Practicing Medical Skills in a Small Clinic novel Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Chapter 17: An Extremely Bizarre Patient

It sounded a bit like an old blower moving.

Li Jingsheng was quite skilled in the diagnosis of pulmonary medicine; he could tell right away from the sound that this elderly woman’s lungs had some abnormalities.

"Young man, I feel a bit stuffy in my chest, and breathing is exhausting. Could you give me an IV drip?"

Many folks visit the clinic for treatment after catching a cold, and an IV drip would usually suffice.

Even for larger hospitals admitting patients, IV treatments are indispensable.

So, those without medical knowledge believe that infusions can cure all ailments.

As long as there’s any discomfort, they think of getting an IV.

"Auntie, did you catch a cold?"

Li Jingsheng never randomly administered IVs to patients due to the significant harm of antibiotic misuse, which he firmly opposed.

At the very least, he had to identify the cause of the illness before determining if IV treatment was necessary.

"I don’t know; it’s just that my chest feels stuffy like a heavy slab is pressing on it, breathing is laborious, and I’m a bit dizzy."

The elderly woman took advantage of the moment to sit down on a chair in front of the counter.

Her complexion looked somewhat pale.

Late at night, this elderly woman should be over 65, looking quite fierce, with more whites than blacks in her eyes, eerily staring at Li Jingsheng, which was rather unsettling.

Moreover, she spoke with a strange accent, which made Li Jingsheng’s back hairs stand on end.

"Stuffy chest, dizziness, labored breathing! Any other symptoms? Perhaps chest pain, headaches, or the like."

Li Jingsheng steadied himself and began to carefully diagnose the elderly woman.

A doctor’s heart is like parental love.

When encountering patients, seeking all means to relieve their pain is the most basic professional ethic.

"My chest occasionally hurts, but otherwise, there are no other symptoms."

The elderly woman pointed to the right side of her chest.

Li Jingsheng felt a bit relieved upon hearing the elderly woman mention pain on the right side of her chest.

If it were a stuffy chest, pain in the left chest, or abdominal pain, it would be enough to make a doctor nervous.

The left chest cavity primarily houses the heart and the left lung.

The elderly are prone to heart disease. For a small clinic like his, heart disease is a colossal burden, and he wouldn’t dare handle it.

The right chest primarily contains the right lung.

The elderly woman’s difficulty in breathing, chest stuffiness, irregular pain in the right chest very likely indicates lung abnormalities.

Such as the common pneumonia.

To be honest, relying on his entry-level pulmonary medicine diagnostic skills to diagnose such an elderly patient, he felt somewhat lacking in confidence.

Elderly patients typically have more underlying health problems, making recovery difficult, and misdiagnosis and accidents are more likely.

However, with this rare business opportunity late at night, if he could manage it, he could at least earn thirty or forty bucks.

He reckoned that the elderly woman likely had an infection or inflammation in the right lung; she definitely needed IVs.

And at the very least, she’d need IV treatment for over three days and a prescription for other medications. The profit would be quite considerable.

After quickly weighing options in his mind, he decided to measure the four basic vital signs for the elderly woman.

"Let me measure your temperature and listen to your heart and lung sounds."

Li Jingsheng walked up to the elderly woman with a specialized electronic ear thermometer, pointed it at her ear.

The display showed a temperature of 36.7 degrees, normal.

It’s necessary to explain here: clinically, measuring temperature under the armpit or in the rectum is the most accurate. Mercury thermometers haven’t been entirely phased out by electronic thermometers.

However, electronic thermometers are more convenient, hygienic, and time-saving, hence widely used in clinics and hospitals.

Li Jingsheng was momentarily stunned upon seeing the temperature reading.

Pneumonia would surely lead to a temperature rise, yet the normal temperature indicated that she likely didn’t have inflammation.

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