This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

So that's how it is.

No wonder his ascites recurred so quickly. No wonder his wife ran away back then.

Twenty years ago, Hepatitis A and B were infectious diseases so feared that people paled at their mere mention.

Among these inspection sheets, the oldest one was from five years ago. By that time, it was already liver cirrhosis, and it had progressed to stage three.

Du Heng looked through his medical records and found that Yang Yuansheng hadn't received proper treatment. Consequently, it was now completely out of control and had reached stage four.

"Yang Yuansheng, you were diagnosed five years ago. Why didn't you receive proper treatment at that time?"

"My son was in high school, and it was a busy time. He was a good student and was sure to get into university. I had to earn his tuition fees."

Du Heng was a bit puzzled. "You'd been driving a truck for over ten years by then, hadn't you saved any money?"

Hearing this question, Yang Yuansheng's eyes filled with anger and helplessness.

His expression changed several times, but in the end, he just sighed deeply and avoided the topic.

At this moment, Yang Wei, who was beside him, interjected, "President Du, the money Uncle Yuansheng saved was all taken by his daughter."

Du Heng turned his head. "What did she take it for?"

"I heard she got into some kind of wechat business, stockpiled a whole room full of goods. When she couldn't sell them, she just disappeared and never came back," Yang Wei said with some resentment, his emotions much more pronounced than when he had spoken at their house earlier.

Was he intentionally putting on a display for Yang Yuansheng, or did seeing Yang Yuansheng's current state genuinely make him empathetic? Du Heng wondered.

"It's been over three years," Yang Wei continued, "That girl is truly heartless. Forget coming back to see Uncle Yuansheng, she hasn't even made a single phone call. We don't even know if she's alive or dead."

Every family has its own troubles; it's just more apparent for those without money.

Du Heng didn't dwell on this issue but turned his attention back to Yang Yuansheng's illness.

The preliminary examination revealed Yang Yuansheng had a thick, swollen tongue coating with bruise marks on the left side, a manifestation of damp syndrome.

Upon examination, his pulse was classified as a slow pulse. However, both its wiry and slow characteristics are manifestations of cold syndrome. The wiry pulse is taut, straight, and long, indicating the Liver's Wood element is dominant and injuring the Earth element. A slow pulse, with only three beats per breath, indicates Yang deficiency, Yin excess, and coldness in the Qi and blood.

Du Heng's mind raced as he continued to leaf through Yang Yuansheng's inspection sheets.

Twenty years ago, Yang Yuansheng had Hepatitis A without jaundice. At that time, the attending doctor prescribed dozens of doses of Virgate Wormwood Decoction, but with minimal effect. After further examination, Yang Yuansheng's transaminase levels remained high, so the doctor added over sixty doses of aspidium and other bitter and cold medicinal herbs, treating him for another two months. During the treatment, Yang Yuansheng gradually experienced loss of appetite, abdominal distention, loose stools, fatigue, and drowsiness. After being transferred to another hospital for re-examination, he was also found to have Hepatitis B and was subsequently diagnosed with Chronic Prolonged Hepatitis A and B Mixed Hepatitis. It was around this time that Yang Yuansheng's wife ran off with another man, and he abandoned his treatment.

Du Heng sighed.

This all happened twenty years ago, and that was the end of it. If this had happened in recent years—the illness misdiagnosed, improperly treated, and the patient's condition worsened—the doctor and hospital would have been held accountable, and the matter wouldn't have ended so quietly.

Du Heng refocused on Yang Yuansheng's illness.

He blinked lightly. "Yang Yuansheng, do you drink alcohol every day?"

Yang Yuansheng sighed, a nostalgic look in his eyes. "I used to. I had to have a drink every night; otherwise, I couldn't sleep. But after I was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis five years ago, I stopped drinking."

Troublesome! This illness is similar to the atrophic gastritis I treated at the Provincial First Hospital a few days ago. If it's truly treated just as liver cirrhosis and ascites, it will be completely useless.

Considering all this, Du Heng's eyes narrowed slightly.

He already had a plan forming, but he needed to consider it carefully, especially the prescription.

"Yang Yuansheng," Du Heng began, "I have a basic understanding of your situation and a treatment plan in mind. My idea is for you to come with me to the Health Clinic. We can admit you for hospitalization so I can observe and treat you closely. What do you think?"

"I have no money."

"You don't need to pay. The Township Government and the Health Clinic will cover your expenses. You don't need to worry about that. Just cooperate fully with my treatment."

Seeing Yang Yuansheng still hesitating, Du Heng continued, "You can be admitted without any worries. You don't need to be concerned about the hospitalization costs, and our Health Clinic will also take care of your daily meals."

Yang Wei also chimed in, "Uncle Yuansheng, listen to Dean Du. Just go. Dean Du is very famous now; he's called the Divine Doctor in our township. If he says you should go, he must have a way to cure your illness."

After a moment of silence, Yang Yuansheng nodded in agreement. After struggling to his feet, he went into the house to pack some things for the hospital.

While Yang Yuansheng was packing, Du Heng called Wang Zhenzhen and asked the logistics staff to prepare a ward in the old clinic building, a separate room for Yang Yuansheng.

Yang Yuansheng currently had cirrhosis ascites, which was non-contagious.

However, he also had mixed Hepatitis A and B, the underlying cause of which was indeed infectious.

Besides, even if he weren't contagious, the feelings of other patients had to be considered.

Therefore, when admitting him, he had to be isolated from the currently hospitalized patients.

Yang Yuansheng's ascites made movement difficult, and he also dawdled over eating lunch. By the time Du Heng brought him and Yang Wei to the Health Clinic, it was already 2:00 p.m.

Although it took quite a bit of time, it gave the Health Clinic an opportunity to get the ward ready.

When they arrived, he could move in immediately.

Yu Haiting, having been informed, found Du Heng. Looking at Yang Yuansheng's inspection sheets and treatment records, his eyebrows knitted together tightly.

"Dean, this patient's liver cirrhosis is already in its final stages. Is there any point in admitting him for treatment?" Yu Haiting asked, looking at the inspection sheet in his hand. "At this point, a liver transplant would be the best option for him."

Du Heng shook his head. "A liver transplant? Do you think Yang Yuansheng can afford that right now?"

Yu Haiting fell silent for a moment. A liver transplant in Jinzhou costs about 400,000 yuan. Given Yang Yuansheng's current situation, he wouldn't even qualify for the matching process, let alone afford a transplant.

"Are there no other people in his family?" Yu Haiting asked.

"He has a son and a daughter. His son is at university in another city, and his daughter left home three years ago; there's been no news from her since."

Yu Haiting put down the papers in his hand. "Dean, what's your purpose in admitting him?"

"To cure him, of course."

Du Heng's statement left Yu Haiting utterly shocked.

Cirrhosis ascites can be treated. However, liver cirrhosis is an irreversible disease.

"Dean, do you mean you're going to treat the ascites?"

Du Heng looked up Yang Yuansheng's name on the system, began adding information, and replied to Yu Haiting, "Of course not. If we only treat the ascites, given Yang Yuansheng's current condition, it won't be long before it recurs. Therefore, to solve the problem of ascites, we must treat the root cause."