Chapter 1393: Almost Missed the Diagnosis

Chapter 1393: Chapter 1393: Almost Missed the Diagnosis

(Thanks to Tianyue Guxing, Yangzhong, LH, Hat-Wearer Lascivious Rogue, Clever Nerd, Old Bear Guagua, DRDER Moon Ticket for encouragement)

Liu Banxia still felt a bit proud, after all, Little Six was brought up by him.

After a busy spell, this bunch of "zombies" left. As for how to compensate for the medical expenses next, that’s a matter between them and the car rental company, unrelated to the hospital.

"Everyone did very well, a big contribution," Liu Banxia said.

"Tsk tsk, such a strong instant noodle smell, did you add an egg?" Xu Yino said.

"Of course, I even added a King of Kings sausage," Liu Banxia said gleefully.

Xu Yino pursed her lips, feeling quite bullied.

While everyone was busy here, he sneaked off to eat instant noodles.

"What are you looking at? If you want to eat, go use the microwave yourself," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"You’re quite grown-up now, still craving instant noodles like this. Can you have some ambition? Let’s comment, today you all did really well."

"With so many patients suddenly arriving, and their makeup making injury assessment much more difficult."

"But everyone handled it quickly, and the interns and resident doctors performed well. Their debridement and suturing skills truly reached graduation level."

"Let’s put it this way, wherever you go in the future, relying on these skills, you need not fear others. At least when you’re demonstrating, there’s no problem with suturing."

"Especially want to commend Liu Yiqing, today she delivered a double-level performance. If you want to eat instant noodles, you can add two eggs."

Liu Yiqing’s face suddenly fell, she definitely knew where this praise came from, she really didn’t want it.

"Alright, clean up and then have a late-night snack. I’ll hang here for a while, rest if there’s nothing much," Liu Banxia called out.

Actually, it’s still early, but it’s no longer like when the emergency center first started. When there’s nothing happening at night, everyone needs to seize the chance to rest up.

"I must say, occasionally having a meal of instant noodles is indeed quite appetizing," Qi Wentai chimed in after finishing his meal.

"Just hang on for a while longer, it’s almost time, once you’re relieved from duties as the head resident, it’ll get much easier," Liu Banxia said.

"Honestly, I’m somewhat used to this life now. Every day passes by in a blur, without leaving much impression," Qi Wentai said.

"Probably due to seeing so many patients, so many kinds after all this time," Liu Banxia said.

"Actually, occasionally I do feel very tired, not physically but mentally exhausted. It’s likely a burnout phase, too many worries lately and too little rest."

"It’s like a string tightly stretched, relax even a little and all the tension releases. Need to ease up for a bit to handle upcoming busy days."

"It’s mainly because you have too much on your plate, especially with promoting NOSES surgery and having to travel for it, it can’t help but be busy," Qi Wentai said.

"Doctor, doctor, can I still see a doctor?"

At that moment, a man in his forties walked in from the entrance.

"Yes, what’s the matter? Where are you feeling uncomfortable?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Been vomiting today, usually tend to have acid reflux," the patient replied.

"Alright, register first, then come to me," Liu Banxia nodded, getting gloves and a mask ready.

In this respect, he must lead by example. In the emergency center, it’s tough to say what hidden safety hazards your patients may have.

For this patient, registration was smooth, and he quickly came over.

"You mentioned acid reflux earlier, have you been checked for this before?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Yes, got it checked before, was told I have some gastroesophageal reflux and was given medication which could control it," the patient said.

"But lately, I feel it’s sometimes hard to breathe, like I can’t catch my breath. Felt nauseous and vomited a few times recently."

"Vomited again tonight, thought I’d come to the hospital to check it out. Surely it’s something serious, not just from eating poorly."

"Are there any other symptoms? Especially pain-related?" Liu Banxia continued to ask.

"Seems like it’s not hurting. Oh, I have high blood pressure, don’t know if it was due to being anxious today, but I feel quite warm," the patient said.

"Okay, let’s do a physical check first, listen to heart and lung sounds. How long has this gastroesophageal reflux been happening?" Liu Banxia asked.

"At least three or four years," the patient replied.

"Alright, now breathe in... breathe out... breathing sounds are indeed a bit off," Liu Banxia said after retracting the stethoscope.

"The duration of your condition isn’t short. What medications are you taking? Are they for treatment courses or just for stabilization? Do you only take them when uncomfortable?"

"Taking Omeprazole, used to work well, now not so much," the patient quickly said.

"How about your breathing? Is it like breathing heavily but not really getting much air in? Or does it feel like there’s an obstruction in your nasal or throat when you breathe?"

"It’s more like sometimes I can’t catch my breath. It’s not constant, just occasional," the patient replied.

Liu Banxia took his temperature again but didn’t notice it being high.

"Let’s do this, get a chest X-ray. I suspect there might be some issues with your lungs. Based on your description, it seems like it could be asthma," Liu Banxia said.

"Nausea, vomiting, acid reflux—this could mean the gastroesophageal reflux has worsened. Let’s get the X-ray first, then we’ll study it further."

"Doctor, how do we study this further?" the patient asked.

"The best way is to do a gastrointestinal endoscopy to check the condition of your esophagus and see if there’s any inflammation," Liu Banxia replied.

"You know gastroesophageal reflux, right? The stomach contents, including acid, keep going up. It’s corrosive to the digestive tract."

"Especially the esophagus, and given your long-term condition, I recommend an endoscopy tomorrow. Are you vomiting frequently?"

"It’s been more frequent these days. Sometimes I tend to vomit after eating a lot," the patient replied.

"Alright, let’s get the chest X-ray first," Liu Banxia said as he operated on the computer.

"Doctor, so you think it’s asthma?" the patient asked again.

"Based on your description, it’s possible. But we need to take a look first. Sometimes chronic inflammation in the upper respiratory tract can also cause difficulty breathing," Liu Banxia replied.

The patient nodded and went to pay and have the X-ray done.

"Is the heart sound normal?" Qi Wentai asked.

Liu Banxia nodded, "Gastroesophageal reflux is indeed a tricky condition. If he also has asthma, it’s going to be more complicated."

"But what’s with the nausea? He doesn’t look like the other patient you saw. He seems robust, unlike a pancreatic issue," Qi Wentai said.

"I’m a bit perplexed about this too, so I asked him to get an X-ray while I think it over," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"It might still be something stomach-related, but neither reflux nor esophagitis should cause nausea."

"That’s why I recommend a gastrointestinal endoscopy tomorrow to get a comprehensive view. Long-term reflux is certainly damaging to the esophagus."

Qi Wentai nodded, "Many chronic illnesses, if dragged on, can lead to bigger issues."

"It’s unavoidable. Everyone procrastinates, even us," Liu Banxia said.

"Teacher Liu, we’re done eating, are you busy?" Xu Yino came strolling over.

"Busy with what? Can’t you see we are just standing guard here? Just one patient with gastroesophageal reflux, went for imaging," Liu Banxia replied casually.

"Eh...not challenging at all, doesn’t even showcase Teacher Liu’s advanced medical skills. Burp..." Xu Yino said before letting out a burp.

"Oh my, as soon as you mentioned it. Should we schedule an endoscopy for you too?" Liu Banxia asked with a laugh.

"Hehe, I finished the soup. Gotta admit, after eating, I’m feeling a bit sleepy," Xu Yino said.

"Doctor, doctor, over there they said you can have a look first?"

At this moment, the patient returned.

"Sure, let me just adjust the computer," Liu Banxia said, pulling up the X-ray on the screen.

"There is slight inflammation in your right lung and the trachea isn’t looking great either. This is likely why you sometimes have difficulty breathing," Liu Banxia said while examining the X-ray.

"Doctor, is it treatable?" the patient asked.

"This is just one part of it. My personal advice is to wait until after your endoscopy tomorrow, then we’ll consider it comprehensively," Liu Banxia replied.

"After all, we need to get to the bottom of your acid reflux, nausea, and vomiting symptoms. Once we have a clear understanding, we can use a combined treatment approach."

"Do you vomit often? Only after overeating? Or is there something like a smell, eating too fast, that triggers it?"

"Well, there are times when eating just feels uncomfortable, or maybe I just eat too much?" the patient was somewhat baffled.

"Right, another situation. I can’t lie down right after eating, lying down causes reflux. Can’t press on the stomach either, pressing it makes me feel like I’m bringing food back up."

"So recently I’ve been very careful with eating, chewing slowly and thoroughly. But it doesn’t seem to have improved, still the same."

Liu Banxia looked at him helplessly, "You should have mentioned this earlier; almost missed diagnosing you correctly. It’s a bit serious."

Hearing this, Xu Yino became interested, although it startled the patient.