The Returning Doctor Wanted to Live Quietly - Chapter 360



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Episode 360. The Poison Miner (4)

On the way back to the ER where Jeongyeonsu was waiting.

Since it was quite a distance from the pathology lab, everyone walked briskly, and Dr. Christie followed suit.

Since it has come to this, I plan to at least see the patient’s face before I go.

I was tired because I left at dawn, but it also felt strange to just go back.

It is the fate of a research doctor to wrestle with papers, numbers, and specimens, but why isn’t it a little bit like that?

After walking like that for a long time.

Christie tilted her head in belated resignation.

“But don’t you like it too much?”

“Huh? What is it?”

“I know it’s not cancer.”

“yes.”

“Anyway, I have to cut out the lungs. Why do you like it so much?”

“ah…….”

“I’m not trying to pick a fight, I’m just genuinely curious. It’s just a little weird.”

It really wasn’t said in vain.

I said this because I thought it was really strange to see people walking by with bright smiles.

Although it is not cancer, surgery is unavoidable.

It wasn’t a situation that I could just enjoy.

“It’s Woo Sang-yeop.”

“But.”

“The right lobe is better than the left lobe. The upper lobe is better than the lower lobe. This is because the rate of preservation of lung function is different.”

“Does it matter if I cut it?”

“It doesn’t matter, but it’s the best case scenario.”

Christie was lost in thought at Jinhyuk’s answer.

Although I did not specialize in thoracic surgery, I had some knowledge about the situation.

She recalled the structure of the lungs.

The lungs are divided into five major areas.

Upper right leaf, middle right leaf, lower right leaf.

And there was an upper left lobe and a lower left lobe.

In Jeong Yeon-su’s case, the right upper lobe was the one that had the fewest side effects when resected and also preserved lung function.

Christie asked back.

“But is that story based on evidence?”

“Yes. It was also published in EJCTS (European Journal of Thoracic Society).”

“Really? I think it would be impossible to compare the preservation of lung function by resection site without doing a lot of surgeries.”

“It is difficult to collect surgical cases.”

“But there was such a report?”

“Because in Korea, surgeries are concentrated in certain general hospitals.”

Implication that the paper was written by a Korean doctor.

Christie shook her head again.

I couldn’t even fathom how much surgery had to be concentrated to be able to publish a paper that collected and compared surgical cases.

That makes sense.

The laws are different in each state.

Germany, where everything is different.

It was hard to imagine Koreans looking for a place to live in front of the Big 5 the moment they became cancer patients.

In the first place, there was no concept of the Big 5.

* * *

“Thank you, teacher. Thank you!”

Kim Hae-min burst into tears again.

Jeong Yeon-su also shed tears.

A close call.

I literally felt like I had died and come back to life.

The relief that it’s not cancer.

It was a feeling you couldn’t know until you experienced it.

Even when I eat, it feels like I’m chewing on stones, I can’t sleep properly, and staying up all night is a daily occurrence.

That was another hell that guardians and patients went through before being diagnosed with cancer.

The proposition that ‘humans must die’.

Because we usually don’t think about such obvious things, we belatedly realize the limitations of mortality.

Kim Hae-min, who had been shedding tears for a long time, grabbed Jin-hyeok’s hand.

“Every minute, every second was hell. Thank you so much, sir. Really. I don’t know how to explain this. Thank you so much, sir.”

“No. It’s not over yet.”

“ah…….”

“I think I’ll have to have my lung removed first.”

“You say I need to be moderate?”

“Yes, Mr. Kim will take over the explanation here.”

Jinhyuk took a step back.

Kim Hyun-soo took his place.

Surgical method, side effects after surgery.

And the possibility of maintaining lung function.

Kim Hyun-soo explained everything without including difficult terms like FEV (measurement of the amount of air exhaled per second) or DLCO (comparison of carbon monoxide levels).

It seems like only yesterday I was called a mama’s boy.

It was a moment when I truly felt the difference in generations.

He had also grown into a respectable writer before we knew it.

* * *

A patient who was transferred to CS together with Kim Hyun-soo.

Now, you could say that it’s out of your hands.

But as everyone continued to move without stopping, Christie tilted her head.

“What are you doing now? Aren’t you going home?”

“Oh, Christie. Thank you so much for today.”

“Right, right. I’ll buy some rice later.”

“It’s late at night, so be careful.”

“Ugh. That’s not what I want to hear right now. Why aren’t you going home and doing this?”

Christie blushed when the answer to her question came back as a thank you.

I was weak to compliments, but I couldn’t understand what he was trying to do.

Right away, tomorrow.

No, I said I would have the surgery today because it’s dawn, but the patient was transferred to CS.

I thought there was nothing I could do.

Jang Hyuk-jun stepped forward at Christie’s expression of not understanding English.

“Since it has come to this, I have to help you till the end.”

“What are you helping with? CS will take care of the preparations.”

“Hyunsoo will probably do it. But still.”

“yes?”

In response to her question, Jang Hyuk-jun began to speak from German to English.

“In Germany, when they perform surgery, they ask you whether you want a horizontal or vertical incision and then decide.”

“Well, that’s what we do out of respect for the patient’s right to choose.”

“What does the patient know?”

“yes?”

“Whether to make a horizontal or vertical incision. How many centimeters to make the incision. How to suture it. The patient doesn’t know any of this, so they have to make a choice.”

“You can explain it, right?”

“It’s still hard though.”

Too many choices.

It was so different from Korea, and at first glance it was understandable, but there were parts that I didn’t understand.

Because most patients felt more comfortable receiving surgery as prescribed by their doctor.

“This is a story from a few days ago. A patient who had hernia surgery at a general surgery clinic. The incision was vertical and left a long scar.”

“What’s the problem? It’s the patient’s choice.”

“The patient cried. He cried a lot.”

“Why are you crying?”

“Because I can never wear a bikini again. It’s so long and vertical. It’s so ugly.”

“ah…….”

When Christie belatedly sighed.

Jang Hyuk-jun continued speaking with a bitter smile.

“That’s just how people are. If you give them too many choices, they inevitably hesitate and regret it. They think, “I should have done that. I should have done this.” It’s common for them to waver and get upset.”

Jang Hyuk-jun even says that humans are inherently like that.

Christie, being no fool, understood this immediately.

The time it takes to see a doctor for a simple cold.

That’s 4 days on average.

Simple surgery usually takes two months.

Or three months.

It goes without saying that difficult surgeries have longer waiting times, and in Germany, patients are able to choose even the most detailed methods for minor surgeries.

but.

‘Humans have a hard time with more freedom?’

It was quite a romantic thing to say, so she asked back.

“Who said that?”

“yes?”

“That’s it. That.”

“… … ?”

“Humans have a hard time with more freedom. Sometimes it can be good when choices are limited. Who said that?”

I don’t know how it was interpreted, but it came back as a more plausible situation.

Jang Hyuk-jun shrugged his shoulders, hiding the words that Lee Jin-hyeok said, sometimes acting like an old man.

“Who is it? That’s what I said. Doctor Jang. That’s me.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

“… … .”

“Why, why? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Is this your original style? Ugh.”

As Christie took a step back, Jang Hyuk-jun’s face turned red.

They say Westerners hate being humble, but that was all a lie.

Surely, that’s what they said in distant neighboring countries…

No it wasn’t.

* * *

It’s already early morning.

Thoracic Surgery Conference Room.

When Kim Hyun-soo presented his case, everyone looked surprised and asked questions.

“You’re saying you spent all night organizing this?”

“Yes, I organized it together with my colleagues.”

“Then how about sleep?”

“I just slept for a little while.”

“How much does it cost in a short while?”

“It will take about two hours.”

“Heh heh… … .”

Everyone stuck out their tongues.

Basic tests to be done before surgery.

And the questionnaire that the patient had to complete was also completely completed.

That’s not all.

Even the detailed surgical method was organized, so it was safe to say that everything was done except for the medication to be administered right before the surgery.

“I’m planning to have a Right Upper Lobectomy… … . Looking at the surgical schedule, it looks like it’ll be possible in two months.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“There are many patients going to other hospitals, so if this is the case, other hospitals will probably have to wait longer, right?”

“Usually, it takes about this much. If it’s not a response… … .”

“So what I’m saying is, I’d like to perform the procedure myself. If possible, I’d like to do it today. Is that possible?”

He asked me to open the operating room right away.

Silence fell upon the room.

It’s not even a reply.

Patients who do not have lung cancer.

There has never been an operation this quick.

but.

“If left as is, we don’t know when or how it will develop. The size of the tumor is too big. This patient has suffered from pneumoconiosis for a long time.”

“Have you reached an agreement?”

“Yes, patient Jeong Yeon-su also wants to have surgery right away.”

“What is your experience performing rovectomy?”

“If we just look at the surgical cases, there are 10 cases for the surgeon and over 100 cases for the assistant.”

“Heh heh.”

Again a gasp of astonishment erupted.

A situation where Han Dong-soo even sent a letter asking for things to be handled properly.

I roughly heard about it and knew the circumstances.

But I couldn’t understand it at all because his surgical experience was too much for his age.

Didn’t you say that there was a hiatus in the middle because of the True Medical Support Team?

Regarding that kind of reaction.

Kim Hyun-soo blushed.

“It’s our routine to operate until dawn… … .”

A grim reality broadcast that continued for a long time.

The German doctors opened their mouths wide.

It was a schedule that no human could possibly handle.

* * *

The surgeon is Kim Hyun-soo.

The first is a German professor.

Jinhyeok decided to go in second.

Although the combination was odd, all of the esophageal cancer specialists had scheduled appointments.

The German professor who came in as the first assistant was also a cardiovascular specialist.

The problem was that Jinhyeok was also a cardiovascular specialist, so the key to the surgery was in Hyunsoo Kim’s hands.

Jinhyeok, who had said that he would participate in another department’s surgery without even taking a break, immediately moved his hands after caring in the patient.

“I’m going to do it laparoscopically, but I’ll be lying on my side like a lateral thoracotomy.”

“Yes, sir.”

“First, just extend your hand this way.”

“That band… … .”

“It’s about fixing your waist so you don’t fall.”

“yes…….”

Jinhyeok adjusted Jeongyeonsu’s position while listening to the lingering answer.

I pulled my shoulders back and leaned slightly backwards to get into a comfortable position.

To facilitate exposure of the anterior posterior chamber.

It could be said to be a small consideration for the surgeon, Kim Hyun-soo.

What followed was a drab.

Jinhyuk began to disinfect the area extensively with chlorhexidine.

shoulder.

Back to the iliac crest.

sternum.

Back to the spinous process.

We thoroughly disinfected the area to ensure immediate conversion to open thoracotomy in case of an emergency.

As I quickly finished disinfecting and covered the surgical gown, Jinhyuk spoke again.

“I didn’t take a timeout. What is your name?”

“What’s your name?”

“Yes, your name.”

“… … .”

“Elder?”

“… … .”

“Your name… … .”

Repeated question.

Jeong Yeon-su did not answer right away.

He seemed to be thinking about many things as he lay on the cold operating table, and even shed tears. He answered belatedly.

“Markennumer 1315.”

“Huh? What’s the mine number?”

“The German kids called mines by their numbers instead of their names.”

“The name is difficult… … .”

“Yes. It was number 1315.”

A long and drawn-out rant.

I worked for over 8 hours in an underground mine where the temperature exceeded 33 degrees.

That means I received 40 thousand won in Korean currency.

I also heard that there were many people who died in accidents.

Of course, every time, they said that Markennumer (mine number) number died because they didn’t know the name.

Jeong Yeon-su, who worked despite being sick, getting hurt, collapsing, and being hospitalized, saying she still had to send money.

Jinhyuk sighed secretly.

The contract period was 3 years, but he worked until the end without returning to his home country, and this is what happened.

Jinhyuk swallowed his tears and asked him back.

“What is your name?”

“… … .”

“Sir, you may speak in Korean.”

“Jeong Yeon-su. This is Jeong Yeon-su.”

“Identity confirmed.”

When Jinhyuk turned his head and looked at the anesthesiologist who had arrived late, the anesthesiologist also nodded quietly.

Soon, as Kim Hyun-soo came in, he shouted.

“We will now begin the Light Upper Robectomy!”