Chapter 257: 258 Don't smoke
As Du Heng's figure appeared at the entrance of Digestion Department 1, all the medical staff present silently fixed their gaze on him. For a moment, the bustle in the department corridor seemed to pause for a second.
However, the hallway quickly returned to its usual rhythm.
Inside the Reception Room, the patient was somewhat nervous but relatively composed.
Her daughter, on the other hand, was like an ant on a hot pan, anxiously eyeing the office door.
Why isn't he here yet? Why isn't he here yet?
Today, she had notified her Live broadcast room that her mother was undergoing a recheck. Consequently, the number of viewers was on the rise, about to match the previous record.
However, she had been sitting in this Reception Room for almost an hour, and the attending doctor had yet to arrive.
The audience in the Live broadcast room was growing impatient, rapidly typing on the public screen, urging the host to start the stream or threatening to leave if she continued to delay.
The girl panicked. She wanted to press Xu Pinglin to ask how much longer it would be before Doctor Du Heng arrived.
However, Xu Pinglin was nowhere to be found in the Reception Room. He couldn't attend to just one family; he had an entire department of patients to care for and was frequently called away by younger doctors.
The girl's anxiety flared, but there was nothing she could do.
As she paced restlessly, her gaze landed on Du Heng making his way down the hallway, led by the quick-witted young doctor from the other day, towards the Reception Room.
Today, the Reception Room was not swarming with onlookers; only Du Heng and that quick-witted young doctor were present.
Upon entering the Reception Room, Du Heng was the first to apologize, "I'm sorry for the wait."
The patient stood up and gave a slight smile, responding politely, "It's alright, Doctor Du. We understand that you have other patients. We can wait; it's no problem at all."
Her words were reassuring.
However, when Du Heng noticed the raised mobile phone for the second time, his brows furrowed. He immediately asked, "Ma'am, are you taking photos or live streaming?"
"Live streaming."
"Sorry, but today's treatment cannot be live-streamed. Please turn off your mobile phone, or please leave."
The girl hesitated. "Why?"
"Because your live stream has several issues. First, it infringes on the patient's privacy. Second, it might cause viewers to misunderstand my treatment process, potentially leading to negative impacts. Third, if someone watches your stream, attempts to follow my treatment plan, and suffers an unpredictable consequence due to using the wrong medicine or delaying their actual condition, who will be responsible? You or I?"
The girl looked at the number of viewers on her stream, her neck stiffening as she declared, "I'll be responsible!"
A twitch tugged at the corner of Du Heng's lips. "You'll take responsibility? Can you bear that responsibility? Do you even understand the consequences?"
He then turned to the patient and said, "She's your daughter, isn't she? Tell her to turn off her mobile phone. Otherwise, we can't proceed with the treatment today."
The patient opened her mouth to respond, but the girl interjected with obvious dissatisfaction, "Then why was it allowed last time? This isn't fair."
Fair? Du Heng thought. You're receiving medical treatment in a hospital, and you're talking about fairness because you can't live stream?
He almost laughed. "It was allowed previously because you all had caused a commotion, and I agreed in order not to agitate you further. Secondly, during the last stream, I only discussed the diagnosis and the purpose of the medication, not the specific medicine ingredients."
Still dissatisfied, the girl wanted to argue further, but before she could, the patient's expression changed abruptly. "Turn it off! Didn't you hear Doctor Du?"
Seeing her mother's stern gaze, the girl reluctantly turned off the live stream, her heart feeling as if it were bleeding.
Once the stream was off, she hesitated before asking, "Can I record a video then?"
Du Heng was clearly displeased. "No."
"Why?" The girl was even more unhappy now.
"Because by doing so, you are infringing on my privacy."
The patient noticed Du Heng's growing irritation and gave her daughter a stern look. "Go outside. Go outside now, quickly."
The girl was taken aback by her mother's harsh tone. After a glance at her mother, she could only walk out dejectedly.
Once outside, however, she started live streaming again.
The Reception Room's glass structure allowed viewers to see inside but not hear anything being said. Understanding this, Du Heng paid it no mind.
After the girl left, Du Heng turned his attention back to the patient. He began with a detailed observation before proceeding with the Check-up.
"Have you noticed any changes after taking the medicine this week?"
"There's a slight change. The feeling of bloating in my stomach has lessened quite a bit. I can even feel hungry now. But every time after eating, my stomach still feels a bit bloated."
While speaking, the patient continuously used her hands to gesture to Du Heng.
Du Heng not only listened but also carefully watched her gestures. Many people cannot accurately describe the exact location of their discomfort and end up misidentifying it. For example, they might complain of a stomachache but point to their liver area. Sometimes, they might say their abdomen hurts but clutch an area closer to their bladder. Thus, Du Heng always observed attentively when a patient indicated where they felt uncomfortable.
"What about your bowel movements? Have they improved?"
"I have a bowel movement approximately once every two days now, but the amount isn't large."
Du Heng frowned slightly. The recovery speed was a little slower than he had anticipated, not meeting his expectations.
While examining the woman's oral cavity earlier, a question had sprung to his mind. "Do you have a habit of smoking?"
"Yes, I've been smoking for many years. And recently, because of my health, I've been extremely restless and have been smoking a bit more."
Hearing this, Du Heng could only sigh helplessly. He also blamed himself for the oversight. During the last Check-up, because the patient was a woman, he hadn't considered that she might smoke. He hadn't expected such a thing to actually be the case.
With a soft sigh, Du Heng advised, "Quit smoking once you get back. No more."
The patient nodded, promising she would, but still asked, "May I ask why I can't smoke?"
Doctor Du explained, "Smoking constricts the blood vessels in the stomach. This affects the blood supply to the stomach wall cells, reducing gastric mucosal resistance. As a result, it can induce gastric conditions or even hinder recovery."
This time, he had been clear enough.
Seeing the patient nod again, Du Heng, just to be sure, added another warning, "Don't drink alcohol either."
"I haven't drunk any alcohol. Since my stomach started feeling uncomfortable, I haven't had any."
"That's good." Du Heng paused for a moment, then continued, "Your condition is progressing in a positive direction, which you yourself can feel. However, due to your smoking habit, the recovery effect is far from meeting my expectations. When you go back, continue with your medication, and we will conduct a follow-up Check-up in a week."
Du Heng then turned to the doctor who had accompanied him into the room and instructed, "Take this down: the patient's white, slightly greasy tongue coating is gradually clearing, indicating the dampness evil is reducing. However, the Spleen and Stomach's transformation and transportation function has not yet recovered. Therefore, the original prescription remains unchanged. Prescribe another seven doses, one dose per day, to be taken in three separate times."