Chapter 243: Hope Rekindled in the Gastroenterology Ward

“Alright then! I’ve waited over a year—one more day won’t matter. Thank you for your help,” the woman nodded in agreement.

Finding the cause of her illness was the best news she’d received in a long time.

It restored her hope.

After enduring so much she could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Xiao Qiu, help get the patient back to her temporary bed. Everyone else, get back to your duties!”

Once Director Shang finished talking with the family he immediately had Qiu Chengyu help with chores.

In just two days Zhou Can had established himself as a reliable doctor in the Gastroenterology Department. Whether in Director Shang’s mind or Dr. Huang Xinggui’s eyes, no one dared to treat him as an ordinary trainee anymore.

Though Director Shang never said it out loud, his respect for Zhou Can showed in the little things.

“I need to coordinate the surgery. Zhou Can, can I leave this patient under your care?”

Zhou Can thought the attending doctor assignments were already set.

He didn’t expect to have another patient added to his roster.

“Sure! Handling four patients is no problem for me.” Zhou Can had now been assigned four patients in total.

It wasn’t exactly heavy, but it wasn’t light work either.

Overall, there weren’t any critical cases in the department. Even managing ten beds at once wouldn’t be too stressful, but the workload was still significant. Writing medical records, checking on patients, changing dressings, and doing rounds were enough to keep anyone on their toes.

He honestly couldn’t imagine what it was like at hospitals where a single trainee had to manage twenty or thirty beds.

Realistically, there’s no way one person could handle that safely.

The quality of care would drop sharply, and record-keeping would likely fall back on templates.

“By the way, do you have time now to discuss the lawyer at bed 79?” Zhou Can had already figured out the cause of her illness, but had been busy all afternoon with no chance to speak with Director Shang.

“Oh! Have you made major progress in diagnosing her?”

Director Shang was surprised and delighted.

This trainee really was something else. No wonder every department he rotated through wanted to keep him.

“After I first took over her case, I kept wondering how she developed cirrhosis. Then I noticed she sometimes had bouts of diarrhea…”

Zhou Can laid out his diagnostic reasoning.

“So, I suspect she has a portal vein thrombosis. If we do a splenic portal venography, we could confirm it!”

Ordering advanced tests was usually up to the attending physician.

As a resident in charge of a few beds, Zhou Can could only offer suggestions—not make decisions.

“If it really is that, her symptoms would be a lot more severe. Portal vein thrombosis usually progresses rapidly, and if the mesenteric vein is involved, patients often die within a short time. She’s described more than a month of abdominal discomfort, appetite loss, and fatigue. That’s far too mild for this condition.”

Director Shang didn’t agree with Zhou Can’s assessment.

Portal vein thrombosis is like a ferocious tiger, but the patient’s symptoms were as gentle as a lamb.

The contrast was just too stark.

“I thought about that too. But I suspect she might have a slowly developing portal vein thrombosis. In those cases, collateral circulation forms and the portal vein can even recanalize. Eventually it progresses to portal hypertension, but the onset is much milder and can last a long time.”

Zhou Can had already considered all this.

Multiple channels forming in the portal system after a thrombosis isn’t uncommon.

The human body is tougher than we often imagine.

It’s like a fortress, packed with alert systems and defenses.

When one part gets attacked, another picks up the slack. That keeps us from falling apart at the slightest problem.

Human beings have been around for at least 6.5 million years.

To survive this long and rise to the top of Earth’s food chain, humanity’s resilience is unmatched. Our biological defenses are nothing short of remarkable.

Most people just see the basics—a pair of eyes, a nose, a mouth.

Muscle under skin, organs behind the ribs and belly.

Obvious stuff—nothing fancy.

But in reality, every organ—even a single cell—is packed with mysteries science still hasn’t solved. For instance, everyone is born with proto-oncogenes as well as tumor-suppressor genes.

In other words, the potential for cancer is with us from birth.

But for most people, those tumor-suppressor genes keep things under control. When a rogue cell tries to mutate into cancer, it’s usually eliminated before it can start any trouble.

It’s a hundred percent precise—nothing slips through the cracks.

Only when someone’s tumor-suppressor genes fail or vanish does cancer become a real risk.

And even then, it’s just a risk—not a certainty.

It doesn’t guarantee someone will get sick.

The magic of the human body doesn’t stop at those genetic battles. Even our ordinary skin has incredible abilities we hardly notice.

Take touch—it’s far more complex than you’d think.

With your eyes closed, just by touching something, you know right away if it’s smooth, what it’s made of, if it’s hot or cold, how thick it is…

Even today’s cutting-edge tech can’t mimic the sensation our skin can detect.

Touch something hot and your brain sends a burning warning instantly.

You pull away fast and avoid the burn.

Touch a sharp object and pain makes you flinch, getting you to safety.

Our skin can do so much.

Besides its godlike sensitivity, it keeps out bacteria and viruses, holds in our body’s water, cools us down by sweating, or seals up when we’re cold.

In that sense, skin is like a built-in air conditioner.

There are just too many amazing organs in the body to count.

Some people reckon humans are descended from aliens.

No other creature on Earth is as complex or wondrous.

But Zhou Can thought humanity was tougher than any imagined alien.

At the current rate, conquering the solar system—or even the entire universe—is within reach.

In fact, we’re already stepping into the interstellar age.

We’re just at the very beginning.

Director Shang fell silent again after hearing Zhou Can’s thoughts.

After four or five minutes, he finally seemed to have sorted things out in his head.

“You make some good points. I’ll observe the patient a bit more, and if nothing new comes up, we’ll do as you suggest—order a venography.”

He still hesitated, though, unsure what to decide.

So he chose to wait one more night and see how things went.

Besides, there was no way to do the imaging today anyway.

Unless something drastic happened and imaging was needed urgently, it wasn’t realistic to call the intervention team in for an extra shift.

Zhou Can was just there to offer his suggestions. Whether Director Shang took them wasn’t up to him.

Doing his own work well was achievement enough.

He’d been working and studying in outpatient all afternoon, so he didn’t know how his three patients were holding up.

Before leaving, he’d handed their care over to Dr. Luo.

He was confident there wouldn’t be any major mistakes.

First, Zhou Can checked on the stomach cancer patient in bed 77—her vitals were stable.

“Dr. Zhou! You’re here!”

The patient looked at him with deep trust and gratitude.

To her, seeing Zhou Can enter the room was as warm as seeing family.

Honestly, all Zhou Can had done was buy her a meal.

“Has anything major changed in your condition? Any new pain?”

He asked gently.

“Nothing different from usual. My stomach was uncomfortable for a bit, but it’s much better now.”

Since her stomach cancer was still in the early stages, there was no unbearable pain yet.

But in late stages, the pain could be so severe it made people wish for death.

It could drive patients to despair.

It was simply too much pain to endure.

“Get plenty of rest. Once your mom arrives, focus on treatment. With early care, you’ve got a great chance to fully recover. Then you can start over and live strong—repay your mom well.”

He could only try using her family to reignite her will to fight.

Staying positive was key to fighting cancer.

“Thank you! I’m so lucky to have such a wonderful doctor!” Tears welled up as she spoke, her voice breaking.

Zhou Can sighed.

Such a good woman—hurt by a man who didn’t cherish her.

Next, he checked on the lawyer at bed 79.

Thankfully, her condition was stable too—no emergencies.

Zhou Can then headed to another room to check on the patient at bed 71.

This patient, with an esophagojejunostomy leak and anastomotic blockage, was still on IV nutrition.

He couldn’t even drink water, so he was surviving on infusions. Surgery was scheduled for tomorrow, so nothing to worry about just yet.

“Ahh… ahhh…”

Groans drifted over from bed 73.

When Zhou Can turned, he saw the couple almost performing a duet—one groaned, the other chimed in.

The patient’s pain was understandable: just out of pancreatic surgery and suffering from a Salmonella infection, no medication yet—he had to tough it out.

But now his wife, the stubborn elderly woman who ignored advice, was groaning too. What was going on?

Clearly, this wasn’t for attention. She was doubled over the bed, face twisted in pain and groaning nonstop. Her stomach had to hurt badly.

“What’s wrong?”

Zhou Can walked over with concern.

“Don’t mention it. I think it’s that chicken soup I drank with him. My stomach’s been hurting for a while—just keeps getting worse.”

She was shivering from the pain.

After Salmonella infection, symptoms sometimes appeared within twelve or so hours. If someone was stronger, or exposed to fewer bacteria, symptoms could take much longer.

But one thing’s sure—if infected, symptoms are only a matter of time.

“No Salmonella test?”

He asked.

“Not yet… We don’t earn much, so we just try to save where we can. I’ve always been healthy—figured I’d tough it out.”

She could barely finish her sentences from the pain.

She’d come to care for her husband after his surgery. Now, thanks to the contaminated soup she bought, both of them were sick—instantly, two patients.

But she was tough, determined to stay by her husband’s side, refusing to quit even while suffering.

All Zhou Can could do was sympathize, and feel a bit helpless.

She’d brought this on herself by ignoring advice.

Despite problems, she still wouldn’t listen, always hoping luck would save her.

Frankly, her bad luck had its reasons.

“Getting Salmonella isn’t just about being strong. If your symptoms get worse, I really suggest proper treatment. Otherwise, things could get severe—sepsis, typhoid, or more. Once it progresses, mortality is very high.”

He wasn’t trying to scare her—it was the truth.

Outcomes with this illness varied from person to person.

Some robust men succumbed rapidly to infection.

Yet some frail-seeming people could pull through.

It all depended on the body’s immune response. The third line of defense—whether T-helper cells could revive tons of weakened macrophages—was key.

That was crucial.

If the infection overwhelmed the system and the macrophages couldn’t rally, things got dangerous.

When enough cells were killed, gut tissue started dying.

Biologically, it wasn’t much different from leaving gangrenous tissue untreated.

The outlook was grim.

“I’ll think about it… Thank you!”

Nothing could budge her.

Her husband stayed in bed, absorbed in his own pain, ignoring what was happening.

Maybe he just didn’t want to get involved.

The truth is, people with similar attitudes usually end up together.

Zhou Can had done his duty as a doctor. If family wouldn’t listen, there was nothing more he could do.

Suddenly, the elderly woman’s face changed. She grabbed a half-used roll of tissue from the bedside, clutched her stomach, and rushed out.

Diarrhea is a classic symptom after Salmonella infection.

If she didn’t hurry, she’d risk an accident.

Zhou Can just shook his head and left the room.

It was the end of his shift. He’d hand everything off to the on-call doctor before heading home.

Most trainees were expected to work overtime. His situation was a bit special—no one scheduled him for extra shifts right now.

“Dr. Zhou, helping with my patients again?”

At that moment, Dr. Yu Xin hurried into the ward.

She seemed cheerful with a spring in her step—it looked like she’d be off early today.

Since getting to know Zhou Can, her frosty demeanor had melted.

Now she even greeted him first—a big change.

“I took another look. He’s improving—no more fever, and he looks a lot better. By tomorrow, his stomach pain and diarrhea should ease up.”

Zhou Can shared his thoughts with her.

“That’s great!”

She clearly trusted his opinion, smiling for once before quickly reverting to her usual serious expression.

Maybe smiling just wasn’t in her nature.

“He may be getting better, but his wife’s still not out of the woods. She was in a lot of pain when I arrived and had to go to the bathroom because of diarrhea. I advised her to get checked and start treatment, but she wouldn’t listen. If you see her, maybe try again. You never know.”

He tried urging her to keep an eye on the elderly woman too.

He really meant well, only wanting to help her.

“I’ve already tried. She won’t budge! Don’t worry, I’ll watch her closely on rounds. If her condition worsens, I’ll push for treatment—she might listen then.”

Yu Xin looked just as helpless at the mention of the stubborn woman.

“Alright. I’ll write up the records and hand off for the night. See you.”

He wasn’t going to dwell on it.

He still had plenty to do himself.

Back in the office, he finished the charts and prepared to head home.

Just as he was leaving, Director Shang stepped out of his office, looking annoyed.

“Director Shang, I’m heading out!”

“Okay. Stay safe on your way. Tomorrow morning we’ll do endoscopic surgery for the patient in bed 71. Once you arrive, make sure he’s ready.”

Director Shang was gentle in his instructions.

“No problem! By the way, will the patient with the brain parasites have her surgery tomorrow?”

Zhou Can asked without thinking.

“Probably not. I just called General Surgery and they said neurosurgery has to handle cranial operations. Then I called their department and asked for a joint treatment, but the nurse who answered just gave me the runaround. I was so frustrated.”

Director Shang sounded genuinely irritated—otherwise, he wouldn’t be sharing his gripes with the team.