Chapter 297 - Forcing someone to remain alive until death (2/2)

“You should rest a little!”

“It’s fine. I had too much fun before when I was younger. This probably counts as paying back what I owe! What about you? When are you getting married?”

“Probably soon!” Both men suddenly felt silent. The pressures of life felt like a rope that was tightening around them, not allowing them to easily breathe.

“It’s fine. What else can I do apart from work hard? Since I don’t have any money, I’ll just have to work even harder. Alright, let’s end this chat here since I still have to go back and finish my medical reports. The faster I can finish them, the earlier I’ll be able to return home. I’ll go out with you sometime after I have the free time,” Li Hui said to Zhang Fan while throwing away his cigarette stub.

“Alright. Make sure to pay attention to taking care of yourself.” Zhang Fan saw that Li Hui seemed to have a slightly hunched back now. Zhang Fan suddenly really missed the slick and energetic youngster Li Hui from before. Had Li Hui matured and grown up? Maybe this was the price of maturity.

Zhang Fan was slightly dejected as he returned to the hematology department. He felt as if he could see himself in Li Hui’s shadow. But, before Zhang Fan could really ponder this much, the hematology department received a certain patient.

This patient was a 68-year-old man. His three primary blood cells—the red blood cells, white blood cells, and blood platelets—had all started decreasing for no apparent reason. The patient suddenly started bleeding from his gums, his legs started swelling, and he started feeling dizzy. This all started two weeks ago. He received treatment from his local city hospital, but his condition didn’t improve, so he was transferred to Chasu City Hospital.

Today was Doctor Ruan’s turn to receive patients. When this elderly patient was hospitalized and Zhang Fan saw his medical information sheets, he could only feel extremely helpless inside.

Zhang Fan had been grinding by studying hematology for several nights before entering the hematology department. Although he was no expert in hematology, he already knew the basics by now. The diseases in hematology were even more troublesome than in rheumatology or endocrinology. Hematology diseases would almost always affect the entire body.

Hematology diseases were usually in the blood. However, the symptoms displayed in the organs would be impossible to accurately diagnose. There wouldn’t be much difference in medical equipment between a larger city hospital like Chasu City Hospital and a smaller city hospital. Both hospitals could only do their best to treat the elderly patient’s symptoms. This was all the hospitals could do because it was impossible to accurately diagnose the problem.

After this patient was hospitalized here, all sorts of examinations began on him. He kept pouting and complaining all the time. His old wife accompanied him and kept massaging his legs while trying to convince him to accept the treatment. Zhang Fan listened a little and learned that the old patient no longer wanted to be treated, but his children were refusing to let him stop treatment.

Later that afternoon, Director Li Qing finished performing outpatient services and returned to the hematology department. The patient’s examination results had come out by now. Since this patient was rather special, all of the hematology department members gathered together for a discussion, yet they were unable to conclude anything even after quite a while.

“This patient has idiopathic malignant cell histiocytosis with bone marrow metastasis!” Zhang Fan suddenly announced as he looked over the patient’s medical information.

“The symptoms do seem rather similar, but this illness is really rare. I’ve never met even a single patient with this illness before. Are you certain?” Director Li asked him.

“We should do a bone marrow biopsy and confirm!” Zhang Fan answered.

“Alright. Let’s do a bone marrow biopsy then so that we can confirm the diagnosis as quickly as possible.” Director Li nodded in agreement.

Actually, Zhang Fan was already quite certain that the patient had idiopathic malignant cell histiocytosis with bone marrow metastasis. He had read through countless hematology disease publications over the past few days, and had a clear memory regarding this disease because it had left such a deep impression on him.

Even though Zhang Fan was certain of his own diagnosis, there was still nothing that he could do. This disease was a highly difficult type of cancer that was impossible to treat by using any method. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy were all ineffective against it. This disease had no cure.

“Please stop torturing me. I’m almost 70 years old already. Sigh!” The patient was filled with complaints when he had to get a bone marrow biopsy.

A few days later, the laboratory examination results came back positive. Zhang Fan’s diagnosis had been proven completely accurate. However, what could even be done for the patient’s sake?

The old patient had three sons, who all came to visit him in the hospital. The old patient had been a farmer for his whole life. He had successfully raised all three sons into capable adults. The oldest son was a small business owner who sold home electronics. The second son was a teacher. The third son worked at a nationally owned enterprise. The family’s overall financial condition was alright.

“Doctor, is there really no treating this disease? Will there be any hope if we try going to Beijing or Shanghai?” The oldest brother had always been the leader of the three brothers. He tried thinking of ideas for helping his father.

“Sigh. I’m sorry to tell you that he won’t be able to receive treatment for his condition no matter where he goes,” Director Li told the sons sympathetically.

The oldest son’s eyes became red and teary as he said, “Then, what can we do to slow down the disease? Our father’s worked hard for all his life. He hasn’t gotten to enjoy much of his life! Doctor, please help us think of something!”

“All that can be done is to constantly give him blood transfusions, hormones, and albumin injections. How much time he has left is really difficult to say. Not only that, the medical fees required for treatment will be quite high.”

“That’s fine, Doctor. It’s fine as long as our father can live a few extra days! What else should we pay attention to?”

“You should just let your father eat and drink whatever he wants. There’s nothing that he needs to pay attention to anymore. Also, if he’s in critical condition, should we attempt emergency treatment? If he requires emergency surgery, should we attempt it?”

“Let us discuss things with each other!” The three sons left rather dejectedly.

Some time later, they returned. “Treat him with whatever medication you can! Sigh!”

The medical fees were just like a slot machine that kept devouring a large amount of the patient’s family’s money. Albumin, blood plasma, imported antihemorrhagic agents, and so on were all medication that would be priced in the tens of thousands of yuan!

To treat or not to treat? In China, most of the time, the hospitals wouldn’t directly interfere with the patient’s family’s decision to continue medical treatment or not. There were many families who would continue useless medical treatment all the way until the patient died.

This was quite different from how medical systems worked in the west. To illustrate this with a story, there was once an old man who was a Canadian Chinese mega millionaire. He had a really late stage of cancer and was in really bad condition. At the Canadian hospital, the Canadian doctors refused to transfuse blood plasma or even inject any albumin for him.

The Canadian Chinese millionaire’s final wish in life was to return to China and visit his roots. The Canadian hospital sent three doctors and two nurses to help take care of him on the plane which took him home. The Canadians believed that caring for an old patient and seeing that his dying wish came true was really important. The Canadians also believed that useless treatment was nothing more than a waste.

The old patient at Chasu City Hospital remained hospitalized for one full week. This cost more than 70,000 yuan in medical fees. He was also getting weaker on a daily basis, which required more and more fluid infusion every day. The old patient’s ashen complexion was really noticeable in the afternoon with the sunlight’s illumination in the patient room.

The old patient’s wife went to the bathroom to dump the urine from his bedpan, while Zhang Fan gave the old patient a simple examination. The old patient had numerous plastic tubes stuck into his body. He was in pain, extreme pain!

After Zhang Fan finished his checkup, he was about to leave when the old patient suddenly grabbed his doctor’s coat with a shriveled hand. Zhang Fan looked at the old patient in surprise.

“Let me die! I’m begging you!”

Zhang Fan was really stunned by this as he stood by the patient’s bed. He understood. He understood why the old patient would make such a request. However, there really wasn’t anything that Zhang Fan could do! Euthanasia was illegal in China. Thus, Zhang Fan was completely helpless!

The old patient saw Zhang Fan’s expression of hesitation and helplessness, so he slowly let go of Zhang Fan’s doctor’s coat in disappointment. The old patient then slowly turned his head to look out the window. Zhang Fan exited the patient room awkwardly. Zhang Fan knew that he had no right to take action here!

Forcibly keeping someone alive until their death. Was that really filial piety? Was it really that bad to give up at such a time? Zhang Fan looked back at the old man who was in such pain. For once, Zhang Fan wondered if he was doing something wrong.