The Enhanced Doctor-Chapter 620 Rapidly Thinning Patients

No matter what, the fact that the pregnant patient's surgery was successful was something to celebrate. As for the two dishes, it wasn't the cost they cared about, but who was treating.

It could be considered an unspoken rule prevalent among the medical staff in the emergency center. They really didn't care about the food; even a simple bun would be enough.

Qing Kewa was in high spirits at dinner today and had already won over the interns. As for the methods she used, Liu Banxia did not know.

Upon returning to the emergency center's lobby and relieving Shi Lei and his team to go to dinner, Liu Banxia began to ponder again.

Instructional work seems simple when following the rules. But producing results is crucial to gaining an edge in future competition.

There isn't much time left. From what he could see now, the only significant achievement he could strive for was attracting a batch of stellar interns for the Second Hospital and the Emergency Center.

"Teacher Liu, there's a patient who wants you to help with a diagnosis."

Liu Banxia, deep in thought, was approached by Miao Rui.

"Alright, let's go take a look." Liu Banxia nodded and walked with Miao Rui to the patient's bedside.

Glancing over the information displayed, the patient was a 22-year-old student from Binhai Institute of Technology, suffering from weakness, fever, and sweating.

"How long have you been feeling unwell?" Liu Banxia asked.

"I've been like this since the New Year. I initially thought it was a cold, but it didn't get any better. Dr. Liu, I've also been checked before. Don't be fooled by my flushed face; it's just the fever. I lost weight recently, so I want an HIV test," the patient responded.

"But your weight loss seems rather rapid, which is indeed a bit unusual. I see you're breathing through your mouth all the time; is it because breathing feels difficult?" Liu Banxia nodded.

The patient nodded. "I lost weight rapidly only during this period. I've been to two hospitals and had two HIV tests; both came back negative."

"I can continue testing, whether it's for HIV, routine blood tests, or blood biochemistry. There might be new changes. I just want to get better."

Liu Banxia nodded. "Considering your current symptoms, for safety reasons, it's best to redo all the tests you just mentioned."

"Additionally, we need to do a stool test to see if there are any parasites, as well as a lymphoma test. It could also be an autoimmune disease."

"Okay, that sounds good. I didn't do a stool test the last two times," the patient said happily.

"That's the plan, then. Miao Rui, please prepare the paperwork. I'll listen to his chest again, then proceed with the relevant tests." Liu Banxia nodded, but also gave Miao Rui a meaningful look.

Although the patient insisted that his HIV tests were negative, based on his physical condition, HIV could not be completely ruled out.

Therefore, protective measures should be taken when drawing blood. It's not discrimination, but prevention.

"Teacher Liu, do you think it could be a parasite?" Miao Rui asked after drawing the patient's blood.

"It's very possible, mainly because the patient's weight loss has been too rapid. The clothes he's wearing now seem to be ones he wore before, but they look one size too big on him," Liu Banxia responded.

"Personally, I lean towards lymphoma or intestinal parasites. These two diseases, in their acute phase, could indeed lead to rapid weight loss. His lungs seem fine from my auscultation; even pneumonia shouldn't make him lose weight this quickly."

"By the way, what did Qing Kewa use to win you guys over? Judging from her excitement, I can't help but feel you all must have promised to find a surgery for her in the next couple of days."

"No, there was no bribery," Miao Rui responded earnestly.

"Nonsense. That would be a terrible deal; I'd even look down on you for agreeing to it," Liu Banxia shot him a look.

"Err... She said she would cover our expenses if we ever visited her hometown," Miao Rui surrendered.

"That's more like it. Don't worry, her family is quite well-off," Liu Banxia said with a smile.

"But tell them to try and find her a standard appendectomy case. Don't ruin her confidence. The fact that she's so interested in this surgery is quite something."

Miao Rui nodded. "You can count on us."

"Alright, let's keep our focus on the patient we just saw. He seems pretty anxious. Plus, he mentioned taking two HIV tests, which suggests he might be dealing with rumors back at school," Liu Banxia said.

"At this point, I'm leaning towards him not having such a condition. If there were an outbreak among the students, an announcement would definitely have been made."

Miao Rui nodded his understanding.

After all, students interact a lot in their studies and daily lives. Although the transmission of AIDS is somewhat limited and rarely occurs under normal living conditions, what about roommates? They could be in serious danger. If an infectious condition did exist, given his current physical state, it must have been spreading for a significant period. Moreover, considering the rather liberal ideas held by many students these days, who knows how far it could have spread?

The young man's decision to seek medical help was also influenced by his two previous examinations. It's possible that as rumors spread, they became distorted.

However, as always, even if they made a certain judgment based on evidence and the patient's narrative, they still needed to carry out tests. One must prepare for the unexpected; if that "one in ten thousand" chance occurred, it would be a major incident.

The test results came back one by one. The complete blood count was normal, except for slightly elevated white blood cells. Blood biochemistry, fecal examination, and HIV tests were all normal.

The lymphoma test results would take a while longer. But based on the current situation, it could likely be ruled out. Otherwise, there would have been some indication in the blood work. Since the patient had lost so much weight, if lymphoma were the cause, it would undoubtedly be in stage three or four by now, with other symptoms present. Also, during the auscultation, Liu Banxia had palpated the lymph nodes but found no obvious enlargement.

DING! Task Issued: Patient with Rapid Weight Loss.

Open-ended Mission: The patient is distressed by his illness and has come seeking your renowned expertise. The Host must diagnose the condition. Rewards will be issued based on the diagnostic results.

"Let's get a chest X-ray to check on the status of his lungs," Liu Banxia suggested after some thought.

"Dr. Liu, are you suggesting that I have a lung disease? Is it lung cancer?" The patient suddenly became anxious.

Liu Banxia shook his head. "Based on my preliminary assessment, even if there is a lung condition, it's likely just ordinary inflammation. Your symptoms of fever and rapid breathing, though present, aren't overly severe."

"If there was a lung tumor putting pressure on your alveoli, breathing as freely as you are now would probably be difficult."

"Initially, I was more inclined toward intestinal parasites. Only such parasites, by preventing your intestines from absorbing nutrients, would cause such rapid weight loss."

"However, the fecal exam doesn't support that theory, so we need to prioritize his lungs now. We'll discuss next steps after reviewing their condition."

The patient nodded, feeling somewhat relieved.

This disease was truly troubling him. As Liu Banxia speculated, not only his classmates but even his roommates were "cautious" when interacting with him.

He had seen his own appearance and knew that his current condition resembled that of people with infectious diseases in movies. But he didn't have red eyes or a runny nose like them, and he had gone to the hospital for checks.

Even though he wanted to know his diagnosis as soon as possible, he didn't want it to be cancer. He knew that if it were, his future would be over; there would be nothing left for him.

"Brother Wang, have a look at the patient's case. I sent him for a chest X-ray to evaluate any lung inflammation," Liu Banxia said as he entered the internal medicine office.

Wang Huan smiled and nodded, picking up the relevant examination reports.

"His body temperature doesn't seem too high. Are there any symptoms of a cough?" Wang Huan asked after reviewing them.

Liu Banxia shook his head. "He only has some shortness of breath, so I didn't initially order an X-ray. Now that the fecal exam has ruled out intestinal parasites, I need to study his lungs thoroughly."

"If you were to say it's lymphoma, I didn't feel any spleen enlargement when I palpated him. The patient is extremely thin now. If it were due to a tumor, be it lymphoma or lung cancer, there would definitely be other symptoms."

"So, I think we can rule out lymphoma as well. Does that mean only pulmonary inflammation is left? The patient's medical history is a bit lengthy; his condition has been gradually worsening since after the New Year."

"Hmm... the deterioration is slow, indicating a chronic disease. It seems to have recently entered an acute phase, and that's the real concern."

Wang Huan nodded. "I also lean toward your judgment. The records show no family history of diabetes or hypertension, he doesn't smoke, and only drinks occasionally. It's indeed a tricky case."

"Exactly, and he specifically came to me. Even though he's very cooperative, I'm still having some trouble making a definitive diagnosis," Liu Banxia said.

"What kind of lung disease could cause a patient to lose weight so quickly, yet have relatively little effect on the respiratory system? Help me think this over."

"I also think parasites are more likely, particularly given his weight loss. If necessary, we could arrange two or three more fecal examinations. Perhaps the initial samples just happened not to contain any segments," Wang Huan suggested.

Liu Banxia nodded. "No matter what, we'll have to admit him today. Miao Rui, go tell Sister Li to find a vacant room."

Miao Rui nodded and, instead of making a phone call, ran directly to find Zhou Li.

He also sent a group message to his peers: "Another challenging case! Another excellent opportunity for learning."