Surgery Godfather
Chapter 1083 - 884: Director Tang’s Top Disciple

Chapter 1083: Chapter 884: Director Tang’s Top Disciple

Director Qian called Nong Zhiwen and said the hospital beds were extremely tight and it would still be a two or three-day wait, suggesting Nong Zhiwen bring his father’s medical records to Affiliated Hospital No. 4 to see him, he wanted to go over his father’s condition in detail with Nong Zhiwen and communicate some matters in advance, so that when the time came for hospitalization, surgery could proceed immediately, saving both time and expense to the greatest extent.

Therefore, Nong Zhiwen immediately went to see Director Qian with the documents, after all, both surgeries had been performed by Director Qian as the chief surgeon, and he knew his father’s condition best.

In the office of the General Surgery Department at Affiliated Hospital No. 4, Nong Zhiwen met with Director Qian, who courteously invited him to sit down and poured him a glass of water.

"Little Nong, just be a bit more patient, there should be a bed available in a couple of days. The current situation with your father is like this, the results of the past two surgeries have been very good," said Director Qian with deep concern.

"Thank you, Director Qian, follow-up exams didn’t show any signs of recurrence," replied Nong Zhiwen with gratitude.

After a pause, Director Qian said, "Hmm, as a malignant tumor, such surgical outcomes are extremely rare, we must cherish this. Therefore, this time, in addition to repairing the recurrent laryngeal nerve, what’s more important is to perform additional strengthening treatments for the tumor. Actually, the nerve repair is secondary, nerve symptoms don’t kill you, but strengthening the treatment for the tumor is absolutely vital, otherwise we risk losing all previous efforts."

"Director Qian, what do you mean?" Nong Zhiwen was not yet clear.

Director Qian paused before saying, "This time we still have to do targeted therapy, and the total cost will be quite high, quite possibly over fifty thousand. I don’t know how prepared you are for this?"

Over fifty thousand, and he had only prepared twenty thousand. Moreover, Director Fang from Sanbo Hospital had said it wouldn’t cost much, with the total fees only being a little over twenty thousand, and if medical insurance was taken into account, the out-of-pocket portion might not exceed ten thousand.

"Sanbo Hospital said around twenty thousand?" Nong Zhiwen said, struggling.

"Twenty thousand? Is that what they told you? That’s utterly irresponsible, really, utterly irresponsible! No wonder, they aren’t the ones doing the surgery. They’re simply helping you with the nerve repair, without even considering tumor treatment. Tumor treatment is the most important thing. If we don’t thoroughly and completely treat it, and it recurs, all our previous efforts would be in vain. It’s just perfunctory," said Director Qian angrily.

"How about this, considering your actual situation, we will try to find ways to save you money, and keep it around fifty thousand, how does that sound? Mainly because after the surgery, some targeted therapy medication is still needed for the best effect. You see, the effects are currently very good with no signs of recurrence, it’s better to use targeted therapy medication for a while. Although it’s a bit pricey, it can push the disease further out. Targeted medication is out-of-pocket and costs a good twenty to thirty thousand, which makes up the bulk of it. Your father has already spent so much, don’t skimp on this little amount of money, don’t be penny wise and pound foolish. Once it recurs, all our prior efforts will have been in vain. Consider this thoroughly," he said.

"Look at these abnormal signals here, no one can guarantee they’re not residual tumor, so it’s best to sweep over them again with targeted medication."

"That Sanbo Hospital, you absolutely can’t go back there. Where do you find such practice? They haven’t considered the patient’s condition at all, and what’s the use of a simple nerve repair? It’s a waste of money," Director Qian commented, pointing at the images on the viewing light, adopting an attitude that centered on the patient.

Nong Zhiwen was indeed in a tough spot. Director Qian was right, now was not the time to save money, but where could he come up with so much money so quickly? Since the medication was so important, not using it would be letting his father down, but he simply didn’t have the funds.

"Here’s what we’ll do, I have a friend in pharmaceutical sales, I’ll have a word with them to see if they can sell you the medication a bit cheaper, and at least save you ten thousand. But you cannot tell anyone about this because it’s irregular, I’m only doing this because I have no choice, I wouldn’t help just anybody like this," said Director Qian, clearly feeling troubled.

Nong Zhiwen felt deeply grateful at that moment, "Thank you, don’t worry, I definitely won’t talk about it," he said.

"Also, look here, there’s a small lesion on your father’s liver. Of course, it’s so small right now that it’s impossible to determine what it is through imaging studies. But, combining this with his medical history, I personally think we should address it. If it’s something bad, waiting until it causes issues will be too late. I always advocate destroying bad elements in their incipient stage. Of course, opinions on this issue vary among doctors. Most would find it a bother and suggest monitoring it, but I think, we as doctors should always consider the patients more and not shy away from the trouble," Director Qian said, pointing at the liver on the surface ultrasound report, which considered the possibility of a cyst.

"You see, the ultrasound considers it a cyst, but what does ’consider’ mean? It’s uncertain. What if it’s not just a cyst? You can’t gamble with these things. A few years ago, I had a patient with a similar situation. I suggested an early surgery to remove it, and frankly, after the surgery, there really weren’t any problems. But he listened to someone else who said it was just a cyst and not to worry. He chose not to have surgery, and two years later, upon examination, liver cancer, late stage, even divine intervention couldn’t have saved him," Director Qian explained.

After thinking it over, Nong Zhiwen realized that Director Qian might be right. No one could guarantee it was definitely a cyst.

"If we take an aggressive approach, it would be best to remove this lesion now to destroy it in the bud. Your father is only in his fifties, and the average life expectancy in China is nearing 77 years. Your father is just in his fifties, do you plan to give up just like that? Let’s be honest, you can earn this money back quickly, but a person’s health is priceless," Director Qian advised.