Chapter 51

"Doctor Yuan, why are you standing here?"

"Isn't it your clinic today?" Today's first patient number was an old patient coming for a follow-up. The surgery was done by Yuan Weihong's teacher, Professor Chu, and the follow-ups had always been with Professor Chu.

Professor Chu passed away before Yuan Weihong graduated with his doctorate, so the old man transferred to Deng Yong's Group, but later discovered that Professor Chu's student Yuan Weihong also had a Wednesday Clinic, on the same day as Professor Deng Yong.

Professor Deng Yong's appointments were getting harder and harder to book, so a year ago he transferred over to this side; anyway, they were old acquaintances.

Knowing Yuan Weihong, and knowing about the Wednesday Clinic, he booked an appointment early in advance.

"Liu Bo, I'm training an Apprentice; this is my student, Doctor Fang. Let him take a look at you." Yuan Weihong twisted his waist, not sitting at the clinic position.

The old man came alone, spirited; he looked at Fang Ziye: "Oh, so it's like how you used to follow Professor Chu back then, Doctor Yuan?"

"That works." The man called Liu Bo was also very knowledgeable.

Fang Ziye actually felt a bit reluctant about the term "training an Apprentice," after all, this phrase describes having a son. But since the words came from Yuan Weihong's mouth — a teacher of gratitude is like a father — Fang Ziye could only sniff his nose.

"Hello, Grandpa, what's your situation?" Fang Ziye squeezed out a smile and asked.

Treating old patients is even more troublesome than new patients; one needs to list the past medical history one by one to know his current situation.

But Liu Bo was very individualistic, directly slamming the medical record bag onto the table: "Here, just these, trouble Doctor Fang to take a look."

Yuan Weihong's eyes instantly raised, he nearly gave Liu Bo a praise.

"You had surgery before, right?" Fang Ziye immediately became soft-spoken.

Such an old patient, with years of follow-ups, his own situation he probably already knows clearly; "long illness makes a doctor" might be an exaggeration, but half-professional is definitely true.

If he didn't say it right, the other party would definitely expose him.

"Mhm, it's been several years." Liu Bo answered quite cautiously, but with no desire to continue talking, as if deliberately being perfunctory to test Fang Ziye.

Smiling all over his face, as if saying, I watched your teacher grow up, and now here comes another young man?

Fang Ziye could only start checking from the initial X-rays, CTs, etc., and also figured out in detail his discharge summaries and outpatient records from many years ago, only then did he understand.

It turned out that a few years ago, the old man suffered a car accident injury leading to a comminuted fracture of the tibial plateau, and also bone defect, which was why he transferred to Zhongnan Hospital and found Professor Chu for surgery.

Postoperative continuous follow-up for many years, always pretty good; now he probably came again just for an X-ray, mainly to observe the osteoporosis situation and the progression degree of traumatic arthritis.

"Grandpa, your ankle joint on this foot now, does it hurt? From your postoperative follow-up films, your previous fracture has already healed, so for your walking, there's definitely no burden."

"But starting from two years ago, the bone quality below your tibial plateau has shifted a bit; what have you been doing this period?" Fang Ziye asked two questions in an easygoing tone.

Seemingly colloquial, actually asking current symptoms and activity habits in recent years, why such a change appeared.

"Now there's a faint pain."

"Doctor Fang, what do you think I've been doing these two years?" Liu Bo replied like this, with a bit of a naughty old man's momentum.

"Could be weight-bearing, could be other reasons; anyway, these recent two years, your knee joint below, because of microfracture led to lower limb weight-bearing shift, could it be stepping down?"

"Or weight-bearing?" Fang Ziye isn't a fortune-teller either.

But he guessed eight or nine not far from ten.

"Stepped down or not, it's just the big fat boy is a bit heavy. Can't bear to let go, I'm fine, right? That kid can run now too." Liu Bo looked full of happiness, as if across who knows how far, one could feel he was immersed in the bliss of grandchildren around knees.

Fang Ziye instantly had a sudden realization.

"It's okay; from last year's X-ray, currently the main issue is the inner and outer sides of the tibial plateau bone quality not uniform enough; osteoporosis is one reason, playing with grandson is another, but still need to pay attention."

"If it continues shifting like this, your traumatic arthritis will worsen; traumatic arthritis, after a fracture, more or less there will be some; old age also brings certain wear; if pain isn't very severe, more rest, doing some aerobic exercise, is the suitable choice for your age." Fang Ziye recorded while suggesting.

"Mhm, now grandson started locking kindergarten, no more hugging. Doctor Fang, look at me today, should I do an examination, get some medicine..." Liu Bo asked.

Fang Ziye finished recording and said: "I'll do a physical exam first; you lie on the examination bed, head this way."

Fang Ziye spoke while slowly standing up...

About five minutes later, Liu Bo held his film bag in one hand, medical record book and examination order in the other, walking out, saying to Yuan Weihong: "Doctor Yuan, your disciple isn't bad; your Professor Chu's disciple isn't bad either."

Parallelism structure used, and even gave a thumbs up.

"Thank you, Liu Bo. You're still the old way; film taken then go up, no need to wait for results, read film then print it out and take away is fine." Yuan Weihong gestured with his hand indicating he could go check first.

Liu Bo nodded and left.

Fang Ziye hurriedly yielded the position; this one old patient coming in to let him rub some experience is fine, but if more people come, it's still hard to account for, and not everyone is so generous to let him practice.

Yuan Weihong instead had a serious face, sitting down while asking: "What you just said, traumatic arthritis once a fracture occurs it will happen, where did you hear that? Read literature?"

"Mhm, recently reading some literature, happened to see it the previous period." Fang Ziye replied, then prepared to go outside to call patients.

"Read quite a few books too? This patient, if you were seeing clinic, how would you medicate him?" Yuan Weihong continued asking.

Fang Ziye carefully examined for a few seconds, first paused steps, right hand holding the door handle, making a receive patient posture, but didn't open the door: "Looking at Grandpa's current situation, still suggest he conduct functional exercise first, not routine therapeutic medication."

"Then the pain?" Yuan Weihong relentlessly asked.

"Master, I feel his knee joint pain isn't caused by arthritis; probably just recent activity damage. Just now Liu Bo didn't say? He originally planned to come for follow-up before New Year, recently running with grandson, tripped a bit, that's why he came early."

"Didn't fall, probably quadriceps pull non-bony injury." Fang Ziye replied.

"Theory not bad."

"Almost grown up." Yuan Weihong used his right thumb to stroke his chin, looking at Fang Ziye with a gaze as if truly looking at an Apprentice.

Fang Ziye then conveniently pulled open the door, shouting outside: "Patient number 2 here? Number 2..."

(Chapter End)