Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 130

Fifth Vitality – Episode 130 (130/502)

130. Full of Small Intestine

To be honest, I had noticed a faint odor since I first met Sister Kim Yebn. However, the second stage could also occur in ordinary people when their condition wasn’t good or they had a slight health issue, so I didn’t pay much attention to it.

‘It’s gotten too strong?’

However, it was a different story when the smell suddenly intensified or its nature changed.

“Sister, do you have any discomfort anywhere?”

Sister Kim Yebn replied with a perfectly fine expression to Tae-kyung’s question, asked out of concern.

“Me? No. I just tend to have a stomach ache after eating because I overeat.”

“Is the stomach ache okay?”

“It’s okay. I’ve had this level of stomach pain for quite a while. I may look thin, but I’m healthier than you think. That’s why I’ve been volunteering for so long.”

Watching Sister Kim Yebn’s nonchalant appearance, Tae-kyung decided to keep a close eye on her for now.

“Today, both the teacher, the team leader, and our Sister have worked really hard. Thanks to you, the elders in our village have received good medical care.”

The village chief came down to the village hall to see the three off.

“This is harvested from the village, please take it with you.”

The village chief expressed his gratitude by giving them rice prepared by the village.

“Thank you.”

Tae-kyung, Team Leader Choi, and Sister Kim Yebn exchanged greetings with the village chief and then left the village.

The car carrying the three of them emerged from the dark mountain road and was now speeding along the highway.

“I always had to go to the city and take a bus, so thank you for the ride.”

“We’re going that way anyway. You’ve worked hard today too, Sister, so I’ll give you a comfortable ride.”

“Yes, Team Leader. Thank you.”

After thanking Team Leader Choi, Sister Kim Yebn didn’t open her mouth again.

She had been constantly talking until just a moment ago, but now she had become silent.

Tae-kyung couldn’t help but be concerned because the smell coming from Sister Kim Yebn was gradually intensifying.

“Ah…….”

“Sister, are you feeling unwell?”

Sister Kim Yebn was leaning her head slightly against the car window, one hand on her abdomen, with her eyes closed.

“I’ve always had stomach pain after eating. But it seems to be worse today because I ate more.”

Tae-kyung, sitting in the passenger seat, turned his head to check Sister Kim Yebn’s complexion in the back seat.

‘This is bad!’

There was a slight cold sweat on her face, which didn’t look good.

“Sister, you look like you’re in a lot of pain right now. It would be better to stop for a while.”

He needed to stop the car and accurately assess Sister Kim Yebn’s condition.

“Team Leader, I’m sorry, but please stop the car at a rest area or a nap area. I think I need to check on the Sister.”

“Okay. We’ll be there soon. Please bear with it a little longer.”

“No. Don’t stop the car. I’m fine. I’ve been suffering from stomach pain for a long time, so I know it well. It always stops like this.”

“Then, let’s stop by the emergency room for a quick check-up.”

Sister Kim Yebn was also planning to take the subway from our hospital, so it wouldn’t be difficult to stop by the hospital.

“The emergency room? I don’t need to see a doctor.”

For some reason, Sister Kim Yebn kept refusing to go to the hospital.

“Sister, of course, it’s your body, so you should make the decision. But I believe that identifying the cause of pain and treating it is another responsibility as a medical professional. More than anything, you need to be healthy to continue the medical *bongsa* [volunteer work] that makes you happy. Instead, if you’re worried about the time, I’ll do it as quickly as possible.”

“Sister. Please, listen to the director and go to the hospital. Okay?”

Team Leader Choi, who was driving while watching the road ahead, even chimed in.

“Since you two are saying this much, I have no choice.”

Sister Kim Yebn gave a slight smile and decided to follow Tae-kyung’s suggestion.

“Teacher, you’re very good at talking.”

“Right? Our director’s eloquence is extraordinary.”

“Actually, I felt sorry.”

“Sorry? What do you have to be sorry about, Sister?”

“You’ve worked so hard volunteering today, and I didn’t want to add to your burden.”

“What are you talking about? Not at all.”

“I was thinking of going to the *jaedan* [foundation] hospital when I had time anyway. I’m a nurse too. I know that I should see a doctor when I’m sick, but I guess I didn’t feel the need because it got better over time.”

“Of course, you can feel that way. Anyway, you’ve done well to decide to get a check-up.”

“Yes. But maybe it’s because you two are worried about me, but I already feel a little better?”

“Still, since you’ve decided to go to the hospital, get it checked out.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Soon, Team Leader Choi’s car arrived at the hospital parking lot.

Tak-

Tae-kyung got out of the car first with Sister Kim Yebn.

“The hospital is bigger than I thought. To be the director of such a big hospital, you must be amazing?”

“Not at all. More importantly, how are your symptoms?”

“I’m a little better now.”

Indeed, she wasn’t sweating anymore, and Sister Kim Yebn’s complexion was much better than before. Moreover, the intensity of the smell had also weakened slightly.

“Sister, please go inside.”

Tae-kyung guided Sister Kim Yebn to the hospital.

* * *

“Teacher? Why are you at the hospital at this hour…….”

Nurse Im Jeong-suk approached, puzzled, as Tae-kyung entered the emergency room without notice.

“Sister?”

Lee Chan-hee and Choi Mona, who were treating patients, wondered what was going on with Tae-kyung, who had come with the Sister.

“This is the Sister who helped with the medical *bongsa* [volunteer work] today. She came for treatment. Please guide her.”

“Ah, yes. Sister, please follow me this way.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

A moment later, Tae-kyung approached Sister Kim Yebn, who had changed into a patient gown and was sitting on the bed.

“Sister. We’re going to proceed with the examination. Originally, we would take a blood test and then a CT scan, but since you’re busy, we’ll do it together. Do you have any pre-existing conditions?”

“No, no past history and no contrast allergy. I’m a nurse, so I know what to be careful about.”

“Then, please wait a moment and we’ll proceed quickly.”

He was worried about the stomach pain that caused cold sweats and the strong smell that came right after the meal, but since the pain quickly disappeared, Tae-kyung didn’t suspect a major illness.

“Teacher, what happened?”

Lee Chan-hee approached Tae-kyung, who was heading to the station, and asked.

“Weren’t you supposed to heal with *bongsa* [volunteering] today and go straight home?”

“Healing, my foot. I worked hard and came back. First, give that patient NaK1-10DW and administer a gastric acid inhibitor. And keep her fasting.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Teacher, the test results are out.”

Nurse Im Jeong-suk said to Tae-kyung.

“Already? That was fast.”

“I told them it was urgent, so they did it right away. Only the CBC (complete blood cell count, a test that counts the number of cells in the blood, usually analyzing white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets, etc.) is out for now.”

“I’ll check it right away.”

Tae-kyung quickly moved the mouse and stared at the monitor.

“Let’s see. The white blood cell count is normal and the blood test is all normal. But the eosinophil count is very high. Is it an autoimmune disease? Eosinophils?”

Tae-kyung, who was talking to himself while looking at the monitor, suddenly remembered something.

‘Currently, that’s the most likely possibility.’

Based on Sister Kim Yebn’s situation, symptoms, and the tests so far, one word came to mind, and he immediately went to the patient.

“Sister. How long have you had stomach pain after that meal?”

“I’ve had stomach pain for quite a while.”

“If it’s been a long time, did it start when you were in Indonesia?”

“Yes, that’s right. I think it started to hurt gradually about 4 years ago. Why? I’m a little worried because you’re asking me that.”

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll tell you after I see the CT scan.”

Thirty minutes later, Tae-kyung was checking the CT results with Lee Chan-hee and Choi Mona.

“Teacher Lee, Teacher Choi, what does this look like to you?”

Tae-kyung asked, pointing to the inside of the small intestine in the CT results. The inside of the small intestine was full of thin, long things.

Lee Chan-hee and Choi Mona focused on it.

“Lee Chan-hee?”

“The appearance looks like blood vessels, but both sides are blocked and there are too many. I don’t know.”

As Lee Chan-hee said, it looked like blood vessels at first glance, but it wasn’t.

“Choi Mona?”

“Could it be undigested food?”

Choi Mona, who was staring intently at the monitor, replied.

“Well, it looks like food, right? It looks like noodles or bean sprouts with only the heads missing…….”

“When you say bean sprouts, it looks like mung bean sprouts?”

Lee Chan-hee and Choi Mona were looking for answers while looking at the CT results.

“What is this?”

No matter how they looked at it, they couldn’t guess what was filling the inside of the small intestine.

“Look. This is the area near the end of the small intestine, right? Then what would it be?”

“It’s impossible for food not to be digested.”

“That’s right. This is not food.”

“Then what is it?”

“Parasite.”

Tae-kyung said, fixing his gaze on the protagonist of the problem in the small intestine.

“P, Parasite?”

“Are you talking about parasites?”

The two asked back as if in unison.

“Yes. It’s a parasite.”

“But teacher, isn’t it impossible for parasites to fill the stomach to that extent in Korea now?”

“I have the same thought as Teacher Choi. There are no patients, so how can parasites be so full…….”

The reaction of the two was not unreasonable. It would have been even more difficult to infer because they only looked at the CT scan without looking at the CBC results.

Moreover, there are still quite a few such cases in foreign countries. However, in Korea, cases like Sister Kim Yebn were extremely rare.

Occasionally, one or two may be found during a colonoscopy, but it was definitely difficult to see that amount that would make you doubt your eyes.

“There’s a reason why it turned out like this.”

“Reason?”

“That patient has been in Southeast Asia for a long time. I heard that they eat with one hand and wipe their feces with the other hand there. She lived that life for about 8 years.”

“8 years! Ah…….”

“I see.”

As Tae-kyung’s explanation continued, the two were immediately able to understand why the parasites occurred.

“Since that’s probably roundworm (a type of parasite that looks similar to an earthworm and can be over 30cm long), it can be easily treated with albendazole (albendazole, anthelmintic), etc.”

“Is it possible to treat it with medicine when there are so many?”

“No, it’s not possible. That’s only when there are a few, and if it’s that much, you have to scrape it out with surgery.”

“Oh! It’s really full on the CT scan.”

Really, anyone could see that the number of individuals was quite large. The word teeming came to mind.

“I’ll explain. Please contact Dr. Jung in the anesthesiology department and guide the patient here.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Teacher? What were the CT results?”

Sister Kim Yebn, curious about the results, approached Tae-kyung, who was in front of the monitor.

“Sister, would you like to sit here? You’re familiar with CT photos, right?”