Chapter 2840: 2746.2636 Gluten

2746.2636 Gluten

"Could it be endocrine disorder from staying up late or too much stress? Blood sugar is fine, but they didn't check glycated hemoglobin; also we can't temporarily rule out a pancreatic issue." Su Yun asked.

"It's possible, but unlikely." Zheng Ren said, "The data is still scarce."

"What can a psychiatric hospital even check? Ask Director Wu."

"Let's discuss it first, otherwise it'll be annoying to keep bringing up things one after another." Zheng Ren said.

"Anorexia is also possible…… no, if it were anorexia there wouldn't be progressive wasting, and diagnosis is simple. The patient was sent to the hospital because they wanted to commit suicide; could it really be a mental illness caused by too much stress?" Su Yun frowned and asked.

"Not necessarily, let's see." Zheng Ren sat on the sofa, glanced at Song Ying and smiled: "Sorry, Brother Song."

"It's fine, you guys do your thing; I'll go check the food. Should I just serve it when it's ready, or wait for you?"

"Just serve it, don't worry about him." Su Yun said.

"No diarrhea, no nausea or vomiting, so not acute gastroenteritis. No, I always feel there's missing information; I can't make a judgment now." Su Yun said.

"Hmm, preliminarily it's a chronic gastrointestinal function issue, but…"

"But what?"

"Can wasting and suicidal desire be linked? If not, are we barking up the wrong tree?"

Song Ying sat to the side, watching Zheng Lao Ban's eyes light up as they discussed the case—totally different from his reluctant, mumbling demeanor in the car—and she smiled inwardly.

This person really does have that temperament.

Song Ying knew that dealing with someone like Zheng Lao Ban was easy; usually just ignore him and keep in touch with Su Yun.

But whenever he recalled Su Yun's words, Xiao Shitou still had hope, and his heart burned hot. He certainly didn't believe that a few big conglomerates had already cured cancer, but as long as there was hope, it was better than utter darkness.

Fortunately he'd been lucky back then; Song Ying walked toward the back kitchen, thinking of the time Zheng Lao Ban and Su Yun returned from earthquake relief, bruised and swollen, squatting by the roadside skewering meat.

That time was truly a coincidence; they just happened to meet. At first he only saw them as rising stars, and after understanding his own condition, he felt inclined to befriend them.

Later, through contact, he realized Zheng Lao Ban was truly not ordinary, yet no matter how he thought about it, he never imagined he'd reach this point.

Whether it's curing cancer or having contact with the conglomerates that do, to Song Ying it's all the same—a lifeline he can only use himself.

In other words, it's like an elixir of life—worth cracking your skull over to get.

He knew exactly how much influence such a channel required.

For now, just observe; regardless of success, he definitely needed to maintain a good relationship with Zheng Lao Ban's medical team. The closer, the better—otherwise he'd want to join the medical team himself.

He glanced at the back kitchen, said nothing, organized his thoughts, and waited until his emotions settled before heading back.

Xie Yiren and Chang Yue were chatting on their phones, laughing, probably talking in a group with everyone.

The small vendor who kept tapping his feet didn't have a rolling suitcase; he sat quietly in a corner, really not looking like a salesperson, Song Ying thought.

This young guy was also a stroke of luck, yet Song Ying felt a faint envy for him. Anyone who could rise alongside Zheng Lao Ban made him a little envious.

By then Zheng Lao Ban and Su Yun had finished talking; Su Yun's eyebrows were raised, radiating a sharp energy, while Zheng Lao Ban gently held his phone, in the middle of making a call.

That fast? It had only been about ten minutes. Seeing Zheng Lao Ban about to call, Song Ying stayed silent and stood aside to listen.

"Director Wu, I have a new idea on my end."

"Hmm, the hospital's tests aren't that thorough."

"May I ask if your hospital can perform quantitative fecal fat testing and fat absorption trials?"

"If not, could you do iodine-131 triglyceride and iodine-131 oleic acid absorption tests?"

"Uh… explaining this is a hassle; if none of those are possible, could you measure serum carotenoid concentration?"

"At least small intestine endoscopy should be doable, right?"

"What exactly can you do…?" Zheng Ren sighed deeply, "If not, we could do a lower GI contrast study."

"It's just the patient drinking contrast; you have what you have, mainly barium, then estimate timing and do fluoroscopy. When passing the problematic area… don't take spot films, I want to see the whole process."

"Alright, that's set—send the results to my email after the exam. The phone's resolution still has minor issues; some details need to be viewed on a computer."

"Okay, I'm hanging up."

Having said that, Zheng Ren hung up.

"You're asking unnecessarily." Su Yun said, "If a psychiatric hospital could do those tests, it'd be a miracle. Even Haicheng First Hospital can't—what do you think you're capable of?"

"Possibly we can't do serum carotenoid measurement, but not even small intestine endoscopy—I didn't expect that." Zheng Ren spread his hands.

"Boss, routine checks, routine checks—do you even know what routine means!" Su Yun said disparagingly, "The standard value for serum carotenoid measurement—Haicheng First Hospital probably has only ten people who could state it correctly, which would be not bad."

"Alright." Zheng Ren said helplessly, having no desire to argue with Su Yun.

"Zheng Lao Ban, you already have a lead this fast?" Song Ying asked with a smile.

He had also heard the patient's condition just now—extreme stress, suicidal, with persecutory delusions—and Zheng Lao Ban was calling for those odd tests, which made Song Ying a little curious.

Actually he didn't understand what Zheng Lao Ban said, but as long as Zheng Lao Ban liked it, that was fine.

"I have a hypothesis." Zheng Ren said.

"What is it?"

Zheng Ren shook his head slightly, but Su Yun said, "First look at the auxiliary tests; if there's a GI problem, we highly suspect gluten enteropathy."

"……" Song Ying stared for a moment.

Gluten enteropathy—he had never heard that term before.

"Gluten is what we usually call wheat gluten." Su Yun said, "It's mild; a few years ago I and a few senior brothers went to see Jacky Cheung's concert, a little girl rushed to eat after the show, bought a burger and went straight there, and fainted at the venue not long after eating."

Speaking, Su Yun smiled faintly, "That girl was really lucky—our seats were right behind her. If there hadn't been a doctor present, she might have died."