CHAPTER 362: 338 DETOXIFY AND DISCHARGE PUS

Wang Lili was quick and soon brought in the sanitary pad and phlegm pot.

Du Heng stepped back a few paces, leaving space for Wang Lili and the others to work.

However, his gaze remained fixed on Zhu Minyan. When he saw her throat bobbing more rapidly, he immediately alerted Wang Lili, who was still spreading the sanitary pad on the bed, and prepared to get the phlegm pot himself.

Wang Lili had a wealth of nursing experience. As Du Heng spoke, she had already moved Zhu Minyan’s head to the edge of the bed and grabbed the phlegm pot.

Immediately, sounds of retching filled the air.

This process lasted for about a minute, and during her vomiting, Zhu Minyan also regained consciousness.

After the vomiting ceased, Wang Lili helped her clean the residue from the corners of her mouth, and Zhu Minyan lay flat on the sick bed again.

This time, her expression was much more comfortable. Simultaneously, her breathing sounded much smoother, and she seemed considerably more relaxed.

Du Heng glanced at the vomit that was about to be taken away. Behind him, Yu Haiting and Wu Buwei also looked on curiously.

The phlegm was viscous and sticky, nearly filling half the phlegm pot.

Instantly, Wu Buwei gained a clearer understanding of the Benz of the house they had just administered.

Yu Haiting, on the other hand, was slightly dumbfounded.

I’m most concerned with the effects of radiation therapy or chemotherapy on the tumor itself—whether it has shrunk or spread. The literature I’ve read says nothing about vomiting phlegm after taking medicine, let alone this kind of viscous phlegm. And so much of it! One can only imagine how severe the patient’s chest tightness and shortness of breath were before this.

This once again refreshed his understanding of traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Chinese medicine treatment.

As Wang Lili carried the phlegm pot out to clean it, Du Heng was about to ask about Zhu Minyan’s condition when she spoke up directly, "Mother, I need to go to the toilet. Hurry, I can’t hold it in!"

At this moment, the girl seemed to have no regard for her dignity.

Du Heng and the others tactfully exited the hospital room and headed straight for the Dean’s office across the hall.

Before they could reach the Dean’s office, Zhu Minyan, assisted by her mother, came out and went to the nearby bathroom.

This can’t help but make one complain about the Health Clinic’s outdated facilities. The hospital rooms in the new building don’t have attached bathrooms, and there’s certainly no chance of private bathrooms in the old building. I want to make changes, but with limited funds, it can only remain an idea for now. Du Heng thought.

Du Heng, Yu Haiting, and Wu Buwei merely glanced at Zhu Minyan and her mother hurrying to the bathroom before entering the office directly.

As soon as they sat down, Wu Buwei asked, "Senior Brother, what exactly happened just now? Zhu Minyan was very uncomfortable at first and even fainted once, but after vomiting, she seems much more relaxed?"

Du Heng chuckled and said lightly, "A treatment reaction."

"Treatment reaction?" Wu Buwei echoed, unable to recall what kind of reaction this was for a moment.

But Yu Haiting beside him suddenly slapped his thigh. "Right! Why didn’t I think of that?"

Wu Buwei looked at Yu Haiting, puzzled. "Dr. Yu, what exactly is this reaction?"

Yu Haiting wore a chagrined expression. "You see, when we prescribe medicine to patients, we sometimes tell them they might experience certain ’adverse reactions’ when taking a particular medication and that they shouldn’t worry, as it’s normal. This is what traditional Chinese medicine practitioners call a ’treatment reaction,’ also commonly referred to as a ’healing crisis’ or ’adjustment reaction.’ Zhu Minyan’s tumor is a malignant tumor, so her bodily functions must have been affected and altered by it. The medicine the Dean prescribed is aimed at readjusting her bodily functions, helping them become coordinated again. This readjustment process will inevitably be accompanied by various discomforts."

After Yu Haiting’s explanation, Wu Buwei understood. It’s just the body’s self-regulation, but it happened so quickly that the body couldn’t adapt. But does traditional Chinese medicine also have this concept?

"Senior Brother, does our traditional Chinese medicine also have this concept? How come I’ve never come across it?"

Du Heng glanced at Wu Buwei. "Several books mention treatment reactions; even the ’Treatise on Febrile Diseases’ has many passages on it. Buwei, I recall asking you to specifically study the ’Treatise on Febrile Diseases’ for a period, didn’t I?"

Wu Buwei looked slightly embarrassed. This is the consequence of not reading carefully. The information was right there in the book, and I even skimmed through it, but it was like reading without understanding—as good as not reading at all.

Yu Haiting chuckled and interjected, changing the subject, "Dean, what’s the plan for Zhu Minyan’s condition now?"

Du Heng smiled at Wu Buwei, then continued along Yu Haiting’s line of questioning. "Let’s ask about her bowel movements later. If she can achieve both vomiting and diarrhea, that would be the best-case scenario. Afterward, we just need to continue detoxification and draining pus, soften the tumor, and focus on supporting right qi and removing tumors."

He paused briefly. "But let’s wait and ask her how she feels first, to see her specific condition."

Then, he turned to Wu Buwei. "It’s about time for Zhu Fanzhong to take his medicine. Go check on him."

Wu Buwei nodded and turned to head upstairs towards the front building.

「A short while later」

After Zhu Minyan returned to her hospital room, Du Heng and Yu Haiting waited another two minutes before getting up and going to her hospital room again.

Looking at Zhu Minyan, who seemed much more relaxed than before, Du Heng asked, "I forgot to ask earlier, did you happen to see what your stool looked like?"

Zhu Minyan, slightly shy, replied in a small voice, "It was very loose, like mud, and there was pus and blood in it."

Du Heng nodded. The dosage of my house might have been a bit strong, but the effect is undeniably good. So, the key is that her body can withstand it, and the medicine is effective; she should recover more quickly.

"How do you feel now compared to this morning?"

Zhu Minyan didn’t answer hastily. She quietly assessed her body’s condition before saying, "My chest tightness has eased, and breathing feels a little bit easier."

"Continue taking the medicine for the next two days. If you feel like spitting phlegm, go ahead and spit it out; don’t hold it in. And when you go to the bathroom, don’t worry if there’s pus and blood in your stool. That’s your body undergoing normal detoxification, understand?"

Zhu Minyan nodded. Her mother, beside her, also nodded, her hand tightly gripping her daughter’s, unwilling to let go for even a moment. I was so terrified just now.

Seeing Zhu Minyan looked a bit fatigued, Du Heng and Yu Haiting didn’t say much more. After another reminder, they left the hospital room.

Zhu Minyan’s feedback is very good, but the detoxification and pus draining will take a few days. So, I’ll set this aside for now and focus all my efforts on treating Zhu Fanzhong. Du Heng decided.

Returning to Zhu Fanzhong’s hospital room, they saw he was awake and drinking his medicine by himself. However, his slightly dazed and pained expression indicated that the pain hadn’t subsided at all.

"Has his temperature come down?" Du Heng asked as he entered the hospital room.

"38.6°C, it’s down a little," Wu Buwei replied softly.

Du Heng went to Zhu Fanzhong’s side. After Zhu Fanzhong finished his medicine and lay down again, Du Heng performed a check-up but found no significant changes.

"Has he had a bowel movement?"

"No," Zhu Fanmin replied this time.

"You need to tell me when he does; I need to adjust his medication." Du Heng then gestured for Zhu Fanmin to step outside and said softly, "Zhu Minyan has also finished her medicine, and the effects are very good. You don’t need to worry on that front. Just focus on taking care of Zhu Fanzhong. It’s best if you don’t go downstairs, so your sister-in-law doesn’t see you. I’ll have our nurses bring your food up. If you need anything else, just ask one of our doctors or nurses."

For the rest of the time, Du Heng oversaw Zhu Fanzhong taking his medicine every two hours, not missing a single dose.

By the time work ended in the afternoon, Zhu Fanzhong’s temperature had dropped to 37.7°C, but he still hadn’t had a bowel movement.

This made Du Heng anxious. His treatment approach for Zhu Fanzhong was the same as for Zhu Minyan: detoxification and draining pus. However, while Zhu Minyan was experiencing vomiting and diarrhea, indicating the start of detoxification, Zhu Fanzhong showed no reaction at all.

Peritonitis... if the abdominal cavity isn’t cleaned out properly, it will lead to inflammation and infection. If that happens, a laparotomy will be inevitable.

In this situation, Du Heng didn’t dare to go home and decided to stay by Zhu Fanzhong’s side.

If Zhu Fanzhong still hasn’t had a bowel movement by the critical time, I’ll have to increase the dosage of mirabilite.

Fortunately, good news finally arrived at seven in the evening: Zhu Fanzhong had a bowel movement—a massive one.

Du Heng was thrilled and immediately removed mirabilite from the house, continuing the two-hourly feeding schedule.

This continued all night without stopping.

「The next morning」

Everyone gathered around Zhu Fanzhong’s bed again, eager to know the outcome.

Du Heng, having been up almost the entire night, was somewhat groggy, so he handed the task of the check-up to Yu Haiting.

Yu Haiting took the thermometer from the nurse, reconfirmed the reading, and announced, "Temperature is 36.6°C. It’s back to normal."

With that, he put on gloves and began to gently palpate Zhu Fanzhong’s abdomen, asking, "Does your stomach still hurt here?"

Zhu Fanzhong frowned slightly. "A little, but not as much as yesterday."

Yu Haiting pressed systematically from top to bottom, left to right. The feedback was consistently that the pain had lessened; in fact, without significant pressure, Zhu Fanzhong barely felt any pain.

Finally, Yu Haiting placed his hand on the most critical location—the appendix area in the lower right abdomen. After a gentle press, he asked, "Does it hurt?"

"It hurts, but it’s bearable."

Yu Haiting removed his hand and looked back at Du Heng. "Dean, the patient’s fever has subsided. The pain in the appendix area and the diffuse abdominal pain have both lessened. Should we continue with the previous house today?"

This patient no longer needs surgery or abdominal irrigation. Yu Haiting knew in his heart.

The three newcomers from the Chinese Medicine Department following behind them stared with wide eyes.

They weren’t ignorant of Western medicine; they knew what a normal temperature signified—no infection or inflammation. Reduced pain meant the patient was improving.

It turns out that conditions everyone assumed required surgical treatment can actually be managed conservatively with traditional Chinese medicine. And the results are faster, with less harm! Suddenly, it feels like the years we spent studying traditional Chinese medicine were either a waste or we learned it the wrong way. The traditional Chinese medicine we learned seems to be completely different from what Dean Du has been using these past two days; it’s like they don’t even belong to the same theoretical system.