Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 29

29. Mochi

His gaze shifted from the patient, the wife, to her husband.

‘This is…….’

The stench was even stronger coming from the man standing right next to her.

‘It’s potent fecal matter.’

The level 3 odor was emanating intensely from Lee Go-cheol.

‘The problem isn’t the wife; it’s the husband.’

Based on the Fifth Vital signs he had compiled so far, it was a Level 3. And with such a strong odor, he couldn’t rule out the possibility of a severe illness.

“Doctor, he’s asking if his wife is in pain.”

“It’s not painful, so you don’t need to worry.”

Tae-kyung decided to examine the wife’s abdominal pain first.

“I’m going to press on your abdomen. Does this hurt?”

“She says no.”

“How about here?”

“She says it’s okay.”

“Now, I’m going to lift your knee. How about here?”

“She says that doesn’t hurt either.”

“Alright. You can get up.”

Palpating the wife’s abdomen, it seemed like a typical case of constipation.

“We’ll run some tests, but it seems like it’s probably due to constipation.”

“That’s a relief. A Vietnamese friend in our neighborhood said it might be appendicitis. That’s why we came to the hospital.”

“It’s understandable to think that. After the palpation, the possibility seems low, but we’ll do an X-ray and a simple blood test just in case.”

“I’ll guide you through the tests.”

“Just a moment, Nurse Im.”

Tae-kyung stopped Nurse Im Jeong-sook, who was about to take the couple to the examination room.

“Sir, do you have any discomfort?”

“Me?”

Lee Go-cheol asked back, as if the question was absurd. Tae-kyung understood his reaction.

With his tall height, good physique, and bright complexion, Lee Go-cheol didn’t look sick at all.

“Are you asking if I have any pain?”

“Yes, I’m asking you, sir.”

Tae-kyung didn’t have high expectations as he asked.

Although he was somewhat confident in his newfound ability, he wasn’t confident enough to question the seemingly healthy guardian.

“No. Not at all.”

Lee Go-cheol answered cheerfully and headed to the examination room with his wife.

* * *

Shortly after, Tae-kyung was looking at the test results.

The X-ray showed that her colon was full of stool, indicating simple constipation.

“It seems like it’s just constipation.”

Tae-kyung turned the monitor so the couple could see it and continued.

“See here? This is all stool.”

“This? Are all these white lumps stool?”

“That’s right. It seems like you have severe constipation.”

“My wife sits on the toilet for over 30 minutes and still can’t go on many days.”

“I have a hard time in the bathroom.”

“I’ll prescribe some constipation medication. Taking the medicine will make it easier to pass stool.”

“I was worried it might be appendicitis or something serious, but it’s just constipation, so that’s a relief.”

“Please tell your wife to drink plenty of water when taking the medication.”

“I understand.”

“And if the pain persists even after passing stool, or if the nature of the pain changes, then come back to the hospital.”

“The doctor is good. Thank you.”

“My wife says she’s grateful that she received a comfortable examination for the first time since coming to Korea.”

“I’m glad you received a good examination.”

“Thank you for your effort.”

“Sir, just a moment.”

Tae-kyung called out to them as they got up to leave.

Earlier, Lee Go-cheol had clearly stated that he had no pain. However, the stench emanating from him, in contrast to his bright smile, kept bothering Tae-kyung.

“Excuse me, sir, have you ever had a health checkup?”

In the end, Tae-kyung decided to ask one more time. This time, he planned to inquire more specifically.

“Haha! You asked me that earlier too… Do I look like someone who’s sick to you, Doctor?”

It was a difficult question. Who would believe him if he said it was because of the foul smell he detected while wearing a doctor’s gown?

If it had been only a Level 1 or Level 2 odor, Tae-kyung wouldn’t have thought about asking so persistently.

“It’s not that. But since you’ve lived abroad for a long time and haven’t been to the hospital in a while, I was just wondering.”

“Are you perhaps recommending tests to us so you can charge more for the examination?”

“It’s not that. It’s just that as a doctor, I tend to be nosy about these things.”

“Ah! I see. You asked with good intentions, but I misunderstood you for a moment. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

“It might sound strange to say this in front of a doctor, but I was born with good health.”

That was the statement that doctors found most difficult to empathize with.

Our bodies are stronger than we think, but conversely, they can collapse more easily than we expect.

“I’m a construction worker. My business in Vietnam failed, so I’m doing manual labor to pay off the debt, and I even work part-time at a logistics center in the early morning.”

“That’s impressive.”

“It’s nothing impressive. I have to pay off the debt I incurred. This job is tough, so someone with a weak body can’t do it. I always have minor muscle aches, but I don’t have any serious pain to worry about.”

“Husband hurt?”

Phuong, curious about the lengthy conversation between the two men, asked her husband.

“My husband Superman. Strong man.”

“See? I haven’t even caught a cold once. That’s why my wife always calls me Superman.”

“Have you ever had an endoscopy?”

“Yes, I had a health checkup about three years ago and had my stomach and colon examined. They removed a small polyp from my colon, but there was nothing else wrong.”

Considering Lee Go-cheol’s age, a small polyp was not unusual.

“He’s healthy as can be. Anyway, thank you for worrying about my health.”

“You’re busy, but please get a health checkup. And take this.”

Tae-kyung handed Lee Go-cheol his business card.

“Our hospital has an emergency room, so we’re open 24 hours.”

“I know.”

“If you feel even a little discomfort while working, please come for a checkup.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen such a thorough doctor. I’ll come if I catch a cold. Thank you.”

“Take care.”

Lee Go-cheol held his wife’s hand tightly and left the examination room with a smile.

Tae-kyung didn’t feel relieved as he watched them leave.

He wanted to recommend a checkup more actively, but he couldn’t keep pushing if the person didn’t want it.

“Well, maybe not this time.”

The Fifth Vital had never been wrong before. But this time, he hoped that the odor was a mistake and that he wouldn’t see Lee Go-cheol at the hospital again.

* * *

“The fever is down, and he’s doing better now.”

The nurse was checking on the condition of the child patient who was hospitalized in a private room with enteritis [inflammation of the small intestine].

“As the doctor in charge mentioned earlier, the antibiotic he’s getting now has components that treat enteritis. Once he’s finished with this, he can be discharged in the morning.”

“Thank you. Thank you for your hard work.”

As the nurse left the room, the family members looked at the sleeping child with relief.

“Cheol-woo is sleeping soundly because he’s not in pain.”

“How hard must it have been for such a young child?”

The guardian of the child who was hospitalized in room 207 with enteritis was with his parents.

“Your father went on a business trip, and you had to admit the child to the hospital alone. You’ve been through a lot.”

“It’s okay, Mother.”

“Your father used to get enteritis often when he was growing up, so our puppy takes after his father in this way.”

“I’m sorry that Cheol-woo’s father called you and made you come to the hospital at this late hour.”

The kind daughter-in-law was worried about her in-laws, who had come to the hospital late at night.

“Why are you sorry? Children grow up while getting sick. Don’t say things like that.”

“Yes, have you had dinner?”

“What time do you think it is? Of course, we ate. Have you eaten?”

“I’m okay. Mother, I’m going to the convenience store to buy some barley tea.”

“Yes, yes. Don’t worry and go. There’s a 24-hour snack bar right in front. Go and get something to eat too.”

“Yes, Mother. Father, do you need anything?”

“It’s okay. We’re fine.”

“Honey, buy me some juice.”

“What juice? Just drink water.”

“It’s okay. Father, what should I buy for you?”

“Please get me a cold cider [Korean term for a type of clear, carbonated soda, similar to Sprite or 7-Up].”

“Yes, I’ll be right back.”

As soon as the daughter-in-law left, the grandmother began to nag the grandfather.

“Are you really going to do this? Stop eating.”

“Why are you picking on me for eating?”

“How can you eat when your grandson is sick and hospitalized?”

“I couldn’t eat dinner because I rushed here as soon as I heard he was hospitalized.”

“Still, it’s embarrassing for your daughter-in-law to see you like this.”

“We’ve raised more than one or two children. Children grow up with fevers and enteritis.”

“Is that something you should say in front of your grandson who’s lying there sick? Stop eating!”

The old woman scolded her husband, who was eating mochi [Japanese rice cake] in the hospital room.

“You can’t stand being hungry your whole life.”

“We’ll collapse if we starve at our age. Eating well is good for you.”

“Oh, Cheol-woo will wake up. Stop making so much noise and stop eating!”

“Alright. I’ll just eat this and stop. Hooo……. Hoo…oo.”

The old man, who was enjoying the mochi, took a long breath, unlike before.

“Hooo…oo!”

And he was trying to inhale quickly and strongly, taking a long breath as if he had been rescued from drowning.

“Hup!!”

In the middle of it, the old man’s breath, which was going in with a metallic sound, suddenly stopped.

“Honey, what’s wrong? Are you choking?”

The old man, with his head ‘thudding’ on the front seat, put his hand on his neck and continued to exhale and inhale, making a painful expression.

“Honey!!”

Surprised by her husband’s appearance, the old woman hit his back, but it was no use.

Beep-

-Yes, go ahead.

Sensing that her husband’s reaction was unusual, the woman pressed the emergency call button in the hospital room.

“This is room 207, please call a doctor quickly.”

-What’s wrong, guardian?

“I think he can’t breathe.”

-I’ll be right there.

* * *

“I’ve fixed it properly this time.”

Lee Chan-hee’s expression, who had come to have his homework checked, was nothing short of pure happiness.

“It seems like you’re getting used to writing by hand now. You look happy, Doctor Lee.”

“That’s not true. I’m not used to it at all.”

There was another reason why Lee Chan-hee looked happy.

It was because the time that all office workers waited for the most, quitting time, was approaching.

“You’ve fixed it properly. It would have been so much better if you had done this from the beginning.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry. I wish I could say that, but you are sorry, aren’t you?”

Lee Chan-hee was already wondering if he should say such things.

This was because he knew that Tae-kyung did not allow any compromise, at least in matters related to patients.

“Patients are not practice. Even the smallest mistake can be dangerous to the patient. I keep emphasizing it, so it sounds like nagging, but think of practice and training as the real thing.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“Doctors must always be perfect in front of patients. To do that, you have to constantly train.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Lee Chan-hee would normally engrave Tae-kyung’s words into his mind with a more serious attitude than ever, but it was a little different now.

His mind was elsewhere, with about 30 minutes left until he could leave work.

Because of the patients who were debating over chicken in the hospital room, his mind was filled with thoughts of eating chicken and beer.

He was already doing a challenge to cut out greasy food for a week, so he was thinking about chicken and beer even more desperately.

“Next, let’s do surgery for colon cancer and acute hernia. Have a good time leaving work.”

“What! Doctor?”

“You want to ask why the colon cancer and hernia that you imaged today have increased even more? It’s simple. Because you made a mistake.”

“No, Doctor, but still… Yes, this is Lee Chan-hee.”

Lee Chan-hee, who was complaining about the increased amount of homework, quickly answered the ringing phone.

-Doctor? Go to room 207 quickly.

“Wasn’t the fever down?”

-It was, but they said he can’t breathe, so there was an emergency call.

“Yes!? I’ll go right away.”

Lee Chan-hee, the doctor in charge of room 207, hung up the phone and immediately left the examination room, and Tae-kyung, who heard the conversation, followed him.