CHAPTER 386: 358 MISSING JINZHOU

When he first saw this doctor, he was uneasy and skeptical. But after that round of examination and explanation, he now had great trust in Du Heng. It was all because Du Heng had been able to clarify the child’s problem, letting him know where the issue lay.

When they had undergone examinations at their local medical facilities, machines had been used, and they had consulted both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine practitioners. All they got were guesses; no one could explain why hair was growing in the gap between the child’s teeth.

Now that Du Heng understood his situation and, instead of prescribing medicine, had simply given him a prescription, how could he not be grateful?

The man left with his little boy.

However, Cao Binghe’s expression was somewhat serious.

Thinking Cao Binghe was upset about the earlier incident, Du Heng asked, "Dr. Cao, I didn’t mean to do that just now. Please don’t take offense."

Cao Binghe shook his head, then hesitated before asking, "Doctor Du, do you plan to maintain contact with this patient by phone?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

"And you plan to conduct the child’s subsequent treatment over the phone?"

"More or less. In any case, the child’s condition is already clear. A phone call to inquire about his recovery progress should be sufficient for proceeding to the next stage of treatment," Du Heng replied nonchalantly.

He had become adept at handling such situations during his time at the Provincial First Hospital.

Gu Ping, his assistant at the Provincial First Hospital, specifically handled such follow-up visits and subsequent treatments.

To avoid any unhappy incidents, the Provincial First Hospital had established a Remote Assistance Telephone Diagnosis System, which included video recording, archiving, and strengthening connections with local hospitals.

Initially, only Du Heng employed this method, as traditional Chinese medicine practitioners had an advantage. Fewer examinations were required; all they needed to know was the type of pulse and the patient’s current physical characteristics.

Then, with two traditional Chinese medicine practitioners at either end of a video call, a consultation was considered complete.

However, it was more difficult for Western medicine practitioners. Examinations from lower-level hospitals weren’t recognized by higher-level hospitals. Even if they were, who could accurately interpret films through a video feed?

Thus, video consultations were often just given lip service.

However, after Du Heng had been doing this for some time, many recognized its effectiveness. More and more practitioners joined in, significantly strengthening the professional guidance provided to local hospitals.

This led to significant improvements in both time management and efficiency.

Meanwhile, it also effectively addressed the challenge for patients with practical difficulties who were unable to visit Big Hospitals for treatment.

After hearing Du Heng’s explanation, Cao Binghe frowned and said, "Doctor Du, please refrain from doing this in the future."

Du Heng was puzzled. "Why?"

"The hospital has regulations: we are not allowed to issue prescriptions to patients if the medicine isn’t dispensed here."

Du Heng’s confusion deepened. He asked again, "Why?"

"There are three reasons. First, it affects the hospital’s revenue. Second, it takes up the doctor’s time. And third, uncontrollable situations might arise."

He didn’t specify what those "uncontrollable situations" were, believing Du Heng would understand.

Indeed, Du Heng understood. This was precisely why, during his time at the Provincial First Hospital, they had instituted video consultations with mandatory recording and archiving of services—to prevent such situations.

But the first two reasons Cao Binghe mentioned truly made Du Heng uncomfortable.

A hospital like this is still worried about money?

However, since he was on someone else’s turf, Du Heng decided to comply with their rules and not argue.

He had just arrived, and it wasn’t even noon yet, but Du Heng was already missing his days in Jinzhou.

Then he smiled gently and said, "Alright, I understand. I’ll be more careful in the future. Let’s call in the next patient."

Cao Binghe didn’t say much more. It was best that Du Heng was willing to listen and take heed.

If he wants to stay in the Capital and have a promising future, he can’t afford to make mistakes here.

However, when Cao Binghe opened the queuing system to call the next patient, he discovered only one person remained; everyone else had requested refunds and left.

Without a doubt, this person must have bought a scalped ticket and was reluctant to forfeit the fee by canceling.

Cao Binghe clicked on the patient’s name, and an announcement for the patient to enter the consultation room sounded outside.

Taking advantage of the moment, Cao Binghe said, "Doctor Du, this is the last one. We can rest after this."

Du Heng was momentarily stunned, then a smile spread across his face. "That’s perfect. I’m starving."

Just as he finished speaking, a man and a woman entered, both appearing to be in their fifties.

What truly caught Du Heng and Cao Binghe’s attention was the woman who entered.

If one had to describe her, "fat" would be the only word.

How fat? Du Heng estimated she was about 150 centimeters tall and weighed around 180 kilograms. She looked like a ball.

This wasn’t meant with any contempt or disdain, merely a straightforward description.

After glancing at the patient’s name and confirming it was the woman seeking treatment, Du Heng asked his usual opening question, "What seems to be the problem?"

The man helped the woman sit down, then retrieved a bag and took out several medical films. "Hello, Doctor. My wife was diagnosed with ’thyroid cancer with cervical metastasis’ by our local hospital. We heard that Professor Lan is exceptional at treating tumors, so we came hoping he could save her."

Du Heng reached out and took the films the man offered.

However, before he could examine the films, Du Heng was taken aback by the sound of phlegm rattling in the woman’s throat.

The rattling sound with each breath sounded disturbingly like a large saw cutting through wood—it was incredibly loud. Judging by the sound, there seemed to be an excessive amount of phlegm in her throat.

Du Heng glanced at the woman on the stool again, wondering whether the phlegm sound was due to her obesity or her illness.

While pondering, Du Heng held the films, checked the date, and saw they were from two days prior.

After he and Cao Binghe examined them, Du Heng knew the local doctors hadn’t misdiagnosed; it was indeed ’thyroid cancer with cervical metastasis’.

They put the films down. Du Heng, guided by the locations indicated on them, began to palpate the woman’s neck to find the lumps.

Soon, Du Heng located lumps on the left side of her neck. One was above the thyroid cartilage and another below it; both were the size of an apricot.

Searching the right side, he found another lump, this one the size of an egg. Moreover, this lump was hard and irregular, similar to the one Zhu Minyan had.

"You didn’t know about the lumps in her neck all this time? Why are you only getting them checked now?"

It was the man who answered, "We knew about the lump a long time ago, ever since we first got married. But we never took it seriously. It’s just that recently, the phlegm in her throat has increased, and it started affecting her breathing. Also, her eyes have become red, and she says they feel very dry and uncomfortable. Plus, she’s had a burning sensation in her chest and stomach, making it difficult to eat, so we finally went to the hospital."

These two were really something, Du Heng thought. A lump that had been there for thirty years, and they were only investigating it now.

"So why didn’t you seek treatment at your local hospital?"

The man sighed again. "They said my wife is too overweight, and the tumor has metastasized to her neck. They didn’t have a good way to treat it, so they advised us to come to the Capital and try our luck with Professor Lan."

Du Heng didn’t ask further questions and proceeded with the pulse diagnosis.

Deep, smooth, and firm.

Moreover, while taking her pulse, Du Heng noticed that the first joints of the woman’s right index and middle fingers were heavily stained yellow from nicotine.

Du Heng looked up at the woman. I wouldn’t have expected her to still dare to smoke, considering her weight, he thought. And judging by the yellowing, her smoking habit isn’t light.