Chapter 393: Chapter 198: This Isn’t a Tumor—It’s Actually Intestinal Intussusception

After the patient lay down, his face was still full of pain.

To be honest, such severe abdominal pain shouldn’t be brought to his small clinic; he should go to a big hospital.

At least, his clinic currently doesn’t have the capability to handle most abdominal pain conditions.

Even for a large hospital, something as minor as an appendicitis needing a small surgery can’t be resolved here.

Ms. Ou’s illness was cured here, and understandably, she believed Li Jingsheng’s medical skills weren’t inferior to those in major hospitals. Then, upon seeing her colleague’s husband fall ill and being neighbors, she made the introduction.

It was out of good intentions.

She simply didn’t understand the difference between a clinic and a hospital.

Now that the patient was here, whether or not Li Jingsheng could treat him, he definitely had to conduct an examination.

"Where does it hurt?"

Li Jingsheng began to observe the patient’s abdomen.

"It’s right around the belly button."

The patient pointed with his finger.

In the early stages of appendicitis, the pain is around the upper abdomen or near the belly button, then it shifts to the lower right abdomen after several hours.

The patient started having abdominal pain yesterday, and it’s been continuously painful until now, well over twenty-four hours. From experience, it shouldn’t be appendicitis.

"Has it always been painful here?"

Li Jingsheng was attempting to palpate the patient’s abdomen. Initially, his palpation was very gentle.

"Yes, it’s always been painful here! Ow... it hurts, it hurts, a bit lighter, please!"

The moment Li Jingsheng slightly pressed around the patient’s belly button, he immediately cried out in pain.

His face twisted in agony, with a layer of fine sweat on his forehead.

Li Jingsheng did not stop the palpation, but continued to press on other areas of the abdomen.

He recalled during his intern rotation in the colorectal surgery department when a senior resident performed a digital rectal exam on a patient, resulting in an anal fissure, and the hospital had to pay over ten thousand yuan in compensation.

Since then, he’s been extremely careful when examining patients.

"It hurts, it hurts!"

When Li Jingsheng pressed on the lower abdomen, the patient cried out in pain again.

However, this time the pain might not have been as intense.

Li Jingsheng’s expression turned serious because he felt a relatively large mass in the lower abdominal area.

"Have you urinated?"

He asked the patient, initially suspecting that the patient’s bladder was enlarged.

Sometimes the inability to urinate can lead to such a condition.

For example, the prostate, which is most prone to problems in middle-aged men, when problematic, can cause frequent urination, urgency, pain, urethral burning, incomplete voiding, difficulty urinating, and nocturia.

Many middle-aged people will find themselves having to get up at night to urinate two or three times, raising concerns about potential prostate issues.

This patient, currently in his fifties, is at the age where prostate problems are common.

Li Jingsheng recalled that during his rotation in pulmonary medicine, he feared encountering elderly men who needed catheterization.

Because their prostates were generally enlarged, making it very difficult to successfully insert a catheter.

This requires extremely high technical skill.

Moreover, because no anesthesia was used, the catheterization process was very painful for the patient.

If after a few failed attempts, the patient would start to curse in frustration.

If the patient couldn’t verbally express their complaints, the family members nearby would certainly voice their dissatisfaction.

Because generally, patients requiring catheterization aren’t in the best condition.

"I’ve urinated twice, but not too much!"

The patient replied.

"I can feel a mass in your lower abdomen. It might be due to bladder enlargement or intestinal issues. This isn’t a small problem, so I recommend going to a large hospital for treatment."

Li Jingsheng told the patient and his family.

Upon learning from the doctor about a mass in the abdomen, the family and the patient immediately became somewhat anxious.

"So, what exactly is my problem?"

The patient lay still.

It was apparent that he had a high level of trust in Sunshine Clinic and in Li Jingsheng. Perhaps wanting to understand his condition first, even if he went to a big hospital, he could have some idea in mind.

"Dr. Li, we know you are an exemplary and ethical doctor. Please tell us the truth. We are willing to pay for examination fees."

The patient’s wife also expressed her agreement.

With a mass in the abdomen, the family was very worried it might be a tumor. If it turned out to be a malignant tumor, the problem would be serious.

Ms. Ou was watching quietly from the side without speaking.

"If it’s just a regular checkup, I don’t charge here. But if you want to understand more about the condition, I suggest an X-ray here to check the abdominal picture. This can help clarify the nature of the mass. There’s a charge of one hundred yuan for the X-ray, but no film will be developed."

Li Jingsheng said to the family and patient.

"Certainly, please take an X-ray for my husband!"

The family’s financial situation appeared to be comfortable.

Perhaps similar to Ms. Ou’s, both families were well-off middle-class.

Spending a hundred yuan to get a general understanding of the ailment seemed very much worth it to them.

At this time, the big hospitals might have been closed for the day.

They might have to wait until the next day for effective treatment.

After the family scanned the code and paid one hundred yuan, Li Jingsheng took the patient into the medical room for an abdominal X-ray.

An ultrasound was not chosen.

For some diseases, an X-ray examination can provide more information and be more helpful for diagnosis.

After quite an effort, they managed to roughly figure it out.

The X-ray of the abdomen suggested a small amount of gas in the colon, but no gas was found in the small intestine.

The mass in the lower abdomen was soft, with clear boundaries, and coupled with the notable tenderness during abdominal palpation.

Li Jingsheng suspected even more that it was a mass formed due to bladder enlargement.