The Enhanced Doctor-Chapter 691 Dizziness or fainting?

(Thanks to Reader 110316170415018, Dragon King Village, Reader 20190515114421010, Hell Tongue-Pulling Ghost, menglu, Playful Water Duck, davy_7191, Reader 110813135333134, songying_sy, and Reader 13665291615 for their encouragement with monthly tickets!)

Early the next morning, Liu Banxia tidied himself up. He would need to find time today to discuss matters with Jiang Tao; even if their relationship was usually very good, it was best to present concrete facts.

"You guys go eat first. There’s nothing much going on this morning; I’ll keep an eye on things here," Liu Banxia said after arriving at the Emergency Center.

"Actually, there isn’t much. Last night was pretty quiet," Wang Chao said, stretching.

"I’m mainly concerned about Big Brother Shi. He’s in the throes of a new romance right now, so his time is precious," Liu Banxia said with a teasing smile, looking at Shi Lei who had just walked in.

"You’re a real piece of work. Do you ever do your rounds properly? I’m always the one covering for you. When you have some free time, let’s try to get a day off together so we can grab a meal," Shi Lei said.

"Oh, Big Brother Shi! Sounds like it’s going well?" Wang Chao perked up immediately.

"It’s going pretty well. The main thing is she’s very understanding of me," Shi Lei said.

Liu Banxia gave a thumbs-up. "That’s fast! Seize the opportunity and seal the deal. Get your marriage certificate, have a baby quickly, and life will be perfect."

Shi Lei gave him a look of exasperation. "Who can match your speed with Qiaoqiao? But if that’s the case, what about your wedding?"

"Easy. We’ll just postpone it for another year. Once the baby’s born, we can have the wedding with the baby there," Liu Banxia said.

This time, it was Wang Chao who gave a thumbs-up. "Boss, your thinking is truly progressive. I’m impressed, really impressed."

"Impressive, my foot! I don’t have time right now. By the time I do have time, Qiaoqiao will be showing. What then? The wedding photos won’t even look good," Liu Banxia said with a sigh. "I don’t mind; she’s my wife. No matter how she looks in the photos, she’s still my wife. But Qiaoqiao won’t agree; she says she has to wear the most beautiful wedding dress."

"We didn’t expect this little life to arrive so quickly. But since it’s here, it’s a proper family member. Even though it can’t voice its own opinion yet, Qiaoqiao voted on its behalf. The final result was two to one; my proposal was rejected."

Shi Lei and Wang Chao couldn’t help but laugh. This family is going to have a lot of fun in the future, they thought.

"Alright, the only one left is Wang Chao, our resident tough case. You need to step up your game. Ma is a great girl. Dazhuang will be discharged in a couple of days to recover at home. What are you going to do then? You need to have some idea yourself," Liu Banxia said.

"How did I become a ’tough case’? I’m still very young!" Wang Chao retorted, unconvinced.

"Young, my foot! Let me tell you, if you don’t hurry, a few years will just fly by before you know it," Liu Banxia said. "By the way, the hospital’s approval for the fecal transplant center should come through today. Brother Hui is on duty today, right? You two should discuss it thoroughly and figure out what kind of diagnostic procedure to establish."

"Don’t worry. I video chat with them both for a bit every day. There’s no problem with that," Wang Chao nodded.

"That’s good. You guys go eat now. Come back early. If there’s nothing much going on, I can take a stroll over to the Proctology Department," Liu Banxia said. "I’ll be quite busy for the next while. I also need to coordinate with the other inpatient departments. Even if they don’t directly adopt our new training program, their assessments need to be more rigorous."

"Alright, we understand. We’ll go eat first, then you can get on with your work," Shi Lei nodded.

For Liu Banxia, as chief resident, doing this was technically slacking off. But both of them knew these last two months were crucial for Liu Banxia. Whether Liu Banxia could succeed or not, he first had to show the right attitude. Otherwise, with so many people working hard alongside him, what would be the point if he just acted like a slacker?

After Shi Lei and Wang Chao left, Liu Banxia reviewed his surgery schedule. Recently, the interns had been admitting these surgical patients. He was quite busy these days and rarely admitted patients himself. Even so, as the Emergency Center’s reputation grew, there was no shortage of surgeries, especially since many patients came specifically for minimally invasive procedures.

In our daily lives, appendicitis might seem like a rare occurrence. But in a hospital, it’s incredibly common, especially in hospitals with emergency departments, where it’s seen even more frequently.

As he was flipping through the records, the doors to the waiting hall opened, and paramedics pushed a gurney in. Liu Banxia quickly went over.

"The patient is 14 years old. He suddenly felt dizzy after breakfast, collapsed, and lost consciousness. We administered oxygen in the ambulance, and his vital signs have now stabilized. The nosebleed was from hitting the ground when he fell," the paramedic reported.

"Let’s get him to an examination bed first. Did the dizziness occur when he stood up suddenly?" Liu Banxia asked.

"No, he was about to leave for school. He felt dizzy after picking up his schoolbag and then he fell," the boy’s mother said.

"Doctor, please examine him thoroughly. I just feel like something isn’t right," the boy’s father added.

"Mom, Dad, I feel fine now. I’ve probably just been sleeping too little lately. You should both go to work," the boy on the gurney said.

"We need to take this kind of dizziness seriously. Did you feel anything specific before you got dizzy?" Liu Banxia asked.

The boy shook his head. "I didn’t feel anything at all, nor did I feel like the room was spinning. It was as if my legs suddenly gave out, and then I fell."

Liu Banxia frowned. He had the same gut feeling as the boy’s father; this wasn’t a simple minor issue. Normally, dizziness caused by common chronic conditions like anemia or hypoglycemia wouldn’t involve the legs giving out like that. Even if one felt their legs go weak with that type of dizziness, it usually wouldn’t lead to a loss of consciousness. Besides, the boy had just eaten breakfast, so hypoglycemia could be ruled out. The paramedics had clearly stated he only regained consciousness after being put in the ambulance. This indicated a relatively long period of unconsciousness, likely caused by some other underlying condition.

"Do you have any family history of conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease?" Liu Banxia asked once the boy was on the examination bed.

"No, our health check-ups always show we’re very healthy," the boy’s mother replied.

The boy’s father, however, seemed hesitant to speak.

"Has he felt any discomfort in other parts of his body recently?" Liu Banxia nodded and continued.

"He’s been having some headaches lately. The new semester started, and he’s been a bit stressed, worried his grades might drop," the boy’s mother said.

Liu Banxia took out his stethoscope and listened to the boy’s chest, but he didn’t detect any abnormal sounds. Next, he checked the boy’s blood pressure, which was indeed a bit low. However, considering the boy’s current state, this was somewhat expected. Anyone going through such an ordeal might show slightly abnormal blood pressure. It was something to note down, a question mark for now.

"His temperature is 37.5 degrees Celsius, a bit elevated. Has he felt unwell recently?" Liu Banxia asked after taking his temperature.

The boy shook his head. "I haven’t felt anything, really, just a bit low on energy. But it’s been like this before. I get this way when I study for long hours."

"Let’s start with a complete blood count. However, I still recommend a CT scan of his head," Liu Banxia said. "Based on what’s happened, the sudden loss of strength in your legs might be related to the nervous system. While leg discomfort can occur during growth spurts, it usually presents as pain or cramping. His vital signs are currently normal, aside from the slight fever. This doesn’t quite fit with common causes of dizziness, which makes me suspect a neurological issue."

"Of course, you can also wait for the blood test results before deciding on the CT scan. Just be aware that by then, more patients will have arrived, and there might be a delay."

This was a difficult situation. The boy was admitted after a fall. The parents thought it was dizziness, but he suspected it was syncope, possibly affecting the nervous system in his legs. However, the parents might not readily accept this explanation, so he needed to discuss the CT scan with them. If he just ordered it directly, the parents might misunderstand or have reservations, which could negatively affect the diagnostic process.

"Let’s do the CT scan. We’re here anyway. Yufen, take Jiajia’s ID card and go register him," the boy’s father said.

"Okay, I’ll go right now," the boy’s mother said, heading towards the registration counter.

"Alright, let’s get a blood sample from our young man here," Liu Banxia said to the nurse. Then he looked at the boy’s father. "You can step aside with me. He’s a big boy now; he’ll be fine giving blood without a parent right next to him."

"Jiajia, Dad’s just over here. The blood draw won’t hurt," the boy’s father said reassuringly.

"Dad, I’ve had blood tests during check-ups before. Don’t worry," the boy replied with a smile.

Only then did the father relax and step to the side with Liu Banxia.

"Did you want to tell me something earlier?" Liu Banxia asked, lowering his voice.

"Yes, there is. I’m not Jiajia’s biological father. Our family situation is a bit complicated, so I don’t know if there’s any family medical history on his biological father’s side," the man said. "Please, you must help us keep this confidential. Jiajia doesn’t know, and I’ve raised him as my own son. If he found out, it would be a heavy psychological burden for him."

Liu Banxia nodded. "Don’t worry, we will definitely keep this confidential."

He felt a wave of emotion. Asking about family history was just routine. This family’s emotional bond was strong, and it made him happy to see. Perhaps it was because he was also about to become a father, making him more sensitive to these things. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Now, the key was to determine if the boy had experienced simple dizziness or actual syncope. If it was syncope, as he suspected, identifying the underlying cause wouldn’t be easy.