Chapter 306: Missteps and Warnings in the Clinic

“That can’t be right! The child’s grandma never mentioned anything like that. We see her almost every day and I’ve never once noticed any injuries on her.” The man still couldn’t believe his child was ever hurt by a rusty sharp object.

That was all thanks to the trust he placed in his mother.

After all, it was his mom who watched over the child at home.

“Honey, call your mom and ask her! Doctors wouldn’t just make things up!”

His wife had started to urge him.

He trusted his mother, but with a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, there would always be some distance. It was already impressive that they usually got along just fine.

But now that something like this happened, she was bold enough to start doubting her mother-in-law.

After hesitating for a few seconds, he met his wife’s gaze, sighed, and finally pulled out his phone to make the call.

Meanwhile, the child was already critically ill.

The sooner they figured things out, the more it would help the doctor’s diagnosis.

“Mom, are you at home?”

……

“We’re at the hospital with Xiangxiang right now. I wanted to ask, has Xiangxiang been cut or poked by anything lately? The doctor asked us to check if she’s ever hurt herself on something rusty.”

He worried about upsetting his mom, so he added an explanation.

After two sentences, his face suddenly changed.

“Ah… so she really did get poked by a rusty bracket. Alright, got it. I have to get back to the doctor, so I’ll talk to you later! We won’t be home for lunch, so you don’t need to wait for us—just eat by yourself!”

You could tell the man was still young, maybe twenty-seven or twenty-eight, but he was clearly devoted to his mother.

Zhou Can had already heard everything clearly from the side—there was no need for him to repeat any of it.

He immediately started filling out a second set of tests.

“I’m initially suspecting sepsis, which is serious. Please go get a procalcitonin test. Once the result comes in, I’ll develop a treatment plan based on her condition.”

Seeing the little girl’s mother’s pale face, Zhou Can almost reminded the family to be more careful in the future and to make sure all sharp items like nails and knives are out of reach.

Same goes for adult medications like tranquilizers or blood pressure pills—keep them far from children’s hands.

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Kids are endlessly curious about the world, eager to explore everything.

In fact, the first sensory organ babies use to explore the world isn’t their hands, but their tongues. For all animals, eating is an instinct from the very moment they’re born.

When babies eat, the first thing they do is lick things to figure out the taste.

If it’s a flavor they like, then they’ll suck and swallow it down.

So, for humans, the tongue is actually the first tool for discovering the outside world—not the hands.

Hands and feet are used for crawling, especially early on.

Even as adults, our hands aren’t really for sensing the world—they’re mainly for grabbing and holding things.

Children under three have almost no sense of what’s safe. Anything they think is edible, they’ll instinctively try to eat. This little girl was lucky that all she had was a cut on her hand from a rusty sharp object.

At least it gave doctors a chance to try and save her.

Watching the parents rush out with their daughter for testing, Zhou Can was already planning out her next treatment steps in his mind.

Ordering a second test was just to confirm the diagnosis.

Honestly, based on his experience and medical knowledge, he was about eighty percent sure the girl had sepsis.

“Dr. Zhou looks so young, but I can’t believe how sharp his diagnoses are! That girl got cut by a rusty sharp object and even her parents didn’t know. Yet you figured it out just by looking at the bloodwork—so impressive! I’ve really learned something today!”

A woman with a sickly complexion but strikingly overweight sat across from Zhou Can’s desk.

Her gaze at Zhou Can was full of admiration.

It wasn’t just her; even the other patients and family members who’d gathered to watch were in awe of him.

Plus, with the news stories featuring him, his ‘expert’ image only continued to rise.

Still, this kind of reputation boost only went so far—its reach was small.

Only a handful of patients and family members here knew just how skilled he really was.

Becoming a renowned doctor takes real work.

Every journey starts off hard.

Every other famous doctor started this way, building up their reputation bit by bit, until they became truly respected medical experts.

Beyond treating patients, publishing research and academic papers also helps build a doctor’s reputation. There’s also applying for advanced titles and honors like senior physician, Outstanding Young Talent, Changjiang Scholar, or even the title of Academician—those have an even bigger impact.

Oddly enough, titles like ‘Professor’ and ‘Expert’ seem everywhere to people in the medical community.

Any senior physician who’s done well for themselves can typically get a professor title at a medical college.

“You’re flattering me! So what brings you in today—is something bothering you physically?”

Zhou Can looked the overweight woman over from head to toe before getting straight to the point.

Given her complexion, something had to be wrong.

After sitting down, she handed her registration slip to Zhou Can.

“I’ve just been having a burning sensation, no appetite, always nauseous, and it hurts a lot whenever I try to eat!” the woman listed her symptoms.

Zhou Can glanced at Deputy Director Shi at the next desk over.

From the woman’s symptoms, Zhou Can figured it had to be a digestive issue.

At the moment, Deputy Director Shi was absorbed in a patient’s test results, frowning deeply. That usually meant another tough case.

As long as Shi didn’t come over for help, Zhou Can would call it a good day.

If Zhou Can sent another patient over, Shi would likely be annoyed.

Steeling himself, Zhou Can reminded himself he’d already spent more than two months training in gastroenterology. He could easily handle most digestive problems. Even if it was a bit tricky, as long as it wasn’t a complete weak spot for him, he could usually figure it out.

“How long have these symptoms been going on?”

“Just over a month now!”

“Did they come on suddenly, or was it a gradual thing?”

“It started gradually, after I tried a special weight loss method I found online.”

She answered, looking down in embarrassment.

“What do you mean by special?”

Zhou Can pressed her for more details.

Weight loss methods on the internet are all over the place. Many are just fake products made up by shady vendors. Some non-professionals come up with their own thing—it might work for them, but it’s not for everyone.

Then there are the really outlandish ones, like the kinds only charlatans could invent after losing their minds.

Some tell you to avoid all grains, eating just enough water and low-calorie foods to barely survive.

Others are even more absurd, advocating for so-called ‘fasting therapy’ where you eat less and less until you’re basically living off air. That’s a trick stolen from Daoist monks—swallowing purple mist in the morning and clouds at dusk.

Any sane person would shrug all that off.

But there are always desperate people who fall for it. If someone says it works, they’ll try anything.

After torturing themselves, they nearly die and have to be carried to the hospital by family to be saved.

Zhou Can had seen plenty of similar cases in both gastroenterology and surgery.

Who knew which method this woman tried?

Judging from how weak and ill she looked, whatever she did, she went too far.

“I-I used a medical weight loss device called the ‘Fairy Tube’. When I bought it online, the customer service was great—the seller even got a medical expert to teach us how it worked, and promised there were none of those side effects you’d get with weight loss pills.”

She hesitated, then pulled a plastic bag from her purse. Inside was a shockingly thick clear plastic tube.

That tube looked to be over half a meter long.

Its inner diameter had to be at least as wide as a fifty-cent coin.

How could anyone lose weight with something that big?

“How do you use it? You don’t have to show me, just explain it.”

Zhou Can considered himself a professional, but he’d never heard of a plastic tube that helped you lose weight.

“After eating, I wait about half an hour, then put the tube in through my mouth down my esophagus all the way into my stomach. Then I lean over and drain out everything I just ate.”

She explained, gesturing as she spoke.

When he heard that, Zhou Can couldn’t help but cover his face with one hand. These days, anyone dared call themselves a medical expert.

When doctors perform a gastroscopy, they’re absolute professionals. Patients prep ahead of time—no food or water—and during the process, every precaution is taken.

The idea of a non-professional shoving such a thick plastic tube into their stomach was terrifying.

Did these crooked sellers not worry they’d cause a death?

People will do anything for money. As long as it doesn’t kill you on the spot, they’ll sell it. Pesticide residue or carcinogens—who cares? That’s the consumer’s problem.

“How many times have you used this tube?”

“Lost count honestly, maybe twenty or thirty times!”

“As your doctor, I have to be blunt: never use this method again. It’s so easy to injure the lining of your esophagus or the walls of your stomach. You could easily get a bacterial infection, or develop tracheitis or bronchitis. In severe cases, food might reflux into your windpipe—you could even choke to death.”

“Forcing yourself to vomit using extreme methods like this does huge damage to the body. The contents of your stomach are highly acidic and regurgitating them can severely burn your esophagus, airway, throat, even vocal cords.”

Zhou Can could only plead with her to stop.

Whether she’d actually listen was another story.

Doctors can’t control patients’ thinking or behavior. The best they can do is strongly advise them.

“Let me order two tests for you to see the condition of your esophagus and stomach. Based on your symptoms, I suspect both are already damaged. From how rough and hoarse your voice sounds, even your vocal cords might be hurt.”

Zhou Can filled out a request for her to schedule a gastroscopy.

“I just don’t get it. If she cares so much about her figure, why not control her diet or just exercise more?” Ji You watched the overweight woman leave and let out a deep sigh.

“Honestly, it’s just two things. She wants to indulge her appetite—sees good food and has to eat it. But at the same time, she can’t be bothered to exercise or move much. Yet she still wants a perfect figure. Who gets to have it all?”

Zhou Can saw right through it all.

Crooked sellers know exactly what their customers want—to indulge but still have a slim body.

Just then, the little boy who’d twisted his ankle came back with his X-ray.

“Dr. Zhou, here are the films. Can you take a look?”

The boy’s grandfather sat down with the child in his arms.

Taking the X-ray, Zhou Can saw a clear fracture line on the boy’s right navicular bone. The talus was fine on both the front and side images.

The boy had only a minor fracture.

That bruise on his foot and ankle didn’t matter much. He might feel pain for a while, but it would fade in a few days.

The body’s ability to heal and absorb localized blood clots is pretty impressive.

“His ankle’s really sprained bad. Look—the navicular bone’s already fractured.”

Zhou Can showed the film to the family.

In theory, the navicular, talus, and first and second cuneiform bones are all prone to fracture during a sprain.

But the navicular is the one that breaks most often.

That’s because of its location.

It’s an important bridge linking the heel and the toes. When you twist your ankle, this part takes the most force.

And almost all sprains twist outward.

When your foot lands and rolls outward, your body weight plus the unbalanced force often exceeds what the bone can take.

That’s when fractures happen.

Zhou Can had even seen some cases where the fracture shattered the bone entirely.

In those, there wasn’t even a way to fix it externally—it had to be surgically repaired.

And even with surgery, it’s hard to restore a patient’s athletic ability to what it was before.

“So… what can we do now? His mom and dad are divorced, dad works out of town, so it’s just me and his grandma looking after him. Doctor, you really have to help us!”

Grandpa hadn’t expected his grandson’s injury to be so serious and was instantly anxious.

Most families just want to break down and cry when they hear bad news like this.

Zhou Can had seen it all before.

“Don’t panic, I’ll put a plaster on him and do an external fixation. But you absolutely have to follow my instructions. Don’t let him do whatever he wants—if he doesn’t heal right, the risk of permanent disability is real.”

He did exaggerate a little to make his point.

Zhou Can’s intentions were good—he might seem strict, but he genuinely cared.

This boy’s parents were divorced. Dad worked away from home. Grandparents raised him. And, as you’d expect, grandparents often spoil their grandkids more than they should.

Now that Zhou Can had done the external fixation, if the boy messed around and took it off in a couple of days, it wouldn’t work.

That would ruin all the treatment.

And yes—he could be left disabled.

He could still walk, but he’d end up with a permanent limp.

“Absolutely, absolutely—we’ll do whatever you say!” Grandpa dipped his head, using respectful terms with Zhou Can. He glared at his grandson: “Did you hear what the doctor said? If you don’t listen this time, your leg could be crippled!”

He might have sounded harsh, but his eyes were full of love.

“I’ll be good, I promise!”

The boy answered instantly, though whether he’d really listen was another matter.

Zhou Can performed the external fixation for the fracture on the little boy.

In short, that meant putting his leg in a plaster cast.

When he was done, he checked it carefully. After about ten minutes, and confirming the bandage wasn’t too tight and blood flow was okay, he finally relaxed.

Putting on a cast might seem simple, but new doctors often get nervous—some wrap the bandage too tight, others too loose.

If it’s too loose, the bones won’t stay in place.

Too tight, and the patient could lose blood flow and end up with tissue death.

A big hospital like Tuyu rarely saw things go wrong, but Zhou Can had heard stories in Orthopedics—patients with broken feet went to small clinics for cheap casts, only to have blood flow cut off and their legs ruined.

By the time they got to Tuyu Hospital, all anyone could do was amputate to save their life.

Many procedures that look easy at big hospitals cause major accidents—or worse, even deaths—at small hospitals and clinics.

Big hospitals have experience and a three-level responsibility system.

Hard lessons are turned into protocols, passed down to each generation. That’s why things go wrong far less often in the big hospitals.

After reminding them about what to watch for, Zhou Can sent the grandfather and grandson on their way.

Patients came to see him one after another, though never in a big rush.

Others came back with their test results, looking for more advice.

A little over an hour later, the little girl who’d cut her hand on the rusty bracket was back from her procalcitonin test. Just as Zhou Can expected, her result was abnormally high.

She was almost certainly diagnosed with sepsis.

Since the child had barely any urine output, Zhou Can guessed her kidneys were definitely in trouble.

Now that the cause was clear, it was time to admit her to the hospital.

But first, they needed to check her kidney function.

A urine sample was crucial, but since the child couldn’t urinate, they gave her lots of water and managed to collect a small sample for testing.

If that didn’t work, doctors had other ways.

They could use a catheter.

If there still wasn’t any urine, it meant her bladder was empty and things were truly dire. At that point, they’d use CT or ultrasound to check her kidneys directly.

Patients with kidney failure sometimes show major kidney atrophy—almost nothing shows up on imaging.

Thankfully, this little girl hadn’t reached that stage.

After a whole series of tests, the official diagnosis for the girl was sepsis with acute kidney failure. Zhou Can admitted her for emergency treatment.

She was also his first patient to be admitted independently on his own clinic shift.