The Enhanced Doctor

Qi Wentai was furious, but under Liu Banxia's gaze, he had no other choice.

Storm off in a huff? He didn't have the guts. Even if Liu Banxia didn't have the power to throw him out, Liu Banxia did have the ability to make things difficult for him.

Still want to work in the Second Hospital? Want to get an attending physician's contract in the future? Would that be possible without Zhou Shuwen's approval? Not a chance.

Today was also the first time the interns in the emergency department saw Liu Banxia genuinely angry, and it was quite frightening. They had heard some rumors about the long-standing grudge between him and Qi Wentai, but usually, the two kept to themselves and didn't interfere with each other.

"Brother Hui, help me think this through. The child has abdominal pain, and the location is unclear for now. His temperature is slightly elevated, but his physical examination and B-scan show no problems," Liu Banxia said, pulling Xu Hui over to the mobile ultrasound machine.

"I heard you talking just now. We can only wait for the results of the blood and stool tests. What did you find with the bowel sounds?" Xu Hui asked.

"I didn't hear anything abnormal either," Liu Banxia said, shaking his head.

"Such a small child, and in so much pain. Do you think it could be caused by constipation? Let's see if he can have a bowel movement smoothly later. Otherwise, we'll have to do an X-ray or an abdominal CT. Which do you recommend?"

"It seems you don't have much hope for these tests either?" Xu Hui asked.

Liu Banxia nodded. "Children are different from adults; there are many things they can't clearly express. He hasn't mentioned diarrhea, so it's probably not enteritis. Since his abdomen still hurts, it could be an intestinal obstruction. Let's start with an X-ray, just to be safe."

"I think that's a good plan. We'll have to take it slow. But you also need to soothe the child's father. He might flare up if things don't go well," Xu Hui reminded him.

Liu Banxia gave a wry smile and nodded. That was indeed the case. If they couldn't figure out the cause of the child's abdominal pain after a long time, the father's anger would undoubtedly erupt.

After waiting a little longer, the child's father returned, holding the little boy. "Doctor, he just urinated, but he tried for a long time and couldn't have a bowel movement."

"That's alright. Do you know how long it's been since his last bowel movement?" Liu Banxia asked.

"I think he had one yesterday afternoon," the father said after a moment's thought. "He's been a bit picky with his food lately, so sometimes he only goes once every two days."

"It seems the child's pain isn't as severe now," Liu Banxia said. "While we wait for the blood test results, please take him for an abdominal X-ray. I think it's also possible that the reduced frequency of bowel movements has caused some buildup in his intestines."

"Doctor, didn't you say you'd put a rush on them? Can't we wait for those results to come out first?" the child's father asked.

"Even with a rush order, they won't be ready immediately," Liu Banxia said with a smile. "They have a whole set of procedures to follow, which also takes time."

"The child doesn't have diarrhea, so I think the possibility of enteritis is very small. That's why I suggested an abdominal X-ray. We'll put a rush on that as well, so we can get a more thorough examination for the little guy."

The child's father thought for a moment, then nodded. He took the new request form Liu Banxia had written out and went to pay for it.

The father was very cooperative now. However, instead of reassuring Liu Banxia, this made him even more worried. How things develop next will depend on how quickly we can diagnose the illness.

A child this young wouldn't lie; his abdomen really hurt. If there's pain, there must be an underlying condition.

He had also run through the possible issues in his mind, but it was truly hard to say at this point. As the saying goes, without clear indications, you have to let the data do the talking.

After waiting a little longer, the blood and urine test results came back. The blood test showed a slight elevation in white blood cells, and the urine test showed a slight increase in porphobilinogen. Both were within acceptable ranges.

"Next, we'll have to see what the X-ray shows. Have you thought about what to do if it's not an intestinal obstruction?" Xu Hui asked.

Liu Banxia grimaced. "I'm worried sick. It's easier with adults. When you encounter very concerned parents, it's really tough. Should we call pediatrics for a consult?"

Xu Hui shook his head. "Actually, it's pretty much the same for us. Whether it's an adult or a child, the symptoms present similarly. If you transfer him to pediatrics now, the father might get even more anxious."

Pediatric patients are difficult to treat, Liu Banxia sighed inwardly, and those in the emergency department are even more challenging.

"Dr. Liu, do you have a moment?" Wang Ying walked over just then.

"Sister Wang, I always have time for you. What's up?" Liu Banxia asked.

"It's about that incident from earlier. You don't have any problems on your end, do you?" Wang Ying asked.

Liu Banxia shook his head. "Sister Wang, please don't overthink it. That's just how management in the emergency department is; there are many overlapping responsibilities. This wasn't your fault. If you don't believe me, ask Brother Xu if he would dare let a rookie nurse draw blood from a child."

"You just had to drag me into this, didn't you?" Xu Hui said with a smile. "But honestly, I wouldn't dare either. I'd ask Shen Lin. If Zhou Li were around, I'd ask Zhou Li. Xu Dan is progressing very quickly, but I still wouldn't dare let her draw blood from a child."

"That's just how it is," Liu Banxia said. "We all have to coordinate in our work. Whoever gives the order has to take responsibility."

"Sigh... it's also because I've had so many things to deal with lately and haven't managed to finish them all, so I've been a bit lax with management," Wang Ying sighed. "If Zhou Li were here, there wouldn't be so many problems."

"Sister Wang, are you still troubled by family matters?" Liu Banxia asked. "Is there anything I can help with? You've always looked after me since I came to the Second Hospital. Now that I'm somewhat capable, please don't hesitate to ask if you need help with anything."

"How could you help?" Wang Ying said with a wry smile. "I don't want to send my mother-in-law to a nursing home. But I can't fully dedicate myself to caring for her, and if we hire a live-in caregiver, we don't have enough space at home."

"Right now, we have someone look after her during the day, and my husband and I pay more attention at night. It's dementia... Even if we send her to a nursing home, I'd worry she wouldn't be well taken care of."

Liu Banxia felt troubled along with her. Patients with dementia are indeed very difficult to care for. It's not just about needing constant supervision; one also has to manage their environment and actions as much as possible.

Otherwise, she might boil water and forget to turn off the stove, or wander off and get lost. The memories in their minds aren't always current, and they frequently cause various problems.

The difficulty for Sister Wang's family was that they couldn't get proper rest even after returning home from work. Over time, this would naturally affect their performance during the day.

"Sister Wang, forgive me for saying this, but while you want to fulfill your filial duty, it's affecting both your and your husband's lives," Liu Banxia said.

"Hiring a caregiver costs a lot of money too, right? If you could find a good nursing home, the old lady might actually be more comfortable there."

"Not all nursing homes are deceitful or abusive to the elderly. Those private ones need a good reputation, so they naturally have to provide better services. It's just that they cost more, and ordinary families can't afford them."

"Let me put it this way: even if you hire a caregiver, is that a foolproof solution? The news often reports on caregivers abusing the elderly. Anyway, I think you could consider it from a different angle. There should be good nursing homes like that in Binhai City."

Wang Ying nodded. "I'll discuss it with your brother-in-law when I get home. Even if such places exist, they're not easy to find. And if the cost is too high, our family can't afford it."

"Don't worry. Once you've decided you're open to the idea, I'll ask my friends to help us look. We'll see if we can find a nursing home that offers good value and provides excellent service," Liu Banxia said.

That was all he could say, mostly to offer some comfort. As for whether they could actually find such a place, that was truly uncertain. After all, in this day and age, many things are tied to money.

After they had chatted for a while, Li Hao walked over with the father and son.

After looking at the X-rays, both Liu Banxia and Xu Hui frowned deeply.

There were no signs of intestinal obstruction, only some gas accumulation in the small intestine. But even with some gas, it shouldn't cause the child's abdomen to hurt this much.

Besides, it was very mild; otherwise, the child's abdominal distension would have been quite obvious.

"What has the child been eating these past two days?" Liu Banxia asked. "The little guy doesn't seem to be in as much pain now."

"Just his normal food. But his mother is trying to correct his picky eating habits, so he's mostly been eating various vegetables lately. Isn't eating vegetables a good thing? He hasn't eaten any soybeans," the child's father replied.

"Considering the current situation, it could also be caused by indigestion," Liu Banxia said cautiously. "There's mild gas accumulation in his small intestine. The diagnosis I can give for now is that we should observe him first."

Sure enough, the child's father frowned.

"This observation is also to monitor the progression of his condition," Liu Banxia quickly added. "The child was in severe pain earlier, but now he doesn't seem to hurt as much. In a little while, if possible, it would be best to do another stool test to check for intestinal parasites."

"Can't we just do other tests directly?" the child's father asked.

"Other tests are more invasive, like a colonoscopy, for example," Liu Banxia said.

"If I hadn't seen how much pain the child was in, I might have simply diagnosed it as indigestion and prescribed some medication to aid digestion and relieve gas, and that would have been the end of it."

"Sometimes, many conditions can be quite insidious, and a child's description isn't always accurate. When I examined him just now, he said it hurt wherever I pressed. Now, he can't even distinguish whether his body hurts or if it's the pain from me pressing."

The child's father nodded. "Alright, let's observe for now then. Doctor, please, you must take this seriously. It breaks my heart when he's in pain."

"I understand. I'll be right nearby. For now, just stay with your son and play with him for a bit. Also, keep an eye out for whether he passes any gas. I'll get some plain boiled water for him to drink in a little while," Liu Banxia said.

"Thank you, Doctor," the father said gratefully.

Liu Banxia nodded and then began to make arrangements. He knew this was only a temporary reprieve. The moment the child's abdominal pain returned, his father would "transform."