I Can Talk to the Internal Organs-Chapter 46 - 41: No Treatment for Nonbelievers

Yang Chun’s eyes darted awkwardly, and he stammered, unable to give a coherent explanation.

Lu Jiu’s smile gradually faded, and he looked at Yang Chun calmly, "Didn’t take them?"

Yang Chun couldn’t meet Lu Jiu’s gaze. After all, he was the one who had stopped his mother from taking the medicine, and now being questioned by the doctor, he naturally felt a lack of confidence.

Seeing Yang Chun’s reaction, Lu Jiu understood that not answering was itself an answer.

"Then I’m sorry, I don’t treat those who don’t follow medical advice. You’ll have to find someone else," Lu Jiu said.

Hearing this, Yang Chun became anxious immediately, "No, no, Dr. Lu, it was me, I was the one who stopped my mom from taking the medicine, honestly, the responsibility is all mine. After taking the medicine, my mom felt nauseous and vomited, and I thought it was because the medicine triggered her stomach issues again, so I stopped her from taking it. How was I to know..."

Lu Jiu waved his hand, interrupting him, "You don’t need to explain to me, it’s unnecessary. I didn’t mean to blame you. Since Auntie has been hospitalized, you should let the doctors there handle it. You’ve come to the wrong place with me."

Yang Chun pleaded, "Dr. Lu, please, help me. I don’t want my mom to have surgery."

Lu Jiu asked curiously, "You’ve already been to the hospital; why are you so against the surgery?"

Yang Chun frowned, "The chief there said my mom’s condition doesn’t yet qualify for surgery, and even if she goes through gallbladder removal, her digestive function will decrease, so she’ll have to watch her diet carefully, and even a small mistake could lead to gastritis."

Isn’t that obvious?

The gallbladder’s been removed, but the liver will still secrete bile. Previously, due to the stones, only part of the bile overflowed and reversed into the stomach.

Now that you’ve removed the gallbladder, where will all the bile stay?

Originally, the liver and gallbladder were brothers that supported each other, one being yin wood, the other yang wood. At night, the gallbladder supports the liver by nurturing yang, and the liver secretes bile to nourish the gallbladder. If you remove the yang wood, then the yin wood must bear more, increasing the liver’s burden.

Modern medicine acknowledges this and also points out that after gallbladder removal, foods high in oil, fat, sweets, and artificial butter, which are hard to digest, should be avoided.

Why?

When the gallbladder was present, these things would reach the duodenum, and the gallbladder would control the bile to aid digestion. Once the gallbladder is gone, the bile becomes like scattered troops without a commander; its original function can’t be carried out and might even cause damage.

The weakened digestion, coupled with the stomach still struggling, and the addition of foods that the Spleen and Stomach can’t digest, definitely worsens matters; gastritis would just be the most basic issue, and over time, many strange diseases could develop.

Lu Jiu knew these things, but he wouldn’t actively tell someone who didn’t trust him. Often, when a person’s understanding is fixed, whatever you say will seem wrong.

This has nothing to do with knowledge, only with arrogance and prejudice.

"There’s no way around it, it’s already come to this. Whether you want the surgery or not, it has to be done. Gallstones are not something the average person can endure, and the cost isn’t high, right? If I remember correctly, it’s about ten or twenty thousand, and insurance should cover a lot," Lu Jiu said.

In the hospital, this surgery isn’t considered expensive, and with insurance reimbursement, it might cost just a few thousand.

Yang Chun shook his head, "It’s not about the money. I’d spend any amount if it could cure her, but... Dr. Lu, please help me. I’ll pay you whatever you want as long as you can cure my mom."

Cure her?

That’s quite a tall order.

It’s really putting Lu Jiu in a difficult position.

What if he agrees and then can’t cure her?

The hospital can take that risk because the surgery is documented, and as long as the procedure is fine, any postoperative discomfort isn’t legally their responsibility.

But Lu Jiu can’t do that.

He’s just one doctor in a small clinic, and if he guarantees a cure and fails, just being dragged to court would be enough to make him unable to keep his practice running, regardless of the outcome.

"You really place a lot of faith in me, but I do have to pour cold water on that; I can’t cure Auntie’s illness," Lu Jiu said.

While Lu Jiu’s behavior at the moment seems to contradict the noble spirit of a great doctor, books are dead, and people are alive. If you act recklessly without considering the context and end up harming yourself, that’s not being a saint; it’s foolish.

This is a common flaw in many modern TV dramas that portray doctors, often having them make decisions beyond their capabilities and then having to bear the consequences of those decisions, which results in chaos.

So much so that in today’s society, not sacrificing everything to save lives has become a shameful act for a doctor.

Initially, Aunt Huang had a solid gallbladder, and Lu Jiu prescribed according to this, but he hadn’t treated such a patient before. He wasn’t entirely sure if the Five Metals Decoction could dissolve the stones.

In clinical practice, there have been plenty of cases where the remedy matched the symptoms, yet the efficacy wasn’t significant. Many difficult and complex diseases are initially treated with a trial prescription, and it’s the subsequent adjustment that’s critical.

Now that the hospital has confirmed the presence of stones, the situation is undoubtedly more severe than before, and Lu Jiu isn’t so arrogant as to promise a cure without even seeing the symptoms.

Having a system doesn’t mean losing one’s senses; Lu Jiu has a fair bit of self-awareness.

"Dr. Lu, you must have a way. The chief at the hospital, upon hearing you diagnosed my mom with gallstones just by taking her pulse, suggested I come to you if I wanted conservative treatment," Yang Chun said.

Lu Jiu could only smile wryly.

No wonder this person came rushing over; so that’s the story.

He had been puzzled earlier, but now it made sense.

"Does this chief understand traditional medicine?" Lu Jiu asked.

Yang Chun replied helplessly, "I suppose not, being a People’s Hospital doctor; they all practice Western medicine."

Lu Jiu said, "Since he doesn’t understand, why do you trust him more than me? Shouldn’t I know my own abilities better than anyone else?"

This...

Yang Chun became desperate, "But you could diagnose something that instruments didn’t detect. How could you not have a way?"

Lu Jiu laughed.

He shook his head and looked at Yang Chun earnestly, "You’re mistaken. Knowing and doing are two different things. I know because I’ve studied Chinese medicine for over twenty years, understanding how some diseases develop and progress, but doing requires me to treat and test if what I learned can be applied."

"In simpler terms, the knowledge of our ancestors has broadened my vision, but the skill to treat relies on personal clinical practice. I’ve never treated gallstones before, so I only knew Aunt Huang had it. Equally, I didn’t anticipate her condition would progress to a detectable level in just over a week; that’s my limitation."

"Therefore, I greatly appreciate the expectations you have of me, but previously I wasn’t even certain. Now that it can be examined with instruments, I’m all the more powerless. I apologize!"

Lu Jiu’s sincere response made Yang Chun quite upset.

When the hospital’s chief told him to try traditional medicine, he truly held great hope, but now, that hope was shattered.

"Dr. Lu, if, I mean if we had insisted on sticking to the medication earlier, would it have cured my mom’s illness?" Yang Chun’s eyes carried a hint of regret.

Lu Jiu understood what he meant and shook his head slightly, "Not necessarily, but it certainly wouldn’t have worsened so quickly."

Lu Jiu wasn’t sure if the stones could be dissolved, as everyone’s constitution is different, and the reaction after taking medicine would need another diagnosis to see. But Five Metals Decoction was the right prescription; even if it didn’t dissolve the stones, it wouldn’t have exacerbated the solid gallbladder problem.

"Was there really no way within a week?" Yang Chun asked.

Lu Jiu looked at him, smiling without saying a word.

"Alright, thanks, Dr. Lu, I’m leaving." Yang Chun sighed and turned to go.

"Take care," Lu Jiu said.

This person kept mentioning what the chief said, with his trust entirely stemming from others, which made Lu Jiu all the more reluctant to treat such a person’s family.

If any reaction occurred during the medication process, and he went to consult someone else, listened to others, and interfered with the treatment, it would cause more trouble.

Thus, in Chinese medicine, those who don’t believe are not treated.

As Yang Chun stepped down, Qiao Ling walked past him with a girl around her age and entered the clinic together.

"Dr. Lu, I’ve come to give you business." Qiao Ling laughed as she entered, dragging her good friend to sit in front of Lu Jiu.