This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

Which path does the Governor Vessel primarily follow? The spine!

So, putting it all together, this young man must have a tumor on his spine. Now, I just have to pray the tumor’s location isn’t too problematic—preferably not on the spinal cord—and that it’s not too large.

But when Du Heng recalled the young man’s symptoms—numbness in his hands and electric shock-like pain in his heels—a wave of helplessness washed over him.

These two symptoms alone strongly suggested the tumor had already affected the nerves. And if it was affecting the nerves, its location could be roughly pinpointed to the spinal cord itself, or directly on the nerves.

While Du Heng was alone in his office, lost in thought, Wu Shengnan, whom he was supposed to pick up, called. It was only then that Du Heng remembered he’d forgotten to pick up his wife.

Du Heng had no choice but to confess, explaining his suspicions about the young man’s condition and asking Wu Shengnan to take a taxi home herself.

Wu Shengnan wasn’t a spoiled or unreasonable woman. Hearing Du Heng had work, she readily agreed.

Du Heng breathed a long sigh of relief and returned to his contemplation.

Before the check-up result arrived, he had considered numerous possibilities and corresponding treatment methods, meticulously optimizing each one.

However, when the resident doctor returned with the young man and Du Heng saw the check-up result, he knew all his meticulous planning had been for nothing.

The young man was now a nervous wreck. While waiting for the examination, he had searched online for what diseases a nuclear magnetic resonance scan could detect. Every disease he found made his vision blur. He had also questioned the resident doctor, but the resident doctor claimed to know nothing. Even if he did, he wouldn’t have told the young man anything before Du Heng gave a definitive diagnosis.

Worry, panic, and nervousness constricted the young man’s chest. Sitting across from Du Heng and seeing his grave expression, the young man grew even more alarmed.

”Doctor, please, just tell me. I can handle it.” The young man mustered his courage. Although he claimed he could accept it, the tremor in his voice clearly indicated he might not.

Du Heng took a deep breath. ”Do you have any family, or relatives and friends, in the Capital?”

The young man’s expression faltered. As soon as Du Heng asked this question, he knew there was no room for false hope. If it weren’t something serious, the doctor wouldn’t be asking this now.

The young man suddenly felt deflated. Though he still didn’t know the specifics, he felt all his heart qi drain away.

”My family is from out of town, and I don’t have any relatives here. I haven’t been in the Capital long either—just a few colleagues I’ve recently met, no close friends to confide in.”

The young man’s spirits visibly sagged. ”Doctor, just tell me. I can take it.”

Du Heng pursed his lips. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, ”The check-up result is not good. According to the conclusion from the Doctor of the Inspection Department, you have a spinal glioma. To be precise, it’s a spinal cord neuroglioma, a tumor formed from neurogliocyte lesions. Furthermore, this tumor is located on your spinal cord.”

”Is it a malignant tumor?” The young man had found some useful information during his earlier search; at least he knew tumors were classified as benign or malignant.

If it’s benign, then I won’t have to be so scared.

Du Heng sighed internally. ”We can’t be certain without a pathological examination. However, based on current data, the probability of a spinal glioma being malignant is over eighty percent. And given your discomfort in the cervical vertebra and the electric shock-like pain in your heels, this tumor—whether malignant or benign—has already impacted your nerves. Therefore, discussing whether it’s malignant or benign isn’t particularly meaningful for you at this stage. What you need to do now is contact your family immediately so we can discuss treatment options together.”

Du Heng found these words difficult, but he had to tell the patient the truth. ”You’ve discovered this early; it’s not the worst-case scenario. Don’t be afraid. There are options. Please, contact your family as soon as possible.”

Upon hearing the definitive answer, the young man’s tension seemed to ease. He looked up at Du Heng and asked, ”Doctor, what will happen if I don’t get treatment?”

”Given the tumor’s location, first, you’ll experience paralysis, and then...”

Du Heng didn’t finish, but the young man nodded with understanding.

After a brief silence, the young man managed a strained smile. ”Thank you, doctor. If it weren’t for you, I might have become paralyzed before even knowing I had cancer.”

Du Heng’s mouth twitched. He wasn’t sure whether to smile or not.

But the young man seemed oblivious to Du Heng’s reaction, continuing with his own thoughts, ”I initially thought my discomfort was due to an awkward sleeping position, or perhaps the room had bad feng shui. But I never imagined I was actually ill, let alone with something like this.”

As he spoke, the young man shook his head. ”Still, thank you, doctor.”

Du Heng waved his hand dismissively. ”There’s no need for thanks. You should call your family right away and discuss this with them. I’m on duty tomorrow, and I’ll consult with other director experts to get their opinions. Then, we can figure out a plan together.”