Chapter 1908: 1841 Unable to Let Go

Sheng Cheng, thoracic surgery ward, Xia Hua sat quietly.

He had already done his best, but fate did not favor him.

His father lay on the hospital bed, emaciated to the point of having almost no fat. Because of the esophageal tumor, he had not eaten for a long time and had entered the terminal stage.

Originally, when the disease was first discovered last year, the diagnosis was late-stage lung cancer, and Xia Hua's father firmly refused surgical treatment as well as subsequent chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted drug therapy.

He wanted to see the magnificent landscapes of the motherland.

Under the care of Xia Hua and his lover, the old man got his wish.

He spent three months traveling intermittently through seven or eight provinces. After returning to Sheng Cheng, he kept thinking he wanted to continue like that.

Xia Hua was unwilling to accept this; he sought out Gao Shaojie, wanting to try a minimally invasive approach to see if he could extend his grandfather's lifespan.

Low-dose chemotherapy infusion plus radiofrequency ablation shrank the tumor tissue. Although not cured, it seemed the lifespan could be extended by about a year.

This was the result Xia Hua needed.

But an unexpected situation arose.

Two months ago, Xia Hua's father was found to have esophageal cancer as well.

The cruelest thing is not falling into despair from the start, but being given some hope, seeing things seem to improve, only for them to actually worsen at an unnoticed moment.

He could die of illness, but not of starvation; this was Xia Hua's bottom line.

The grandfather refused chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and this time even refused the upcoming lung surgery; although radiofrequency ablation caused him no substantial harm.

When people are desperate, they often give up, hoping all these bad things will end soon.

He refused all treatment, not even wanting intravenous saline.

Xia's grandfather had already fallen into a coma; at this point Xia Hua inserted a PICC line for him, always feeling there was still a way. If it ended like this, Xia Hua would be unwilling.

Although letting go would be a good option, sparing the old man suffering, yet as children, as long as we have any strength, who would willingly just let go?

"Dang dang dang~" the knocking sound rang out.

Xia Hua wiped his face with his hand to refresh himself, stood up, opened the door, and saw Gao Shaojie, who forced out a smile and whispered, "Professor Gao, let's talk outside."

"Xiao Xia, I've looked at the images." Leaving the ward, Gao Shaojie said: "It's a bit late; the old man also has a heart condition, and placing an esophageal stent would be very difficult."

"Professor Gao, how confident are you?" Xia Hua asked.

"If you can accept sudden death on the operating table, I can give it a try." Gao Shaojie said.

Xia Hua felt torn.

As a doctor, he had delivered this kind of explanation to patients' families countless times.

But when he became a patient's family member and the roles reversed, he immediately felt this kind of explanation was basically the most bastardized form of communication.

But this is the fact; Gao Shaojie is also speaking frankly, and he knows it clearly in his heart.

Long-term malnutrition, cardiopulmonary failure, and the malignant esophageal tumor located near the heart.

When the esophageal stent is opened, the malignant tumor will surely touch the heart.

Even a slight compression could cause arrhythmia and other complications; these are what Gao Shaojie, Professor Gao, said.

Xia Hua's complexion was awful; having not properly relaxed or rested for too long, he had overdrawn his energy and stamina.

"Xiao Xia, just do your best. Besides, you should rest well; don't wear yourself out sick." Gao Shaojie gently patted Xia Hua's shoulder and comforted him.

"Professor Gao, I know. As for the risk…" Xia Hua was about to say he could bear it, but at the very last moment he hesitated.

Gao Shaojie also understood Xia Hua's psychology; he sighed and said, "Let me ask Old Liu, what do you think?"

"Professor Liu Zewei? Where did he go?" Xia Hua asked.

"He went to study with Zheng Lao Ban; that's the doctor you met on the plane when you took your grandfather out last year." Gao Shaojie said.

Over the past half year, Xia Hua has devoted all his energy to his father's treatment and care, knowing little else.

"Then thank you for the trouble." Xia Hua said gratefully.

Although he wondered in his heart why a professor of Liu Zewei's stature would still need further study, it was just a fleeting thought, and he stopped thinking about something unrelated to himself.

Gao Shaojie comforted Xia Hua with a few more words, then took a picture of the images and sent them to Liu Zewei.

Old Liu had studied for a few months; his level must have surged. Gao Shaojie's mood was a bit complicated, wondering whether he too should go for further study.

……

……

"Zheng Lao Ban, Old Gao sent over an image; could you take a look?" After viewing the image, Liu Zewei felt a headache and thought it would be very difficult to treat.

But after spending a long time in Di Du, he habitually deferred the final diagnostic authority to Zheng Ren.

"Oh? What patient?" Zheng Ren spent the afternoon sunbathing, went to the System Library to read a book, and upon hearing Liu Zewei's words came out to ask.

"Late-stage lung cancer, late-stage esophageal cancer." Liu Zewei said briefly, then sent the images to Zheng Ren.

Zheng Ren held his phone and opened the image data.

The lung CT showed the patient's lung cancer treatment seemed to be going well, the tumor-reducing surgery.

What is meant by tumor-reducing surgery is a method where, when the tumor cannot be surgically removed, part of the tumor mass is shrunk to extend the patient's survival by 6–12 months.

The mediastinal lymph nodes have already metastasized; Zheng Ren judged the survival expectancy to be about six months, which is the longest projection.

Late-stage lung cancer now does not appear fatal; what is deadly is a 6×3 cm tumor in the middle-lower esophagus that has almost completely blocked the esophagus.

For the upper gastrointestinal contrast study, they did not use the hard-to-swallow, poorly flowing barium agent, but instead took oral meglumine.

Even as a liquid, it does not flow very smoothly; there is only a thin gap, and it is uncertain whether a super-slip guidewire can pass through this narrow segment.

If it were completely blocked, an esophageal stent would definitely not be able to be placed.

This patient does not have much time to waver or hesitate—at most about a week.

Moreover, saying one week is already a stretch; Zheng Ren had not seen the medical record, so he did not know how long the tumor had been growing.

If it were a more aggressive esophageal tumor, the esophagus could be completely blocked in about three days, leaving no chance to place an esophageal stent.

Of course, this is only one problem; the main issue is that the tumor lies right next to the heart, and once the stent is placed, the tumor will affect the heart to some extent.

Note 1: Chapter 172, Zheng Lao Ban's first time going to Di Du, the doctor who shared the flight with the elderly person suffering from late-stage lung cancer whom he met on the plane.

Note 2: He is an old patient of mine; he underwent lung cancer Shou Bing in early 2011, and esophageal cancer Shou Bing in June 2011. Postoperative recovery was good, but in 2017 while mountain climbing at an altitude of 4000 meters, his cardiopulmonary Function was damaged, and now he has asthma.