Half way through (4)
The morning meeting and rounds ended successfully.
Choi Ki-seok finished his chores and left the medical office.
Today is the day to perform balloon dilatation surgery for patients with esophageal achalasia. The opportunity has come to complete the second of the 12 long-term tasks carried out by the Department of Thoracic Surgery.
‘It shouldn’t be a big deal.’
I bit my lip out of nervousness.
There is no need to worry about the high level of difficulty of balloon dilatation surgery. In terms of difficulty, PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) performed with Katharina is one step above.
However, there were major variables in this balloon dilatation procedure.
That too on the patient side.
Drurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
When I opened the door to the hospital room and entered, I saw Jerome leaning against the back of the bed, reading a book.
“Dr. Choi. Good morning.”
“Yes. Good morning.”
“How are you feeling today?”
“Just like always.”
Jerome paused before continuing.
“Today’s treatment… I heard that balloon dilatation surgery isn’t that difficult. There’s nothing wrong with it, right?”
“…Ah, yes. You don’t have to worry too much.”
“Well, there won’t be any problems with the balloon dilatation surgery at MHC. I was just nervous because of what I had at James Hopkins.”
During a brief pause in conversation, Ki-Seok Choi used the Eye of Hippocrates on him.
Unlike usual, there was a red line in the precautions.
The problem is that not only Jerome himself but also other medical staff do not know the precautions.
This was the fate that only Choi Ki-seok, who had the eyes of Hippocrates, had.
“I prescribed Prednisolone this morning. Did you take it?”
“The nurse gave me pills during the rounds. Is that right?”
“Yes, that’s right. And you will receive injections every few hours until the balloon angioplasty in the afternoon.”
“Why? I’m not seriously ill.”
Jerome narrowed his eyes.
“This is a drug that helps with balloon angioplasty. Trust me, your doctor.”
“Well, if Dr. Choi says so… I understand.”
Ki-Seok Choi left the hospital room after finishing his conversation with Jerome.
We are doing our best to prevent that from happening, but the results will only be known when we enter the treatment room.
I can only hope that the treatment ends without any problems…
“Um… there, teacher.”
When I heard an unfamiliar voice, I turned around and saw a man standing there.
“Hello Mark.”
“How do you know my name?”
Mark looked like a surprised rabbit.
“He’s an actor who’s currently filming. I’ve watched him act before.”
“Oh, I see. Actually, I wanted to get treatment from the doctor. I’ve been having severe headaches for a month and sometimes feel nauseous. I have no appetite and I’ve lost a lot of weight, but I don’t know why I’m like this.”
“Would you like to come into the medical office for a moment?”
Ki-Seok Choi settled in with Mark. Then, a simple questionnaire and vital check were performed.
Is it because it is the most basic medical treatment?
There were no signs of any special disease in Mark.
‘Then…’
Choi Ki-seok frowned after using the Eye of Hippocrates on Mark.
There are no symptoms without a cause.
In a case where those words fit perfectly, Mark had good reason to be in pain.
Tiring!
[The hidden mission Open the Door to the Heart has been created. Special rewards are provided upon completing the mission.]
Just then, a notification crossed my mind.
“It would be difficult to find the cause, right? Not only was there no test done, but Dr. Choi specializes in thoracic surgery.”
“Can you give me just a moment? I’ll go to the bathroom right away.”
Choi Ki-seok left the medical office and found a bathroom.
The goal was not to solve the physiological phenomenon, but to search for articles about Mark.
His eyes became increasingly sharp as he searched for articles.
“You’ve waited a long time.”
Choi Ki-seok returned to the office and sat down.
“Let’s stop what we were talking about. I think Mark will need ongoing treatment.”
“What treatment do you mean?”
“It is neuropsychiatric treatment.”
Deep wrinkles appeared on Mark’s forehead at Choi Ki-seok’s blunt answer.
“Doctor Choi. Are you treating me like a psychopath?”
“Don’t exaggerate. Receiving neuropsychiatric treatment doesn’t mean you become mentally ill. And there’s a big problem with the word mentally ill itself.”
“But I just have a bad headache. There is no reason to seek psychiatric treatment.”
Mark raised his voice as if he was being unfairly treated, and Choi Ki-seok quietly observed his actions.
In fact, Mark is not the only one who reacts this way.
People tend to be particularly sensitive when talking about neuropsychiatry. They easily admit to physical illness, but when mental illness is pointed out, they sharply resist.
Isn’t the reason why society is becoming increasingly sick and harsh because it refuses to acknowledge mental illness?
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
“Is that really true?”
Choi Ki-seok asked back and used interrogation mode.
[Interrogation – I have an objection!]
– Discuss right and wrong through interrogation mode.
– Interrogation Mode: You can display the other person’s conversation as text and point out suspicious parts. Afterwards, if you present appropriate evidence, you can reveal the other party’s lies.
[of course. I am a mentally healthy person. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to endure being an actor for over ten years. All I want to know is the cause of my headache and nausea.]
“Wait a minute!”
“What… what is it?”
Mark rolled his eyes as if embarrassed by Choi Ki-seok’s point.
“Being an actor for over ten years does not guarantee mental health. There is no basis for this at all. Think of Lavigne, who you act with.”
“Ah…”
Mark moaned with his mouth open.
Although Lavigne is a veteran of acting for several decades, she has received neuropsychiatric treatment for drug addiction.
[I said something wrong. Dr. Choi is correct. Acting and mental health are unrelated. However, the fact that I made a slip of the tongue is not a reason to receive neuropsychiatric treatment. Isn’t that right?]
The text was subtly changed with one point.
Nevertheless, Mark still defended himself like an iron fortress.
Unlike when questioning Lavin, there is no clear physical evidence.
Ki-Seok Choi realized that logical pressure was important in this case.
“Wait!”
“What else?”
“Mark is emphasizing that there is no reason for him to receive neuropsychiatric treatment. So let me ask the question in reverse: Why should Mark not receive neuropsychiatric treatment?”
“Ah… about that.”
Mark looked agitated.
“My impression so far is that Mark is vaguely avoiding neuropsychiatry. Am I wrong?”
“….”
“Answer me.”
Choi Ki-seok watched Mark’s reaction and asked a leading question.
“Do you have any bad memories from the neuropsychiatry unit? Mark or Mark’s family?”
“Haa…”
Mark couldn’t answer and lowered his head.
Tiring!
[The interrogation was successful. You can hear the other person’s deep thoughts.]
“I lost. I lost.”
“….”
“I didn’t want to bring up this story… Actually, my father was an alcoholic, and whenever he drank, he would turn into a dog and hit my mother and I. I managed to persuade him to take him to a neuropsychiatrist, but you know what the results were. “Is it you?”
“Perhaps…”
“Nothing changed. It was the same whether I received treatment or not. In fact, my addiction wasn’t cured and I became more violent. I wasted my time and money for no reason.”
Mark sighed and continued.
“From then on, I thought that neuropsychiatry was not a trustworthy place, and that people who went there were mentally weak. That’s why I refuse neuropsychiatry treatment.”
“You had a difficult family history.”
Choi Ki-seok paused before continuing.
“Mark’s pain and his reason for refusing neuropsychiatry. That’s completely understandable. But just as the treatment of the body is not perfect, the treatment of the mind cannot be perfect either.”
“….”
“Just as the body becomes weak, the mind can also become weak. So there is nothing wrong with receiving neuropsychiatric treatment.”
“Is that really true?”
A hollow smile appeared on Mark’s lips.
“I think Mark suffers from depression and sleep problems.”
“…From what I heard, it seems like that too.”
“You need medical treatment before your mental illness gets deeper. Any illness gets worse if you neglect it. It would be better to take today as an opportunity to gain courage.”
Ki-Seok Choi finished speaking and used the encouragement skill on Mark.
At that moment, you wink without realizing it.
[Fatal encouragement occurs!]
[The emotions of the encouraged target are greatly brightened.]
[Immunity resistance and regeneration are greatly increased.]
[Additional buffs are obtained with the fatal charm. With the strengthened mind buff, the will to cooperate with medical treatment and overcome disease increases significantly.]
“Dr. Choi. What was the wink just now?”
Mark held his stomach and laughed.
“I’m sorry. Sometimes my eyelids move uncontrollably.”
“Really? I guess I was wrong, right?”
“Yes. I would appreciate it if you could forget about it from this moment on.”
“Anyway, thank you. During our conversation, I realized what I had been thinking wrong.”
“Everyone has something that needs to be fixed. It’s the same for me.”
“I have received advice, so I will seek neuropsychiatric treatment as soon as filming is over.”
“Of course you are welcome.”
Choi Ki-seok finished his warm conversation with Mark and left the lounge.
* * *
In the treatment room that afternoon.
Choi Ki-seok was talking with thoracic surgery intern Ian.
“Did you inject intravenous methylprednisolone every four hours?”
“Yes. It is checked on the nursing record.”
“What about chlorpheniramine?”
“I also administered that an hour ago.”
Ian tilted his head and continued speaking.
“But isn’t this patient a balloon angioplasty patient? I’m curious as to why they administer medication like this before treatment.”
“I’ll let you know once the dilatation surgery is finished.”
Ki-Seok Choi finished the conversation and stared into the observation room.
Yasada and Katarina were talking in the front row of the observation room.
Two professors came out to see their balloon dilatation surgery.
After all, when I was in charge of a difficult case, I came out to observe…
‘It doesn’t feel good either.’
Choi Ki-seok placed his hand on his left chest.
A slight pain felt after entering the treatment room.
This is a gut feeling that balloon dilatation surgery will not be easy.
“Mr. Choi has performed many difficult surgeries since May. I believe he assisted in the Whipple surgery in general surgery and performed surgery to separate conjoined twins in neurosurgery.”
“….”
“You’ll be able to complete the balloon dilatation surgery easily, right?”
“I hope so. Let’s go in.”
Ki-seok Choi finished scrubbing and moved to the treatment room.
Since all treatments, including hair removal, have been completed, all that is required is balloon dilatation surgery.
“Oh my. Is the surgeon here?”
Charles, who came first, joked.
“Thank you, surgeon.”
“It’s me.”
Ki-Seok Choi took a deep breath and looked down at Jerome.
“From now on, we will perform balloon angioplasty for esophageal achalasia. Catheter.”
“Yes.”
Choi Ki-seok inserted the catheter into Jerome’s femoral artery.
He immediately found the blood vessel forming a drop of blood at the front of the needle.
“Guide wire.”
He pushed the guide wire he received from the disinfection nurse into the needle. The curtain on balloon dilatation surgery has risen
.
