Surgery Godfather
Chapter 1135 - 908: Complicated and Difficult Diseases_2

Chapter 1135: Chapter 908: Complicated and Difficult Diseases_2

Why is the person who just woke up from anesthesia so lucid? Liang Fatty was completely bewildered.

"You say you won’t acknowledge it just like that? Who said you must sign off on using expensive drugs? You were not of sound mind during anesthesia, lacking the capacity for civil conduct. In order to save your life, we can make decisions on your behalf," Li Min said.

"Little Li? What do you mean?" Upon hearing this, the Elderly Director wondered if they indeed used any expensive drugs.

"Shall we talk back in the ward?"

"Explain the situation to me right now, what exactly happened?"

---

After returning to the ward, Li Min sat by the bed, keeping company with the Elderly Director.

The Elderly Director’s surgery was the first one, and Yang Ping also took time to come check on the Elderly Director. After confirming that everything was fine, Yang Ping returned to the operating room for another surgery.

Post-surgery, the Elderly Director felt a bit tired, and having not slept well for many days, he slept through until the evening. Upon awakening, he felt no significant pain and was very comfortable, a relaxation he had never experienced before. In the past, even when there wasn’t any pain, he still felt a lingering ache and numbness in some areas. In short, he was always uncomfortable and in distress, but he had built a high tolerance for pain and had grown used to it over the years.

The effect of the surgery was immediate, it was truly as if the root of the problem had been removed all of a sudden. Such comfort had never been felt for so many years. In truth, many illnesses can be effectively resolved by following the proper medical procedures. However, the majority of people do not follow standardized procedures, or they wait until their condition becomes severe before being forced into standardized medical treatments.

The Elderly Director was still concerned about the strength in his lower limbs and tried to move them. He could move them normally, and he asked Li Min to check the muscle strength, which was normal in the lower limbs.

After this series of checks, the Elderly Director finally confirmed he was not paralyzed. It seemed Little Li indeed had skills, capable of performing such spinal surgeries. He hadn’t made a mistake in sending him for further study. The only worry was, with such good skills, whether Little Li would leave for another job. With such abilities, would he stay in this remote place? After all, people aspire to reach higher places just as water flows to lower ground.

Nonetheless, Li Min was the young doctor who had stayed the longest in Guandu Town. It would also be nice for him to go to a better place in the future. Even the Elderly Director felt happy for Li Min’s potential opportunities.

"Elderly Director, let me tell you, Professor Yang is a world-class surgeon. Any doctor here, trained by Professor Yang, can stand on their own in any other hospital. The attending doctors here, if they go to other provincial hospitals, are definitely regarded as experts. Not to mention those with senior titles—their skills are recognized anywhere in the world," Li Min proudly said.

"That impressive? Who mentored you during your training here?"

The Elderly Director lay in bed, resting and chatting with Li Min.

"Didn’t I tell you over the phone? I’m very lucky, Professor Yang himself is my mentor. He’s very strict, which is why I’ve progressed so fast," Li Min shared about his training experience with the Elderly Director.

"I thought you were bragging. How could Professor Yang, such a prominent professor, personally mentor you?"

"Professor Yang is very kind. It was his suggestion to bring you here for treatment. I had asked him for a few days’ leave to go back home, and after he found out about the situation, he suggested bringing you over for treatment."

"Can I drink some water now?"

The Elderly Director wondered why the general anesthesia seemed so easygoing.

"Yes, you can. Your anesthesia was administered by Dr. Liang, who is very skilled. As long as it wasn’t abdominal surgery, his patients recover quickly from general anesthesia and can eat and drink normally. We’ll be able to eat lunch normally later," Li Min said as he brought over a cup of warm water. The Elderly Director took a few sips without feeling nauseous. The anesthetic skill was indeed impressive.

No wonder Li Min came here to learn and train. In such a short time, he was able to perform spinal surgeries, which even the head of orthopedics in a county hospital would need to deliberate over, let alone doctors from township hospitals.

"I’m a bit hungry! Can I eat now?" the Elderly Director asked.

"Yes!"

Just then, Yu Shuilian’s husband happened to bring two boxed meals for Li Min.

"Little Li, I’ve been in pain for so many years, how come I never realized it was this illness? I always thought it was a herniated lumbar disc. If I knew it was this condition, I wouldn’t have suffered for so many years. If word gets out around the region, wouldn’t it be embarrassing?" The boxed meals were placed on the table, and the Elderly Director’s puzzled eyes stared at the wall across from him.

"Little Li!"

The Elderly Director suddenly called out.

Li Min responded, thinking the Elderly Director was feeling discomfort.

"You need to have a political understanding of this situation. When you go back, you must never say that the doctors in the provincial city diagnosed it at a glance; instead, you should say that the illness was a complicated and difficult disease. After coming to the provincial city, the doctors, through several days of research and with a lot of effort from several expert professors, finally understood the disease. Or you could simply say it was a case of lumbar disc herniation, and the surgery performed was the removal of the nucleus pulposus between the lumbar discs," the Elderly Director said with a visibly worried expression.

Reputation, oh, reputation—it’s about a lifetime’s reputation. Working in Guandu Town for a lifetime, he earned the recognition and respect of the villagers. In their eyes, the Elderly Director was Hua Tuo reincarnated.

This matter was of great importance. If the villagers found out that the Elderly Director had misdiagnosed his own illness, where would he put his face?

Li Min watched the Elderly Director mulling over the situation and found it funny how concerned the old man was about saving face.

"No, when it’s time to get reimbursed, others will see the diagnosis on the medical records. I can only say it was a complicated and difficult disease," the Elderly Director continued to muse.

"Don’t worry. I’ll say it as you told me, and I’ll add that you personally worked with the experts from the provincial city to figure out the diagnosis. Without your direct involvement, it would have taken a lot more time to understand," as Li Min began opening his boxed meal.

"That won’t do; it’s too embarrassing."

"Okay, then I’ll just say the experts took several days."

"Actually, it’s fine to add that bit. It reflects a harmonious doctor-patient relationship, right?"

"Right, I’ll add that. Now you should eat your meal," Li Min said.

Being able to salvage the situation and save decades of reputation, the Elderly Director felt very happy and immediately began eating.

The Elderly Director was originally to retire at sixty, but in a remote mountain area like Guandu Town, no one wanted to stay, so the health bureau had to rehire the Elderly Director. Consequently, he continued serving as the acting director, a role he was happy with as he had worked there for years and had grown fond of the place.

In the reemployed position, he had been working for another ten years and was now over seventy years old.

The Elderly Director always had a good appetite, and now that the root cause of his back pain had been removed, he was in high spirits; after finishing a boxed meal, he still felt it wasn’t enough.

"Little Li, why is the portion size of your hospital’s boxed meals so small?" asked the Elderly Director.

Li Min looked at the empty boxed meal: "What? Still not full? I thought you just had surgery and wouldn’t have much of an appetite, so—"

"How could I be full with such a little amount of food? City folks just can’t compare; they eat so little," the Elderly Director said, somewhat dissatisfied.

"How about another one?"

"Bring another one then."

Li Min immediately phoned Yu Shuilian’s bakery to have another boxed meal sent over.

"Was the flavor of the dishes okay?"

"Indeed, the flavor was quite good."

After the meal, the Elderly Director began pondering the situation again. The key was how to spin the situation without any slips. He thought it best to come up with a formal draft during his hospital stay and then have Li Ming review it to make sure the young man was fully briefed.

"Little Li, your technique with the seal needle is really high-level. Teach me when you have time?"

At his age, the Elderly Director had no chance to learn surgery, but learning how to administer a seal needle was feasible, especially since it was very practical in grassroots hospitals for providing immediate pain relief.

"I know how to do it, and that’s enough. Once I finish my advanced studies and return, you just relax, drink tea, gossip, and enjoy your retirement. Why would you need to administer any seal needles? Your eyesight isn’t good and your hands aren’t steady. If the needle goes in askew or too deep, that could cause trouble. After all, the buttocks are full of blood vessels," Li Min said casually, as this was his usual bantering tone with the Elderly Director.

"You’re still holding back, huh?" the Elderly Director said, displeased.

"I’m telling the truth. When I return, do you think you’ll still be the director? I want to be the director! I’ve had my eye on your position for a long time," Li Min stated seriously.

The Elderly Director sighed, "If that’s the case, I’d be happy. I’ve mentioned it to the organization several times, but they always turned it down due to your experience. After this training period, you should perform a few surgeries to showcase your abilities, then they will have nothing to say, and I can truly retire."

Since Li Min had said as much, it suggested that the young man had no immediate plans to leave. That was both good and bad: good because the mountain area would have a competent doctor, but not so good because it made him feel that he owed something to Li Ming.