Dr. Shin Seonhan: The Doctor Who Sees The Future [EN]: Chapter 77

#77 Breath (8)

“Am I in bad shape? Do I need surgery?”

The young patient asked in a small voice, her face full of worry.

“We’re just doing some tests to be sure. The CT scan didn’t show anything major, so hopefully, you can be discharged soon.”

I replied with a smile.

Song-yi seemed a little relieved.

Then, she covered one side of her mouth with her palm and whispered to me.

‘Sorry. My mom is really weird, right?’

She was speaking only with lip movements and gestures.

I chuckled.

After a long while, I returned to the station, exhausted.

I looked at the clock on the wall and was surprised.

‘It took 45 minutes to get the CT consent form…’

That’s a record.

It was the first time it took so long to get a consent form for a test.

Of course, we managed to get through it somehow…

But I had a feeling that the treatment process wouldn’t be easy.

* * *

First floor of the hospital.

Song-yi was waiting for her turn in front of the CT room.

She hadn’t been thinking much about it until she came down here.

But now that she was about to get the test, she was worried.

‘I hope it’s nothing serious, like the doctor said…’

As she was thinking this, she heard the radiologist calling her name.

“Yang Song-yi?”

At the sound of her name, Song-yi looked up.

It was Yang Song-yi’s first time having a CT scan.

She faced a machine that looked like a spaceship.

‘Do I have to go in there?’

It felt a little scary.

It looked like a machine from a sci-fi movie, which was also a bit fascinating…

“Put your belongings in the basket, lie down here. Put your arms up like this, and hold your breath when I tell you to.”

Nod, nod.

Yang Song-yi followed the technician’s instructions well.

Soon, she lay down on the CT machine, and the round machine made a loud noise as it moved around Song-yi’s body.

Weeeeng—

A kind voice came from the speaker.

Once the test started, it wasn’t as scary as she thought.

Instead, many thoughts came to her mind.

As she lay alone in the round machine, worries she had forgotten came to mind.

‘What about the final exams?’

The exams were in two weeks.

What if her grades fall behind, like her mom said…

The final exams were especially important for Song-yi, who had messed up the midterm exams.

But she didn’t even know what the exam range was.

Even if her friends lent her their notes, not being able to attend classes was a big deal.

‘Sigh…’

Don’t worry too much.

I’ll be able to leave the hospital soon.

The handsome doctor treated me, too!

I’ll definitely get better as if nothing happened!

Song-yi closed her eyes, thinking that.

* * *

After Song-yi had the CT scan.

I was the first to check the results.

I checked the results on the station monitor and was surprised.

“Wait… what is this?”

I checked the screen again.

There was something strange.

Just in case, I adjusted the brightness of the CT scan.

‘Am I seeing things?’

No.

No matter how many times I looked at it, it was strange.

“Ryu Myung-in. Come here for a second.”

“Why?”

I grabbed Ryu Myung-in, who was passing by.

He had a sulky expression.

‘Why does he look like that?’

Could it be that he’s sulking because I inserted the chest tube first?

He was expressing his sulk with his whole body, as if his jealousy towards me hadn’t disappeared yet.

“Are you going to show off your X-ray? Are you trying to brag about inserting the chest tube earlier than me?”

“That’s not it. Just come here.”

I dragged Ryu Myung-in, who was acting like a child, to the monitor.

“What does this look like to you?”

I pointed to one side of the CT scan with my finger.

The CT scan consisted of multiple layers of black and white images.

How to read a CT scan?

To put it simply…

‘White part’ = something is filled.

‘Black part’ = empty.

That’s what it means.

So, what about the lungs?

Gray.

Half tissue, half air.

Because countless small alveoli contain air, it appears gray as a result.

But the part I’m focusing on now is…

Pitch black.

That means it’s filled with a large amount of air.

Inside the two gray territories, it looks like some unwelcome guests have settled down in the master bedroom.

“This is a patient who just came up after a CT scan, and it doesn’t look like a simple pneumothorax [collapsed lung], does it?”

When I asked again, Ryu Myung-in finally leaned his head towards the monitor and said with a curious expression.

“Wow, the name is unique. Is the person’s name Yang Song-yi?”

Myung-in…

We’re not in a position to say that other people’s names are unique.

Anyway, don’t look at the name, look at the picture!

“If it’s pneumothorax anyway, can’t we just send them home after a few days when the air leak in the lungs stops? It doesn’t seem like there’s anything to see…”

“Stop talking nonsense and look more closely.”

“Hey, hyung [older brother/senior], what do you mean nonsense? Haven’t you been too harsh on me since you slapped me last time?”

“You’re the best at reading images among the interns.”

I deliberately slipped in a compliment.

I’ve noticed since last time, this guy is incredibly easy to handle.

Just give him compliments.

Sure enough, Ryu Myung-in’s cheekbones suddenly rose, and his expression changed.

“Hmm… well, I’m busy, but should I take a look? I have a knack for looking at images.”

Such a simple guy.

Is he an amoeba?

Ryu Myung-in soon sat next to me and scrolled through the mouse.

As he scrolled through the screen, Ryu Myung-in frowned.

“It doesn’t look like a simple pneumothorax, like you said, hyung?”

“You see it too, right?”

“I think I learned about this when I was a student…”

His expression became a little more serious.

We were lost in thought for a while, looking at the monitor.

Then, someone appeared from behind.

“What are you guys doing?”

“Dr. Song Yu-ju.”

“Do you think the answer will come out if you put two stones together?”

In an instant, we were treated like stone 1 and 2.

“The most dangerous thing is when you guys come up with the wrong answer together. You were lucky last time, but from now on, don’t discuss it among yourselves and tell me right away.”

“Yes.”

Song Yu-ju scolded us and sat down in the station chair.

Click, click—

Song Yu-ju checked the CT scan.

The lollipop stick in her mouth moved up and down.

Song Yu-ju looked at the monitor with a blank expression.

After a while, her movements stopped, and her eyebrows raised slightly.

Did she notice something?

“It’s CCAM. It’s rare to find it at this age.”

Ah…

CCAM!

We were able to remember it then.

It is an abbreviation for ‘Congenital Cystic Adenomatoid Malformation’ [a rare lung malformation].

In Korean, it is called <선천성 낭포성 유선종 폐기형(Seoncheonseong Nangposeong Yuseonjong Pyegihyeong)>.

A disease called CCAM because of its long name.

It is a disease in which abnormal tissue proliferates in the lungs that should grow normally.

It is usually found before birth or in the neonatal period.

However, it is rarely diagnosed in adulthood.

“It’s rare to find it in adulthood, and the first symptom was pneumothorax? That’s a really unique case.”

Song Yu-ju’s eyes showed an interesting look.

I asked from the side.

“Then is surgery necessary?”

“We have to do surgery.”

Song Yu-ju nodded.

Lung malformations are dangerous if left untreated.

Pneumothorax can recur, or it can lead to other respiratory infections…

In the worst case, it can even grow into cancer!

“The professor will probably tell you to have surgery. Let me know when the plan is decided during rounds.”

“Yes.”

We answered at the same time.

But…

I’m a little worried.

Surgery out of nowhere.

Will Song-yi’s mother accept this fact well?

I have a feeling she might refuse surgery because of her personality.

‘Eh, no way.’

I shook my head.

Even if it’s what the doctors are saying, she’ll listen, right?

* * *

“No way!”

The guardian’s sharp voice echoed during rounds.

Then, the professor patiently said again.

“Guardian, we believe that Yang Song-yi needs surgery.”

Cutting out a part of the lung.

That was Professor Talgoegi’s judgment.

But Song-yi’s mother crossed her arms and shook her head firmly.

“I said no.”

“…?”

‘No’ she said?

The professor blinked.

It didn’t seem like they were worried about the cost of surgery…

Why do they keep opposing the surgery?

While everyone was wondering, Song-yi’s mother continued.

“Doctor. My child is a senior in high school. A senior. It’s the most important time in her life, so there’s no need to have surgery right now.”

As expected…

That was the reason.

She was worried that Song-yi, who was a senior in high school, would lose time to study.

To Song-yi’s mother, time in the hospital seemed to be seen as just ‘wasted time’.

“Guardian, our Yonkuk University Hospital’s Department of Thoracic Surgery is the best in Korea. Please trust us and follow our instructions.”

Professor Talgoegi spoke as gently as possible.

But Song-yi’s mother was unmoved.

Rather, she retorted to the professor even more stubbornly.

“Doctor. You know how much information mothers have these days.”

“…Yes?”

“I looked it up, and I heard that pneumothorax doesn’t necessarily require surgery?”

“Who said that?”

“A famous doctor in Gangnam [affluent district in Seoul] who I know well said that.”

“What kind of doctor?”

“A psychiatrist.”

“….”

Crack.

A blood vessel popped out on Professor Han Sang-gi’s forehead.

If it were his usual personality, he would have exploded already.

We were listening nervously from the side, feeling like we were watching a bomb with a fuse about to be lit.

“…It’s not a simple pneumothorax. The disease we’re suspecting is called <선천성 낭포성 유선종 폐기형(Seoncheonseong Nangposeong Yuseonjong Pyegihyeong)> (Congenital Cystic Adenomatoid Malformation). We’ll have to cut it out and do a tissue test to know for sure, though.”

The professor barely regained his patience and spoke.

“Seoncheonseong Nangpo… what did you say?”

“In simple terms, you can think of it as a strange part that formed when the lungs were growing as a newborn.”

The professor explained step by step.

“If you don’t have surgery and leave it alone, pneumothorax may occur again, or you may develop a severe respiratory infection.”

At the professor’s gentle explanation, Song-yi’s mother took a step back and made a new suggestion.

“Doctor. Then, there’s a final exam in two weeks, so how about setting a surgery date after that?”

Anyway, the nuance was that she couldn’t lose study time before the final exam.

Then, Professor Han Sang-gi’s tone gradually became annoyed.

“Surgery is better the sooner it’s discovered. Besides, you can’t be discharged right now anyway. Just follow what we tell you to do.”

The conflict was tense.

The professor had no intention of backing down.

And that was the same for Song-yi’s mother.

“You know how important the final exam is for a senior in high school.”

“No, mother, health is more important than the exam…!”

The professor’s voice rose.

Is it going to explode?

Is it exploding?

Knowing the reputation of the Talgoegi, I was nervous.

Silence fell between the two people who couldn’t give an inch.

How long did that uncomfortable time pass?

“Um, guardian mother.”

I carefully opened my mouth.

Then, the two people looked at me at the same time.