The Enhanced Doctor

Liu Banxia paid close attention to this child. It was also a matter of face. Now that he had taken over the case, if he couldn't figure out the cause of the illness, Qi Wentai would have ammunition to tease him.

But there wasn't much he could do right then; he still had to see if the child would have a second episode. Sometimes it was just so frustrating. He wished he could diagnose the child immediately, but the actual situation didn't quite allow for it.

For many conditions, if a diagnosis couldn't be confirmed, observation was the first step.

"Xu Dan, come here." Lost in thought, Liu Banxia called out to Xu Dan, who was strolling nearby.

"Doctor Liu, what's up?" Xu Dan asked curiously.

"Have you really thought about your future career path? Do you want to be a clinical nurse or an operating room nurse? If you want to be an operating room nurse, you need to start preparing now," Liu Banxia said.

Upon hearing his words, Xu Dan's face fell. "Doctor Liu, what do you think I should do? I'm quite troubled too. I asked my uncle, but he told me to decide for myself."

"That's something you need to decide for yourself; each option has its advantages," Liu Banxia said.

"Take today's situation, for example; there's a high possibility of conflict with the patient's family. If you're in the operating room, you can avoid these unrelated issues."

"But in the operating room, you'll need to master more specialized skills, and it will be more exhausting. However, you'll witness more major procedures and earn more."

"Will you have an adverse reaction watching an open-abdominal surgery? How about this: next time there's a surgery, I'll take you in to have a look? This isn't about Director Xiao's connections; this is about your own merit."

"Back when Uncle Jiang's baby was sick, you handled Director Xiao with just one phone call. I owe you for that one. I still have the ability to offer you some convenience now. But later, when there are more people, it won't be so easy to arrange."

"Doctor Liu, can I exchange the reward for Sister Li's braised bones instead?" Xu Dan pleaded, looking pitiful.

Liu Banxia rolled his eyes. "Others couldn't get this chance even if they begged for it. Alright, I'll arrange it for you. At least familiarize yourself with the surgical instruments first. If you genuinely find that work more tiring and stressful than your current job, then just focus on being a clinical nurse."

Xu Dan wrinkled her nose. "Doctor Liu, do you think it would be okay if I just stayed as a regular nurse? I actually feel quite happy working in the emergency department every day."

Liu Banxia was truly at a loss for words. This girl really has the mentality of a child.

Ignoring her, he took out his phone, found Liu Mei's number, and dialed it.

"My goodness, Banxia, are you psychic or something? We just got off the table," Liu Mei said when the call connected.

"Haha, of course. Still with Old Wang from next door?" Liu Banxia asked.

"Naturally. But he said if you speak ill of him, he won't let his wife make braised bones for you. He's too biased! We get to eat them once a month at most, while you can have them every few days," Liu Mei said.

"Hehe, that's because I'm Sister Li's younger brother. Sister Mei, I want to discuss something. Since you guys just finished surgery, I was thinking of sending a nurse over to get a feel for the surgical instruments. Would that be okay?" Liu Banxia asked.

"A newbie? Hasn't decided her direction yet? Then send her over. Operating Room 5. We'll be cleaning up the other things first," Liu Mei replied promptly.

"Perfect, thanks, Sister Mei. Let's get together for a meal next time our schedules line up," Liu Banxia said.

"That can be arranged." Liu Mei said, trying to sound serious, but then she couldn't help bursting into laughter. "HAHAHA... I have to go now." She then hung up.

"Go on, head to Operating Room 5 in the inpatient department. Just ask for Liu Mei," Liu Banxia said after pocketing his phone.

"Doctor Liu, so... I'm going by myself?" Xu Dan asked, a little worried.

"Aren't you quite bold? You run around picking up forms and things every day without seeming to mind at all. Go on. You wouldn't want me to owe a favor for nothing, would you? The anesthesiologist is Sister Li's husband. If you run into him, just call him Brother-in-law, and you'll be fine," Liu Banxia said.

"Oh, okay," Xu Dan replied.

Although she jogged over there, she definitely wasn't as enthusiastic as when she was fetching lab reports or blood bags.

"Sister Wang, I took the liberty of sending Dandan to familiarize herself with the surgical instruments. Let her get a good feel for things," Liu Banxia said, approaching Wang Ying.

"Alright. And please, help me keep a closer eye on things during the daytime. My mind has been all over the place lately, and I'm really afraid I'll overlook something," Wang Ying said.

"Sister Wang..."

"Doctor, Doctor, my son's stomach is hurting again!" the young patient's father cried out just as Liu Banxia began to speak.

Liu Banxia quickly grabbed his stethoscope and rushed to the young patient's side, starting to listen to his bowel sounds.

This episode was somewhat different from when he had first listened. The bowel sounds were more frequent, but they returned to normal in less than two minutes.

This suggested that the child's abdominal pain was indeed related to his intestines and not caused by other organs. Although the exact cause was still unclear, he was at least on the right track.

"Doctor Xu, I just listened. The bowel sounds were intense. I suspect the pain is caused by intestinal spasms," Liu Banxia said.

"Doctor, what are intestinal spasms? Can they be cured?" the child's father asked anxiously.

"Please don't worry yet. Intestinal spasms are a symptom, not a disease," Liu Banxia explained.

"It means the smooth muscles in the intestines are contracting violently, causing abdominal pain. It feels like a cramping sensation. The main cause usually stems from factors within the gastrointestinal tract."

"On the X-ray earlier, we saw some gas accumulation in the child's small intestine. In a bit, I'll find a hot water bottle and put it on the child's stomach to see if it helps him pass gas or have a bowel movement."

"If, after observation, the symptoms still don't improve, we'll have to consider an enema. It's possible that accumulated feces and gas in the intestines are causing the spasms. The child is still young. My personal recommendation is to avoid medication if we can."

"Okay, Doctor, we'll follow your instructions," the child's father said, nodding vigorously.

At this time of year, finding a hot water bottle outside might be a bit difficult, but they're easy to find in the hospital. He filled one with warm water and placed it on the child's abdomen.

Surprisingly, after the hot water bottle was placed on him, the child said the pain wasn't as severe as before.

"You know," Xu Hui said with a smile, "it's quite possible the spasms were caused by gas accumulation from indigestion. Luckily, there's no intestinal obstruction; otherwise, the child would be suffering even more."

"We still need to observe him more. It's almost lunchtime. You take them to eat first; I'll keep an eye on things here," Liu Banxia said.

"No, it's fine, I'll stay here with you. Let them go eat first," Xu Hui replied.

"That works too. Why don't we eat in the department then? We can get a meal for the child's father too. We can't let the relationship sour. Buying a meal is better than dealing with a complaint later," Liu Banxia said.

Xu Hui chuckled. This is a good deal. However, as long as they could cure the child, even if there had been some unpleasantness, the patient's family would usually be left with nothing but gratitude.

"Doctor Liang, here's my card. You guys go eat first, and bring back three meals for us. Make sure to get extra rice and food for my portion, or it won't be enough," Liu Banxia said, handing his card over.

"Alright, I'll bring your food over first, then I'll go eat," Liang Xiaolin nodded.

"How are you feeling? A bit better?" Liu Banxia asked, approaching the young patient's bedside.

The little boy nodded obediently, a smile finally appearing on his face.

"Doctor, thank you so, so much," the child's father said, his face lit up with a beaming smile.

"Please, don't mention it. It's our job. However, you still need to pay close attention to his passing of gas and bowel movements. Keep a close watch on him," Liu Banxia advised.

"If the child passes gas and the pain doesn't return after some time, then he should basically be fine. If it does return, we'll have to continue investigating."

"Illnesses, you know, sometimes they're really not that simple. Even though we're doctors, symptoms can be incredibly varied, and sometimes we genuinely can't make a quick diagnosis."

The child's father nodded. At this point, he had no other thoughts; all that mattered was that his son was no longer in pain.

"Doctor Liu, is that patient looking for you?" Xu Hui nudged Liu Banxia.

Liu Banxia turned and saw Tang Feifei, heavily bundled up.

"How did it go? Is your friend's surgery done?" Liu Banxia asked.

Tang Feifei nodded quickly. "Doctor Liu, thank you so much. Director Hu even said that if we had delayed a few more days and the infection in other areas had worsened, she would have been in great danger."

"So, you should really talk to your friend. If possible, it's best not to have any more prosthetics implanted. Or, you could ask Director Hu to put some more thought into it and see if there are other solutions," Liu Banxia said.

"Director Hu said we need to see how she recovers first. For now, the priority is to manage any potential scarring from the infection. Everything else will have to be addressed later," Tang Feifei said, shaking her head.

"Give her more encouragement. She shouldn't risk her health like this just for acting. Although the entertainment industry is tough to navigate, those with real talent will eventually get opportunities. Besides, she has you, doesn't she? You can give her a bit of a boost too, can't you?" Liu Banxia said with a smile.

Tang Feifei glanced at him, a flicker of doubt in her eyes. Did he search for information about me? Probably not.

"By the way, you can order meals directly from the cafeteria," Liu Banxia added.

"Doctor, Doctor, it's starting to hurt again!"

Before Liu Banxia could say more, the child's father cried out again.

Liu Banxia no longer had time for Tang Feifei; he hurried over to the child.

"I just listened; the bowel sounds are indeed very frequent. However, the child also just passed some gas, so this renewed pain might not be strongly related to gas accumulation," Xu Hui said after using his stethoscope.

Liu Banxia's brow furrowed deeply.

「DING! Abdominal Pain of Unknown Origin.

Open Mission: The cause of the child's abdominal pain is unknown, and his condition is worsening. The Host must urgently identify the cause of the illness. Rewards will be issued based on the results of the diagnosis and treatment.」