This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

As soon as the young man entered, he introduced the two people with him: his sister and his brother-in-law.

The brother-in-law seemed composed, though it was unclear if his gloomy expression stemmed from worry about his wife’s younger brother’s illness or some other displeasure.

The young man’s sister, however, was a picture of sorrow and anxiety, her concern for her brother etched plainly on her face.

”Doctor, my brother called me yesterday afternoon. I didn’t dare tell my parents, so I rushed to the Capital overnight,” the woman said. She looked very young, likely only a few years older than the young man.

Before she could utter more than a few words, her voice began to tremble. ”Doctor, is my brother’s illness really a spinal cord neuroglioma? Could the diagnosis be wrong?”

Du Heng wished he could tell her the diagnosis was mistaken, but the facts were clear. He could only say honestly, ”The Inspection Department has provided the check-up result, and based on my experience, there’s almost certainly no error.

However, just in case, I’ve already contacted the Directors of our hospital’s Neurosurgery Department and orthopedics for you.

We’ll take the records over now and ask them to take a look, alright?”

The young man’s sister immediately stood up, thanking him repeatedly and apologizing for the trouble.

Du Heng called Cao Binghe over, gave him some instructions, and then led the young man and his two companions toward the Neurosurgery Department.

On the way, Du Heng, worried the siblings might let their thoughts run wild, explained as they walked, ”Typically, for a neuroglial tumor, we consult the Neurosurgery Department. For a spinal glioma, either the Neurosurgery Department or a department like spinal surgery is also suitable.

Alternatively, going directly to the Oncology Department would also work.”

The young man’s sister hurriedly replied, ”We don’t understand these things, Doctor. You know much more than we do, so we’ll go by what you say.”

Hearing this, Du Heng felt a little awkward.

But this wasn’t the time to dwell on it, so he continued, ”Our hospital doesn’t have an Oncology Department or a specialized spinal surgery department, so I contacted orthopedics for you.

However, you can rest assured that our hospital’s orthopedics is very professional regarding spinal matters.”

As soon as Du Heng finished speaking, the response was the same as before: either ”thank you” or ”sorry for the trouble.”

The young man and his brother-in-law remained silent, not uttering a word. His sister, it seemed, could only repeat those phrases.

Seeing this, Du Heng said no more and led them directly to the Neurosurgery Department.

”Director Wen, I’m Du Heng from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Internal Medicine Department. I contacted you this morning.” Upon arriving at the Neurosurgery Department, a nurse led Du Heng directly to Director Wen.

Director Wen was quite young for a director at Good Friend Hospital, just over forty. He was mature and composed, and wore frameless glasses, giving him a refined and cultured appearance.

When Du Heng finished speaking, Director Wen warmly invited everyone into his office. ”Deputy Director Du, hello. I’ve reviewed the materials you sent this morning.

Your judgment is correct; it is a spinal cord neuroglioma.”

He then turned to his computer, pulled up the images Du Heng had sent that morning, and pointed to a spot. ”Look here, at the C5-T3 level. This is where a lesion has appeared in the spinal cord.”

Hearing Director Wen’s professional assessment, the color drained from the faces of both the young man and his sister, leaving them utterly pale.

Du Heng wasn’t surprised by their reaction and simply asked, ”Director Wen, in that case, what do you think the treatment should be now?”

At this, Director Wen’s expression became troubled. He glanced at the patient’s face, then at the patient’s sister, who had begun to weep, and finally, his gaze settled on Du Heng.

That look from Director Wen immediately gave Du Heng a bad feeling.

Just as I thought.

After a brief pause, Director Wen spoke, ”I’ve examined the location of the lesion and discussed it with my colleagues in our department. None of the suggestions we came up with are ideal.

The main issue is that this location is... extremely difficult to operate on. The surgical risk is very high.

Additionally, a spinal cord neuroglioma is very difficult to cure completely and is extremely prone to relapse. In my experience, it’s almost certain to recur within one to three years post-surgery.

Furthermore, the cost of such an operation is exorbitant.

In the end, it’s possible that...”

You lose both the patient and the money?

Director Wen didn’t elaborate, but the patient and his sister understood the unspoken implication perfectly.

Then, Director Wen looked at Du Heng seriously. ”Deputy Director Du, I’ve heard of your reputation. You’re a renowned expert when it comes to Treat Difficult and Complicated Diseases.

Moreover, you’ve taken over Professor Lan’s national-level project on Chinese Medicine Oncology. You must have some ideas, right?

Given the patient’s current condition, your traditional Chinese medicine might still be worth a try.”

When Director Wen said this, the young man and his sister immediately looked towards Du Heng.

Du Heng, however, felt a complex mix of emotions.

Give it a try?

Nowadays, traditional Chinese medicine—whether in Jinzhou, the Capital, or even at Good Friend Hospital, which was renowned for its TCM—was often seen as a last resort, something to ”give a try” when Western medicine had no more solutions.

Du Heng didn’t know Director Wen’s exact intention in saying this. However, prioritizing the patient’s well-being, he began to explain, ”Traditional Chinese medicine treatment is a conservative treatment.”