Liu Banxia’s brows furrowed more and more, meticulously evaluating in his mind.
