A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 123

The Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts – Chapter 123

Chapter 22: Resident (3)

People say that being a hospital intern is tough.

But many say that the first year of residency is even tougher.

The sense of responsibility of becoming an attending physician and being in charge of patients.

The ever-expanding scope of work.

Detailed study of the major subject.

Managing interns who are lower in rank, and so on.

However, Jun-hoo was actually happy to become a resident.

The hardships experienced by a first-year resident felt like quests in a game.

If he could overcome these well.

He thought it would be a stepping stone for growth.

An old hermit in the world of martial arts once said that hardship without purpose is misfortune.

But hardship with purpose is luck. That’s exactly what it was.

Tap tap tap.

Jun-hoo’s fingers were running wild as he was working on charts in the on-call room.

Boasting an amazing English typing speed of 2,000 words per minute, he quickly finished his work.

Of course, just because he was fast didn’t mean he was careless.

Jun-hoo knew the details of his patients like a string of sausages.

Wasn’t Jun-hoo dreaming of becoming a surgeon to relieve the pain of his patients?

It was absurd to think that Jun-hoo would only care about work efficiency.

-Doctor. I’m calling to give you a notification about patient Seo Hoon in room 601.

In the middle of his work, a call came from the nurse at the station.

“Yes. Go ahead.”

-The patient has been complaining of migraines since this morning. He’s asking for a prescription for headache medicine, what should I do?

“Give him Naproxen B.i.d [bis in die, Latin for twice a day] in the morning and evening. I’ll put in an order for Aspirin PRN [pro re nata, Latin for as needed].”

-Patient Yang Soon-rye in room 604. She keeps shaking her legs severely after the surgery, what should we do with her?

“Is the patient taking Pramipexole?”

-Yes. 0.15mg three times a day.

“I will increase the dosage to 0.25mg tomorrow. Let’s follow up while increasing the dosage.”

-But doctor. I’m curious about something…….

The nurse suddenly changed the subject.

“Yes. Go ahead.”

-How do you answer everything I ask right away? Are you reading my mind?

The nurse asked jokingly.

Because Jun-hoo’s prescriptions came out so quickly.

Jun-hoo had just become a first-year resident in neurosurgery.

It was natural to be hesitant and not know what to do when a nurse notified him.

So, he had to solve the problem by looking at textbooks or asking his seniors.

As a result, it was natural that it took a long time to prescribe and enter orders.

But what?

Jun-hoo was on a different level from the typical first-year resident.

Prescriptions came out right away.

Order entries were not delayed either.

So, some nurses gave Jun-hoo the nickname ‘Windmill’.

“You’re asking why I’m so quick at my job, right?”

-Yes.

“It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but I only have patients in my head.”

-…….

“I look at the nursing records whenever I have time to rest. I think about the prescriptions in advance while looking at them.”

-…….

“I also tend to notify professors and seniors in advance.”

-That’s cool. Doctor. It sounds like something famous doctors would say.

“Hahaha. Is that so? Good work, and please contact me if you have anything to notify.”

-Yes. Good work, Dr. Jun-hoo.

After hanging up the phone with the ward nurse.

Jun-hoo pondered the word ‘famous doctor’.

What are the conditions to become a famous doctor?

There are many conditions to be counted.

But the most important condition is clearly affection, interest, and consideration for the patient.

If a doctor is indifferent to the patient.

There would be no reason to hone his medical skills.

Whether the patient is sick or not.

Whether they live or die.

He would only increase his performance by doing tests and treatments that make money for the hospital.

When will I become a famous doctor?

When will I become a surgeon instead of an assistant?

Before focusing on work again.

Jun-hoo briefly pictured his future self in his head.

* * *

That afternoon, in the operating room.

Jun-hoo was scrubbing in as the second assistant.

The first glorious surgery that a first-year neurosurgery resident entered was…….

It was brain tumor surgery.

Brain tumors were less common than other tumors such as lung cancer, stomach cancer, and colon cancer.

But the surgery was much more difficult.

First, the space to operate was narrow.

The brain was trapped inside the skull.

There was not much free space inside the skull.

Second, precise surgical vision was required.

15 centimeters wide.

15 centimeters long.

20 centimeters deep.

Nerves and blood vessels that maintain the body’s homeostasis were densely distributed in this small organ.

If you touch the brain incorrectly, paralysis, aphasia [speech disorder], seizures, and nerve damage can follow as aftereffects.

To prevent this.

Neurosurgery was performed using a microscope.

‘This is the human brain.’

While assisting.

Jun-hoo saw the brain with his own eyes for the first time.

The gyri (the raised part of the brain) spread out in a winding shape.

The sulci (the recessed part of the brain) spread out in a winding shape.

The brain was like a giant walnut.

Jun-hoo felt a sense of mystery in the brain he saw for the first time.

It was unbelievable that an insignificant organ weighing only 1.4-1.6 kilograms was controlling the body and mind in an orderly manner.

In fact, the brain was still a mysterious organ to humans.

The way the brain works.

The role of the brain by region.

Hundreds of billions of nerve cells.

And the interaction between 100 billion nerve cells and 10,000 synapses, etc.

Scientists and doctors are studying it, but the information revealed is not only uncertain, but also has endless areas to be revealed.

‘It won’t be easy after all.’

The moment he saw the brain directly, Jun-hoo realized.

That it would be almost impossible to recover brain-dead patients like Sung-ho.

Or patients in a vegetative state.

Even if Jun-hoo had the mysterious weapon of hand movements and internal energy that he had honed in the world of martial arts.

But Jun-hoo did not give up.

He didn’t break his dream.

He was not frustrated.

In the past, no one expected that humans would invent airplanes to fly in the sky and cross continents.

Even if it seems impossible right now.

If he showed tenacity.

Jun-hoo believed that he could cure brain death and vegetative state.

“Is this the first time you’ve scrubbed in since entering neurosurgery?”

The chief surgeon, Go Chang-hyun, put down the surgical instrument and spoke to Jun-hoo.

“Yes. Professor.”

“What are your impressions of seeing the brain directly?”

“It’s amazing and mysterious. It also feels solemn because it’s the battlefield I’ll have to fight in the future.”

“You’re a friend with a rich sensibility.”

“Is having a rich sensibility…… is that a bad thing?”

“No. I said it in a good way.”

Chang-hyun looked at Jun-hoo and continued.

He made an unexpected suggestion.

“Would you like to touch the brain?”

“Is it really okay to do that?”

“It’s okay because it’s sterile. Just lightly touch it.”

Expressing his gratitude for Chang-hyun’s suggestion.

Jun-hoo carefully reached out to the patient’s brain.

Although he was wearing surgical gloves, the soft texture of the brain was vividly conveyed.

‘This is the feel of the brain.’

The texture of the brain was definitely different from the organs he had touched in gastrointestinal surgery or orthopedics.

Also, the brain looked just weak to Jun-hoo.

Even if he applied a little pressure to the brain in this state, it seemed that the brain nerves or blood vessels would be damaged.

Maybe that’s why.

The humorous expression that the brain is like tofu felt newly realistic.

“I don’t know if you’ll major in the brain part or the spine part, but it’s never bad to get close to the brain.”

“…….”

“Anyway, I’m always surprised while doing surgery every day. The brain is a friend that I can’t figure out at all.”

“I think I can understand how you feel, professor. Just a little bit.”

“I have a comrade. Hee-joon can’t sympathize with this kind of thing.”

Chang-hyun chuckled.

He stared at Hee-joon, a third-year resident who was the first assistant.

“Let’s stop chatting and continue the surgery.”

“Yes. Professor.”

“Yes. Professor.”

Jun-hoo engraved the feeling of the brain he had touched in his heart and started assisting.

Unlike other first-year students.

Jun-hoo was active in assisting.

He actively sought out the assistance that the chief surgeon and the first assistant needed.

Suction.

Applying gauze to the bleeding area.

Saline irrigation.

Retraction of the cerebral lobe, etc.

In the meantime, Jun-hoo tried one experiment.

He compared the microscope with his Angong (a martial art that amplifies eyesight).

The microscope could magnify the surgical area up to 10-25 times.

Focus could also be adjusted freely.

But Jun-hoo’s Angong was by no means inferior to the microscope.

Subjectively.

Jun-hoo’s Angong could magnify the surgical area up to 27 times.

However, there was a disadvantage that the maintenance time was only about 2 minutes when the magnification was maximized.

Wait a minute…….

Jun-hoo couldn’t help but be shocked after trying the second experiment.

He looked at the surgical area with a microscope and added Angong to it.

Then a new world unfolded.

Wow…….

Jun-hoo could see almost the movement of cells.

The microscope and Angong created synergy.

With this fraudulent surgical vision.

When he became a surgeon.

He thought he could perform surgery with amazing care.

Of course, it wasn’t a panacea just to amplify the field of vision, but the potential was worth looking forward to.

If surgical tools capable of cell-level surgery are equipped later.

‘Calm down. Calm down.’

Jun-hoo suppressed his excited heart and did his best to assist.

At the same time, he did not forget another task.

It was the formalization of the surgery.

Jun-hoo converted all the surgical tools used by the chief surgeon.

The method of approaching the surgical area.

The hand movements and skills to remove the tumor were all converted into forms.

He stored it in his head as a series of movements like Taekwondo’s Poomsae [forms or patterns].

So that he can take it out at any time.

In a brilliant way that no one knows.

In a brilliant way that no one can follow.

Jun-hoo was getting stronger.

* * *

After the successful removal of the astrocytoma [a type of brain tumor] that occurred in the frontal lobe.

Jun-hoo visited the lounge with Hee-joon.

“How is it? Is it bearable?”

Hee-joon handed Jun-hoo a canned coffee he had taken from the vending machine and asked.

“Thank you. Yes. I’m doing well without any problems.”

“You’re not pretending to be okay when it’s hard, are you?”

Hee-joon didn’t readily believe Jun-hoo’s words.

Of course, he knew that Jun-hoo was a special friend.

Jun-hoo was a famous person since he was an intern, and he showed off his solid assistance in today’s surgery.

He handed Hee-joon the surgical tools he needed in a timely manner.

Even before Hee-joon gave an order.

He did the treatment as if he had read Hee-joon’s mind.

Hee-joon had never experienced a first-year resident assisting so flawlessly.

But that’s it.

Just because Jun-hoo was good at his job didn’t mean he could rest assured.

Mental health tends to waver when dealing with the difficult tasks of neurosurgery.

Even Hee-joon dreamed of escaping (?) frequently until his second year.

“Do I look like I’m having a hard time in senior’s eyes?”

“Not at all~ You don’t look like that at all. That’s why I’m more anxious. I’m worried that you’re the type to hold back and then explode.”

“I used to be that type that senior mentioned.”

Jun-hoo looked down at the bracelet on his wrist and continued.

“But I learned from a close brother. That when things are tough, you have to know how to lean on the people around you.”

“…….”

“If I’m having a hard time, I’ll tell senior without hesitation.”

Jun-hoo’s confession, which seemed to have a story, touched Hee-joon’s heart.

“Then that’s a relief. You’ve probably got a sense of it, but our department has a good atmosphere.”

“…….”

“There’s no one who tries to establish military discipline. There’s no one who torments their juniors.”

“Yes. That’s why I like it more.”

“Let’s do well in the future.”

“Thank you for your concern. But senior, aren’t you tired?”

Jun-hoo suddenly changed the subject.

“Fatigue is something I live with, so there’s nothing new about it.”

“I’ll give you a simple massage.”

Jun-hoo got up from his seat and approached Hee-joon.

The massage that followed.

Jun-hoo’s massage was reminiscent of the legendary massage.

Standing behind Hee-joon.

He mercilessly bent Hee-joon’s neck 90 degrees.

He massaged Hee-joon’s shoulders and neck with his grip and acupressured with his thumb.

Not only that.

He released the stiff and contracted muscles around his waist.

Tududuk. Tududuk [onomatopoeia for cracking sounds].

He segmented each bone.

What Hee-joon especially liked was the head massage.

When Jun-hoo acupressured his temples, forehead, and crown, his head became as clear as first-class water.

His head felt refreshed as if he had slept for an hour.

“Wow, where did you learn this? Your touch is amazing?”

Hee-joon admired as he checked his lightened body.

The difference between before and after the massage was clear.

“I learned it from a relative who does massages.”

“Really? Anyway, it’s crazy. It’s amazing.”

“Use it often when you’re tired in the future. I’ll do it for free.”

Looking at Jun-hoo, who was smiling brightly, Hee-joon thought.

A blessing has come to the neurosurgery department.