This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

Actually, at this time, the best method would be moxibustion, using a moxa stick to urgently treat the ophryon; the effect would be the same. However, while moxibustion of the ophryon is reliable, it doesn’t work as quickly as acupuncture, and there were no moxa sticks available in the delivery room. If someone went to the Pharmacy to get one, the round trip could lead to numerous unforeseen complications for the woman in childbirth.

”The woman in childbirth didn’t receive adequate nutrition during her pregnancy, and her body has been weak for a long time. The moment the fetus leaves her body, she experiences a total depletion of both qi and blood. In other words, once the fetus is born, the mother’s internal organs lose their internal pressure, lacking the impetus and energy to continue functioning.”

Du Heng turned to look at Jiang Feng, and the dissatisfaction in his eyes made Jiang Feng’s heart tremble.

Nowadays, when a woman gives birth, a personnel file should be established from the very beginning. The hospital and department responsible for creating the file must not only check if the fetus is developing normally but also assess the mother’s own health. If any risks to the mother are identified, the examining doctors must inform the pregnant woman and her family, address the risk factors, and even suggest terminating the pregnancy. This woman in childbirth is so thin. Regardless of whether it’s due to dieting or other reasons, she should have been informed and the issue addressed in advance, with a risk assessment recorded in her personnel file. But they did nothing. This negligence led to the current perplexing situation, leaving the woman in childbirth on the brink of death, her life hanging by a thread like a lamp about to run out of oil.

But this wasn’t the time for anger. Applying acupuncture to the ophryon was only a temporary measure to help the woman in childbirth recover a little of her original qi. Without follow-up treatment, the outcome would remain dire.

”Ginseng, aconite, and motherwort. Add 1,000 milliliters of water to these three herbs and decoct them urgently. Hurry!”

Du Heng quickly determined the optimal medicinal combination and immediately instructed Jiang Feng to prepare it. Ginseng is a supreme herb for tonifying qi and relieving uneasiness of the mind. Motherwort activates blood and regulates menstruation. With aconite acting as a medicinal guide, it elevates yang qi and directs the medicinal qi into the heart meridian. This rapidly addresses the issue of an empty heart chamber due to insufficient blood nourishing the heart, achieving the dual effect of tonifying both qi and blood, with results evident after the first dose.

If Ginseng were used alone at this point, its clear yang qi could also stimulate the lesser yang, reactivating the depleted blood chamber. However, this would lead to blood deficiency in the woman, leaving her sickly and requiring a significant period of recuperation. Therefore, using Ginseng alone is not as effective as combining it with aconite. While the effect of using aconite is significantly better than using Ginseng alone, an improper dosage of aconite can cause the medication meant to tonify qi and blood to disperse instead of being retained, failing to concentrate its effects on the blood chamber. The consequence would be that, despite no inherent problem with the medication itself, the benefits of Ginseng wouldn’t be realized, and the patient could still die.

However, since everyone present practiced Western medicine, Du Heng saw no need to explain. They wouldn’t understand even if he did, and it would only waste time. It was better to have them act quickly to save the patient.

Just as Jiang Feng left the room, the woman in childbirth slowly regained consciousness. However, she was extremely weak, finding it incredibly difficult to even open her eyes. This, however, was not a concern; in fact, it was a positive sign.

While Du Heng was closely observing the woman, Gao Qin, the Director of the Gynecology Department, rushed in frantically. Du Heng was somewhat surprised. He hadn’t expected the Director of the Gynecology Department to arrive instead of the Director of the Obstetrics Department. This realization reignited the anger he had just managed to suppress, and it flared up even more intensely.

”Director Gao, why are you here?”

”A doctor from my department called, so I rushed over to see what was happening,” Gao Qin replied, her gaze sweeping over the delivery room. When she saw the readings on the monitor beside the woman in childbirth, Director Gao knew the patient had passed the most critical stage. Seeing Du Heng by the sick bed, Gao Qin understood this was likely his doing. However, as she looked at Du Heng, her eyes flickered slightly. ”Dean, your mouth...”

”Mouth?” Du Heng touched his mouth. ”HSSS...” The burning pain flared up again.

It’s blistered!

Only then did Du Heng remember that a child had just been born in this room. He had been too anxious and overwrought earlier to notice the issue with his mouth. He suddenly felt an urge to slap himself twice. What is wrong with me? Why doesn’t this ever get better?

”HSSS... It’s nothing. Just a bit worked up,” Du Heng muttered softly.

Gao Qin didn’t understand the real reason, assuming Du Heng was angry due to issues caused by Jin Juan and others in the Obstetrics Department. Inevitably, she began to feel a twinge of pity for Jin Juan and her colleagues. Situations like this occurred in every department, but they were particularly severe in the Obstetrics Department. However, for a Director and Deputy Director to be drunk and unreachable by phone was unprecedented in other departments. This was a very serious breach of discipline and regulations. They have my condolences.

Just as she was about to speak, a nurse rushed in. ”Dean, the family member of the woman in childbirth waiting outside has fainted!”

****! Du Heng immediately turned and hurried out, hoping nothing too serious had happened. He reached the corridor in a few strides and saw a young man helping a middle-aged woman sit on a stool, while the nurse who had called him was assisting nearby.

”Is everything alright?” Du Heng asked gently.

The woman on the stool looked pale and unsteady. Hearing Du Heng’s voice, she managed to lift her head, her voice choked with tears, ”Doctor, what’s wrong with my daughter? The child was born hours ago, why isn’t she out yet?”

”Is the patient inside your daughter?”

”Yes.”

”And you must be her husband?” Du Heng asked, looking at the man.

The man nodded, continuing to support the trembling woman.

Du Heng sighed. ”After giving birth, your daughter was extremely weak. Her heart even stopped for a moment.”

The woman immediately began to tremble violently, looking as if she might faint again. Du Heng quickly added, ”But please don’t worry. The patient has stabilized. Once she recovers a little more, she can be brought out.”

Despite his reassurances, the middle-aged woman couldn’t hold on any longer. Her eyes rolled back, and she slumped over. If not for her son-in-law supporting her, she might have slid off the stool. Du Heng quickly crouched down to check on her, but she promptly regained consciousness, opened her eyes, and looked directly at him. This, in turn, made Du Heng feel rather awkward.

”Doctor, what happened? My daughter was fine throughout her pregnancy. My son-in-law said she even walked into the delivery room on her own. Why is she like this after giving birth?”

”Childbirth is an event that severely depletes one’s original qi. It requires the mother to be in good physical condition. Moreover, when the fetus is in the womb, it’s quite demanding. To put it bluntly, the fetus essentially plunders the mother’s nutrients to survive and develop. But your daughter is too thin. Her nutritional intake wasn’t sufficient, which led to this state of complete exhaustion, as if she’s burned out all her reserves.”

The woman burst into tears, her face filled with regret. ”It’s all my fault! I spoiled her. She said she’d get fat during pregnancy and it would be hard to lose the weight afterward, so she kept dieting and refusing to eat properly. I... I almost caused her irreparable harm!”

Her son-in-law, standing beside her, continuously comforted his mother-in-law, urging her not to blame herself too much.

Du Heng finally pieced together the situation. The daughter, afraid of gaining weight during pregnancy, insisted on controlling her diet and losing weight. The mother-in-law, feeling sorry for her daughter, indulged these whims. She even frequently berated her son-in-law (the patient’s husband) and his mother when they advised her daughter to eat more. She had accused them of having ulterior motives, claiming they wanted her daughter to gain weight and lose her figure, thereby ’trapping’ her in their family.

Du Heng was somewhat baffled by this middle-aged woman’s thought process. Was she expecting her daughter to get divorced right after childbirth? But seeing her current remorseful expression, she didn’t seem like someone who was deliberately troublesome. This apparent contradiction in her personality made Du Heng quite uneasy. Could this mother-in-law have a split personality? he couldn’t help but wonder.

Just then, Jiang Feng hurried over, carrying the sealed bag of decocted medicine. Du Heng didn’t wish to say more. He and Jiang Feng re-entered the delivery room.

”In the future, unless it’s a life-or-death emergency where the patient is about to die on the spot, you should walk quickly, not run.” As soon as they entered, Du Heng frowned. ”Running like that can give the patient or their family the mistaken impression that the situation is extremely dangerous. This could lead to misunderstandings and cause unnecessary incidents.”

Jiang Feng caught her breath lightly. She had started running because her patient on duty had been in critical danger, making her extremely anxious. However, upon hearing Du Heng’s words, she quickly nodded in understanding and didn’t offer an explanation.