Chapter 792: Discussing the Prescription

Chapter 792: Chapter 792: Discussing the Prescription

Hearing that he was here to express his gratitude, the young nurse’s expression softened. She pointed deep down the corridor. "Dean Li should be doing rounds in the observation room right now. Just walk straight down this way and take a right at the very end."

"Okay, okay, thank you." Following the direction the nurse pointed, Jiang Guojun walked into the observation room.

The moment he entered, he heard a hearty laugh.

"Dr. Li, thank you so much! My foot has been feeling a lot better these past two days. That numb and painful sensation is much lighter now, and I can finally sleep through the night."

The patient with severe diabetic foot was sitting in a wheelchair, happily thanking Li Xu.

It had been about five days since Li Xu took over this patient’s case. Over these five days, Li Xu had stopped all the patient’s expensive imported antibiotics and anti-inflammatory IV drips. Instead, he simply had the family wheel the patient into the small garden to bask in the sun for two hours a day, using the natural Yang Qi to sterilize the wound and promote tissue regeneration. This was paired with changing a standard Shengji Yuhong ointment dressing once every two days and orally administering a decoction to warm the Yang and strengthen the spleen.

Despite this simple, almost crude treatment plan, the patient’s wound had shown extremely obvious improvement. The edges of the originally festering and blackened wound had begun to contract, and faint, bright red granulation tissue had even started to grow.

"This is the benefit of getting some sun." Li Xu carefully examined the newly grown granulation tissue and smiled in satisfaction. "Once Yang Qi is generated, the cold and corrupting Yin Qi naturally recedes. Honestly, with your current level of recovery, you can be discharged. After you go home, just maintain a good mood, get plenty of sun, and take your medicine on time. You can come back for a follow-up and a dressing change in half a month."

"Thank you, Dr. Li! Can we process the discharge papers today?" Hearing that they could go home, the patient’s wife rubbed her hands together in delight.

Having been hospitalized for so many days, the daily bed and nursing fees alone were a considerable expense. Now that Li Xu had stopped those expensive IV drips and imported dressings, their medical bills had plummeted. Being able to go home and recover was undoubtedly a timely blessing for their modest family.

"Sure. Go find Dr. Gao in the duty room later; he’ll handle your discharge," Li Xu told the patient.

Having given his medical advice, Li Xu was just about to turn and leave when he saw Jiang Guojun walking in, carrying some gifts. Although they had only met briefly at the car accident scene, Li Xu’s photographic memory allowed him to instantly recognize the man as the eldest son of the elderly man with the fractures.

"You’re... that elderly gentleman’s son, right?" Li Xu greeted him with a smile.

"Dean Li! Yes, yes, yes, that’s me, Jiang Guojun." Hastily setting down the items in his hands, Jiang Guojun said excitedly, "Oh my, I really didn’t expect you to be a vice-dean at such a young age. My father is out of danger and has been transferred from the ICU to a regular observation ward. I came today partly to thank you in person. If you hadn’t stabilized my dad at the scene that day and stopped people from recklessly moving him, he might have been in real danger."

"I’m just glad he’s out of danger. There’s no need to be so polite." Li Xu glanced at the basket of free-range eggs on the floor, not rejecting the sincere gesture.

"There’s also..." Jiang Guojun hesitated, looking a bit embarrassed. "Although my father is out of danger now, there are still some issues. You’re a leader at the Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, so you must know a lot of incredible traditional Chinese medicine experts, right? Could you... recommend one to us?"

In truth, this second reason was his main purpose for making a special trip to see Li Xu today.

In his eyes, while Li Xu’s judgment in emergency situations was miraculous, he was ultimately too young. Since he was a hospital leader, his real expertise was probably in management. What his father needed now was comprehensive post-operative care. He figured that since Li Xu was a vice-dean of the Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine after all, he could definitely pull some strings and find a highly respected senior director or veteran expert to treat his father.

When people were anxious, they would grasp at any connection they could find, even if it was just a fleeting acquaintance from a chance encounter on the street. Thanking Li Xu was merely the perfect excuse for Jiang Guojun to ask for a favor.

Li Xu wasn’t angry at being underestimated. He completely understood the mindset of a patient’s family. "What exactly is your father’s condition right now?" he asked calmly.

"Sigh, it’s his cough," Jiang Guojun said with a miserable expression. "Although his coughs aren’t very forceful—he doesn’t have the strength for it—every time he coughs, it pulls on his broken ribs. The pain makes him break out in cold sweats, and he can’t sleep at all at night. Western doctors prescribed painkillers, but the effects aren’t obvious. The doctors don’t dare prescribe too much either, afraid it might suppress his breathing.

"Furthermore, his appetite is extremely poor. He can’t keep anything down; he throws up even if we feed him a little rice broth. It’s been days since he’s had a bowel movement, and he’s terribly weak."

"Is the cough severe?" Li Xu asked to confirm.

"Not severe. It’s more of a weak, breathy dry cough, like he wants to cough but just can’t get it out."

Hearing this, Li Xu pondered for a moment. The old man had multiple rib fractures accompanied by traumatic pneumothorax. Although he had survived after emergency treatment in the ICU, his vital Qi was severely depleted. His current symptoms—weak coughing, chest pain, loss of appetite, and constipation—clearly indicated a sinking of middle Qi and a deficiency-cold in the spleen and stomach. He lacked the energy to digest food and water, which obstructed the flow of his body’s vital mechanisms.

"Given his advanced age and the severe trauma he suffered, your father’s Primordial Qi is extremely weak. At this time, you cannot simply use Qi-descending or purgative medicines just to stop the cough or force a bowel movement. Otherwise, it will severely damage his Primordial Qi even further."

After a brief pause, Li Xu continued, "For this situation, you can try a modified version of the traditional Chinese medicine ’Lizhong Decoction’ to warm the middle burner, dispel cold, strengthen the spleen, and boost Qi. Once the Qi of the spleen and stomach is restored, the generation of Qi and blood will have a source. His bowel movements will naturally clear up, and he will have the strength to cough properly.

"I’ll give you a prescription; make sure to memorize it carefully. Ginseng, Atractylodes, dried ginger, baked licorice... After you go back, you can take this formula and consult your father’s attending physician or a doctor in the traditional Chinese medicine department. See if they evaluate it and allow traditional Chinese medicine interventions for your father."

"Al... alright. Thank you, Dr. Li."

Deep down, Jiang Guojun was actually somewhat disappointed. He had expected Li Xu to contact a veteran expert for a consultation, but Li Xu had only verbally recited what sounded like a very ordinary prescription. He hadn’t even written it down on a prescription pad. But since his primary purpose was to thank Li Xu for saving his father’s life, it wasn’t his place to complain.

Li Xu repeated the prescription and dosages twice. Jiang Guojun did his best to commit them to memory, expressed his gratitude once more, and then took his leave.

Watching Jiang Guojun’s retreating back, Li Xu shook his head slightly.

It was impossible to truly know another person’s heart. His father had taught him a lot about doctor-patient disputes in the past, and he had learned many self-protection strategies for navigating society. As a result, his vigilance was quite high.

Jiang Guojun’s father wasn’t a patient of the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine; he was currently lying in the emergency department of the City Affiliated Hospital. This constituted cross-hospital medical practice. Under these circumstances, if Li Xu rashly wrote out an official prescription for him, it would be considered "illegal practice of medicine" or a regulatory violation of interfering with another hospital’s treatment.

*PS: Happy Holidays.*