The Enhanced Doctor

The new blood test results were out, and just as Liu Banxia had predicted, the eosinophil count had significantly increased.

"There's no need for a biopsy now. All the symptoms match. Just take the anthelmintic, thiabendazole, directly. It might cause some side effects like nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, but it's best if you stay here for observation for a day," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

DING! Daily task completed (1/20)

Diagnosis task completed, gained 100 experience points and 50 points in Diagnostic Skills proficiency.

"Teacher Liu, is it really Trichinella? But we didn't find any parasite eggs during the stool examination," Xu Yinuo asked.

"Didn't I get fooled by Trichinella at the beginning too? Because Trichinella is somewhat different from other parasites. It's ovoviviparous, and adult worms and larvae inhabit different areas," Liu Banxia explained.

"Adult worms live in the intestines, so the patient experiences abdominal pain. And the larvae? They travel through the bloodstream and can lodge in various organs."

"However, they prefer to live in muscle fibers, which is why symptoms like chest pain, muscle soreness, and edema occur. Plus, the incubation period of this disease can be quite long, one to two weeks, or even three."

"Now, this patient is in the acute phase, which is the larval migration phase. So, in the first blood test, aside from an increase in white blood cells, there were no other anomalies."

"As time passes and the disease progresses, the number of larvae in the blood increases, and the body begins to react. The eosinophils significantly increase, and there are allergic reactions like a rash."

"Doctor, am I going to die? There are so many worms in my body!" Hearing his words, the patient paled in fear, ignoring the pain throughout his body.

How could he not be scared? The worms were everywhere inside his body, traveling with the blood. Could he even survive?

"Don't worry, just take the anthelmintic I just mentioned. Our human body is quite strong; these little worms are nothing," Liu Banxia assured.

"But in the future, make sure you only eat food that's been thoroughly cooked. I realized it when you mentioned you all scrambled to eat the roast pork. You probably ingested the parasite eggs from pork that wasn't fully cooked."

"After such a long incubation and growth period in the intestine, although it can cause diarrhea, you didn't pay much attention, thinking you'd just eaten something cold."

"Ah... so, trichinosis isn't commonly seen in daily life because in our country, especially in this region, we don't typically eat raw food. Even if we eat raw seafood, those don't carry Trichinella parasites."

"Currently, it seems to be prevalent only in some ethnic minority regions that still have the tradition of eating raw meat. In those places, the incidence rate is higher than ours."

"Really, there's no need to worry. The anthelmintic will work. And you sought medical attention in time, so it won't lead to any major issues. Relax, it won't affect your ability to eat and drink in the future."

The patient opened his mouth, a wry expression on his face. He knew Liu Banxia was saying this to relax him, but thinking about all those worms inside him, how could anyone relax?

"Don't we need to do a biopsy to confirm it?" Wang Huan asked when Liu Banxia returned.

"No need. A biopsy would just cause him more suffering; he's already terrified," Liu Banxia replied.

"It truly proves the saying, 'live and learn.' Who would've thought it was Trichinella? Let alone Trichinella, in my three years here, this is the first time I've encountered a patient with a parasitic infection."

Wang Huan nodded. "Indeed, it's rare. I overlooked it. I even considered whether it was parasite-induced abdominal pain. But the stool test results were normal, so I ruled it out."

"I need to hit the books again. There are so many eyes on us in the emergency department; we can't afford another embarrassment. Otherwise, it'll be hard to explain if word gets out. What are we going to do then?"

"Don't worry. I doubt anyone could have diagnosed this case as trichinosis at first glance," Liu Banxia said. "Typical symptoms also include nausea and vomiting, and the diarrhea wouldn't have resolved so quickly."

"There are too many factors that can mislead our thinking. Besides, the subsequent high fever and edema marked the true onset of the migration phase. Our hospital hasn't seen many cases of trichinosis in recent years, has it?"

Wang Huan laughed. "Well, if you're comforting me like that, I'll take it. It's lunchtime now. Wang Chao and I will watch things here. You guys go eat first?"

"Alright. When you're done, you can take a break this afternoon," Liu Banxia nodded.

Everyone had been helping him keep the emergency department running during this period, and now it was time to pay them back. He needed to make sure they got more time to rest and recover. He couldn't let their efforts be in vain.

Interns like Xu Yinuo were quite happy today. Even though this patient had initially 'tormented' them, in the future, they would be able to diagnose similar cases quickly.

Liu Banxia and Wang Huan had both said that trichinosis is not common, and they had encountered it so soon into their internship.

Upon arriving in the cafeteria, even though people were used to seeing them move as a large group, they received much more attention today than usual.

It was still because of that little video of Liu Banxia causing a commotion, which had now truly spread throughout Binhai City. People knew they were just joking, but they still thought Liu Banxia lacked gravitas.

Liu Banxia didn't care about these discussions. In the hospital, he was a doctor, but during his downtime, he needed to have his own life too.

"Dr. Shi, over here," Liu Banxia called out as he saw Shi Lei enter the cafeteria.

Shi Lei glanced at him and nodded.

"Sigh... Dr. Shi has been so busy, working nonstop for so many days," Huang Bo remarked with emotion.

"This is our fate. Once you become a doctor, your time often isn't your own anymore," Liu Banxia said with a laugh.

"And let me remind you, try not to drink when you're off duty. Otherwise, if there's an emergency and we're short-staffed, as long as you've been drinking, we can't let you help. This is a red line."

Huang Bo and the others nodded; they understood this point clearly. For instance, at dinner yesterday, despite so many people, no one drank much.

"I hope the emergency department is okay? I'll be done with my current tasks in a day or two," Shi Lei said, holding his meal tray as he sat down.

"No issues, we're still holding on. Boss, could you arrange another surgery for me? I've done so many that when I suddenly take a break, my hands get itchy for more," Liu Banxia said.

He had to ask. Surgeries in the emergency department were highly unpredictable. Shi Lei was currently assisting in General Surgery. If he could arrange a Level Two surgery, that would be best; otherwise, Liu Banxia could forget about advancing.

"Let me see. We have two laparoscopic appendectomies left. Want to do them?" Shi Lei nonchalantly asked.

Liu Banxia quickly shook his head. "No, you should do them, Boss. Recently, I've dealt with too many appendixes and gallbladders. Actually, I want to challenge surgeries of higher difficulty. At least Level Two to start."

"Still being picky, huh? Go tell Director Zhou. He can arrange one for you anytime," Shi Lei shot him a glance.

"Do you think I have the guts to do that? If I had, I would've spoken up long ago," Liu Banxia mumbled, looking dejected.

Xu Yinuo and the other interns were very curious. They never imagined that Liu Banxia and Shi Lei would interact in such a way. Liang Xiaolin and Qing Kewa, unfazed, continued eating their meals peacefully.

"How has your internship been recently? After this, you still have some classes and evaluations at school, right?" Shi Lei asked.

Xu Yinuo nodded. "That's the school's arrangement, integrating teaching with practical training. But it won't take much time, and we can schedule some courses ourselves."

"Anyway, I plan to attend classes during my breaks from the hospital as much as possible. You really learn so much more in the hospital than at school. The indicators for many diseases are very unclear in individual patients."

"A glutton for punishment, huh? You're already tired from your internship, yet you still have to study. Tsk, tsk, seems even tougher than when we were students," Liu Banxia said. "But it has its benefits; it can save you a lot of time."

"You can also rest assured. Once the new building of the emergency department is completed and handed over, more opportunities for practice will definitely be provided. Of course, there will also be many assessments and tests; Dr. Shi will be in charge of those."

"Especially you guys, don't just focus on me. You should focus on Dr. Shi. Dr. Shi was the one who trained me initially. Even though he's my senior brother now, he's also like half a mentor to me."

"Oh? I just remembered something. Boss, where are our other senior brothers? Can you introduce me to them sometime?"

"They're all quite busy; there's not much time," Shi Lei shook his head.

"There are three in the Municipal Hospital and the First Affiliated Hospital, and some in other cities. But we're still quite far behind them in terms of level. Let's talk about it when you get your doctorate."

Liu Banxia fell silent. This was his Achilles' heel, something that would take time to remedy. But it also demonstrated the strength of Zhou Shuwen's disciples. Was he the only one with just a master's degree?

Watching Liu Banxia's troubled expression, Xu Yinuo and the others wanted to laugh.

Only then did they remember that Liu Banxia wasn't much older than they were. Even though he had been practicing medicine for a long time, he originally graduated with a bachelor's degree.

However, this made them admire Liu Banxia even more. Despite these circumstances, despite his age, he had already earned a great reputation at Second Hospital. And this reputation was not because he was Zhou Shuwen's disciple, but because of his medical skills.

When Liu Banxia was holed up in the operating room, Wang Chao had done a lot to promote him. Basically, aside from some idle gossip, Liu Banxia was the main topic of conversation in the emergency department those days.

The more they knew, the more they admired him.