A competent doctor can cure everything

Though I expected some difficulties, I decided to think about them later and focus on finishing the bee venom acupuncture treatment first.

Even though bee venom acupuncture has had the allergenic components removed, I still decided to conduct a skin test just to be sure.

The method is simple: I inject a very small amount of bee venom acupuncture into the skin, similar to how a patch test is done.

Afterwards, I observed for about five minutes to see if there were any abnormal reactions, such as redness or itching. If no such reactions appeared, I could proceed with the treatment.

While waiting the five minutes, I took a look at the foreign player’s medical records.

“Mm…”

As expected, the prognosis wasn’t very promising.

After treatment, the pain would improve, but over time, it would return, creating a cycle of improvement and deterioration.

The knee is one of the most difficult body parts to treat.

It’s not that there’s another reason for it.

“Rest is the key to healing quickly, but I can’t just tell her not to walk.”

Unless she stays in bed and is completely immobile, the knee will be used regardless.

Even regular people find it hard to heal their knees for this reason, let alone a professional athlete like the foreign player.

No matter how hard she works at treatment, if she keeps running and jumping every day, her knee won’t heal quickly.

So, the simplest yet most difficult treatment method is “rest and stability.”

“But that ultimately means… telling her to skip practice right before the tournament, which sounds like crazy talk.”

Rest versus practice. In between, I had to give the team the best advice.

Before making a recommendation, I compared the risks and benefits once more.

“What’s the right thing to do?”

It wasn’t an easy decision, and my mind became complicated.

Professor Jae-wook’s words came to mind.

“A team doctor often faces conflicts between contradictory choices. You have to contribute to the team’s victory, but you’re also responsible for the player’s health. Often, these two things force you to make opposing choices.”

“Do you stop a player who was injured during a match but still wants to continue playing? Or do you let them keep going? The most difficult part is that there is no clear answer. You can only make the best decision based on the situation.”

At times like this, it’s best to go back to the basics and think simply.

Which path benefits both the player and the team?

I flipped through the foreign player’s chart.

Perhaps because I hadn’t yet decided on rest, the future chart still showed the knee’s slow recovery.

‘……’

Right, I know she won’t get better, but I can’t avoid recommending rest. That would only be half-hearted treatment.

Once I finished organizing my thoughts, I realized it was time to check the results of the skin test.

As expected, the result was negative.

Since only the active ingredient, Mellitin, had been purified for the acupuncture, this was the anticipated outcome.

“Then, I’ll proceed with the acupuncture treatment.”

What I’m about to do is called ‘intra-articular acupuncture’.

Typically, acupuncture is applied under the skin, but I plan to inject it directly into the knee joint.

Injecting the medicinal fluid directly into the closed space of the joint capsule will allow for a faster therapeutic effect in that specific area.

“This will be quite painful compared to the earlier acupuncture treatment.”

After straightening the foreign player’s knee, I used my left hand to push the kneecap as far outward as possible to open up the joint space.

With my right hand, I lifted the syringe and inserted the needle at the center of the outer boundary of the kneecap.

At this point, the needle direction should be parallel to the surface of the patellofemoral joint.

Despite injecting the medicinal fluid slowly to reduce the pain, the foreign player’s nose wrinkled in discomfort.

“Fanculo!”

“…There’s no need to translate that.”

The translator glanced at me nervously after the foreign player’s outburst, but I shook my head.

It’s fine. I can understand the meaning perfectly well from the expression and tone.

“You may feel sore for the rest of the day.”

If there’s significant swelling or pain, I told her to apply an ice pack, and then I went to find Coach Han Mi-young.

She was watching the players practice on the court.

“Coach, do you have a moment?”

“Of course, doctor. What’s the matter?”

Coach Han led me to the bench.

I shared what I had prepared.

“It’s about Emma. It would be best if she refrains from participating in practice for at least one week, focusing on isometric rehabilitation exercises while receiving treatment from me. If the period can be longer, that would be even better.”

“Pardon?”

As expected, Coach Han let out a stunned laugh.

The other coaches nearby seemed ready to get angry, clearly baffled.

Coach Han calmed them with a hand gesture and spoke calmly.

“Dr. Seon, do you know what role the foreign player takes on the team?”

“The foreign player almost always plays as the opposite spiker. The opposite is the team’s primary attacker, the player with the best offensive ability, and they focus mainly on attacking, avoiding as much as possible the reception of the ball. Therefore, foreign players, who tend to be more advantageous in terms of attacking power and height, usually take the opposite position. Generally, the opposite is also the player who scores the most points.”

As the team doctor for the volleyball team, I’ve obviously studied each position.

When I started listing these facts, Coach Han paused for a moment, looking slightly surprised.

“…That’s right. Emma is our opposite. So, do you know who would be a candidate to replace Emma?”

“I don’t believe there’s a candidate.”

“You’re quite well-informed. The opposite is a very rare position in Korea. Unlike other positions, which have several backup players on the second team, the opposite position doesn’t even have a substitute. So, are you really asking for our only opposite player to skip practice? Especially with the competition just around the corner?”

“…Yes, that’s correct.”

Surprisingly, Coach Han Mi-young smiled.

“I’ll follow your advice, doctor.”

“Coach, that’s not acceptable!”

“If you’re saying that she should rest just because she’s in pain without understanding volleyball, I’d be opposed to it too. But Dr. Seon, you understand the position well and still say that Emma needs rest, don’t you? In that case, rest must be really important.”

After explaining the reason for her decision, Coach Han added a remark to the dissatisfied coaches.

“Once the competition starts, even if she wants to rest, she won’t be able to. It’s better to fix her now than let her be sidelined in the middle of the tournament.”

“Well… that’s true.”

“Right.”

“I trust Dr. Seon. Emma will focus entirely on treatment for the next week. If you think more time is needed, let me know.”

To my surprise, it was I who was caught off guard by Coach Han’s clear decision.

“……”

I don’t know why, but I felt a lump in my throat. These people are professionals in their field of volleyball.

And yet, they’re listening to my advice and adjusting their training program.

Is this what a sense of camaraderie feels like?

I think I’m starting to understand the appeal of being a team doctor.

* * *

It’s going smoothly.

This is my impression of the past few days.

It was already close to midnight.

I was lying on the bed in the on-call room, scanning through the patient management schedule, then closed it with satisfaction.

The Blue Whales patients… no, the players, are being well managed.

The foreign player is focusing on her rehabilitation exercises as per my instructions, doing her best to take care of her knee.

Perhaps fascinated by how her knee is healing, she even awkwardly asked in broken Korean for me to perform bee venom acupuncture.

“Dr. Seon. Bee venom, please.”

At first, I didn’t understand what she meant.

Now that she’s feeling the effects, it seems she can tolerate the pain a bit more.

She keeps asking for more acupuncture, almost like a drug addict. There’s a subtle madness to it, which is starting to scare me.

‘Well, since this is the case, you might as well become a true believer in traditional Korean medicine.’

Since she seems to be adjusting well to bee venom acupuncture, next time, I plan to try fire acupuncture (Hwacheong) on her ligaments.

In fact, even in Korea, it’s rare for someone to receive both bee venom acupuncture and fire acupuncture.

I never thought the day would come when the foreign player, who used to reject even normal acupuncture, would ask for bee venom acupuncture.

And soon, noticeable changes will begin for Jin-ah as well.

At first, she only felt the urge to urinate, but later on, I foresee her gradually regaining sensation and strength in her legs.

‘She doesn’t even know, and she’s spending her days just looking after the rosemary plant.’

If things continue like this, by the end of July, around the time of her discharge, she might not need a wheelchair but could walk with a walker.

Thinking about how happy Jin-ah will be makes me feel content as well.

‘It seems like I won’t be getting any more calls tonight. Maybe I should try to get some sleep.’

Just as I was about to cover myself with the blanket, my phone suddenly rang.

– 7777

The number displayed on the screen wasn’t the number of the acupuncture ward starting with 5, but rather an emergency room call.

If it’s an acupuncture and rehabilitation call in the middle of the night… maybe someone sprained their back or was in a traffic accident.

As I made this guess and picked up the phone, I was greeted with a notification from the ER nurse that was as fast as a rapper’s.

“Doctor, this is the emergency room. A 10-year-old girl came in with chest pain and requested traditional treatment. She refused Western medicine, so we only did basic tests.”

“Chest pain? I’m an intern in the Department of Oriental Rehabilitation.”

Hearing “chest pain,” which isn’t a musculoskeletal condition, made me remind myself of my department.

However, the nurse quickly responded and hung up the phone.

“Yes, I know. This patient has frequently come in with this symptom, and every time, she’s seen by that department. You’ll understand when you come and see her.”

A 10-year-old girl frequently visits for chest pain? And she’s receiving treatment in the Department of Oriental Rehabilitation?

I quickly put on my gown and rushed out of the on-call room, still feeling confused.

Our hospital operates both Eastern and Western medicine emergency rooms.

There are two ways a patient can visit the Eastern medicine ER.

First: The patient comes to the ER requesting only traditional treatment.

Second: After receiving all the Western medicine treatment, the patient requests traditional treatment as well.

When a patient arrives, the ER nurse calls the intern of the appropriate department based on the patient’s symptoms.

The intern performs a basic interview, then calls a resident.

The resident comes down to treat the patient, and the intern assists with the treatment.

‘Today, the intern on duty in our department is Shim Ji-seop.’

If I delay after receiving the ER call, I might get scolded by the resident.

This is because the time the patient was registered is visible on the EMR (electronic chart).

Especially with that senior, I didn’t want to get caught, so I ran even faster from the 5th-floor ward to the 1st-floor ER.

“Are you from the Department of Oriental Rehabilitation?”

Breathless from running, I arrived at the ER, and the nurse directed me to the bed where my patient was.

As I approached the bed, an elderly man, presumably the guardian, sat with a worried expression.

On the bed was a girl in a patient gown.

She had long brown hair and brown eyes. Though she looked like she was in pain, she seemed sharp.

But that face… it looked oddly familiar.

As I thought that, I looked at the patient identification bracelet on the child’s wrist.

-Shim Ji-ah (10/F)-

“……?!”

Wait. Did it say Shim?

The moment I saw the brown hair and the last name, a sudden realization flashed through my mind.

What did the head nurse say? She told the nurses to be prepared for the fact that Shim Ji-seop has a daughter who is an elementary school student?

I stared at the girl in shock.

Was that not a joke? Was it for real?