Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 414

Fifth Vital – Episode 415

415. 0.6cm 0.46cm

Tae-kyung usually remembered all his surgery patients’ faces, but Kim Mal-ja was especially memorable.

When treating cancer patients, they generally fall into a few categories, which can be broadly divided into two main types.

The first type is the ‘fighter’ – someone with a strong will to combat the cancer, maintaining a positive attitude from beginning to end, always saying, “Let’s do this!”

The second type, unlike the first, struggles and gets weary, questioning their ability to win the battle, experiencing fluctuating strength and emotions.

Most patients fall into the second type.

The cancer treatment process is undeniably challenging, making it difficult to manage one’s mental state.

Therefore, maintaining constant cheerfulness and a positive outlook throughout is a significant feat.

In that respect, Kim Mal-ja was a truly remarkable patient.

When he first met her before the surgery, she was worried and struggling, but after the surgery and the start of chemotherapy, she bravely committed to overcoming the disease.

She must have been exhausted and in pain, but she never showed it or complained.

Such positivity can positively affect treatment and have a beneficial influence, depending on the patient’s condition.

He believed that her positive and strong mindset was the driving force behind Kim Mal-ja’s recovery.

He remembered her clearly because she was such an exceptional patient.

“You’re Ms. Gu Ji-yeon’s daughter, right?”

“Yes, Doctor. I heard she suddenly had a biopsy the day before, and I was so worried I couldn’t sleep, so I came with her.”

“You must have been very concerned.”

“You have no idea.”

“Please, have a seat.”

The mother and daughter sat down, looking anxious.

“Ms. Kim Mal-ja, how have you been?”

“Yes, I’ve been doing well. You still don’t call me ‘patient,’ Doctor.”

Kim Mal-ja, who had been quite nervous, looked at Tae-kyung with curiosity, responding with a kind tone and natural ease.

“Because you aren’t a patient.”

Tae-kyung had a slightly different approach when dealing with cancer survivors, and it revolved around the title he used.

For patients who had been completely cured of cancer, he addressed them as ‘Ms.’ instead of ‘patient.’

It might seem like a small difference. However, he didn’t want to use the word ‘patient’ anymore for those who had fought and won against cancer after enduring years of hardship.

‘Ms. Kim, you don’t have to come to the hospital anymore.’

‘I was so sick of the word ‘patient’ for the past 5 years, but thanks to you, Doctor, I’m graduating from that label. Thank you for taking away the patient label.’

In the past, one patient, Kim Mal-ja, even shed tears as she received Tae-kyung’s farewell greeting at her last outpatient visit.

“Are there any areas of discomfort?”

“No, thankfully, I’ve been doing well without any pain since I was declared cured.”

“You look great.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Doctor.”

“You’re welcome. Now! Shall we talk about your daughter? Ms. Gu Ji-yeon, it must have been hard waiting for the results for a week, right?”

“Yes. Time seemed to stand still.”

“Um, Doctor, what about Ji-yeon’s results?”

Kim Mal-ja, who had been briefly relieved after the pleasantries, stuttered, her nervousness returning.

“It seems the mother is more nervous than the daughter.”

“You have no idea. She didn’t say a word on the way to the hospital and was constantly on edge.”

“Looking at her expression now, she seems quite anxious. I’ll give you the conclusion first.”

Kim Mal-ja and Gu Ji-yeon’s pupils dilated as they stared intently at Tae-kyung’s face.

“It’s not cancer.”

“Ha!”

“Really? Oh my goodness!”

The two women, who had been holding their breath, finally sighed in relief upon hearing the news. It was as if the fear that had enveloped them from head to toe vanished instantly.

“Thank you.”

“Thank you so much, Doctor.”

Kim Mal-ja was even happier than when she had received her own good news, and words of gratitude poured out.

She had been so worried that her youngest daughter, who was getting married next year, might have cancer, and now she felt like she could fly.

“Here, take a look at the screen. This is the ultrasound we took a week ago.”

Tae-kyung turned one of the two monitors on his desk towards the mother and daughter.

“This is the left breast ultrasound, and you can see the black circle, right?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“It’s in the six o’clock position and measures 0.6cm. It’s a water cyst [a fluid-filled sac]. We usually say that the shape of a cyst is ‘pretty,’ and this one is literally round and well-defined, so you don’t have to worry. The border isn’t bumpy, and the boundary line is clear, right?”

“Yes. The shape is very clear.”

“Right?”

“Doctor, is it okay that something seems to be sticking out at the end of the water cyst?”

“Yes, it’s perfectly fine. You don’t have to worry about that. Now! This is the right breast ultrasound. The side where you had the biopsy is the right side, correct?”

Even after hearing the good news, Gu Ji-yeon and Kim Mal-ja listened intently, not wanting to miss a single word of Tae-kyung’s explanation.

“There’s a 0.46cm cyst in the 11 o’clock position, and if you compare it to the one on the left, the shape is a bit different, right?”

“Yes, it’s smaller, but the shape doesn’t seem as clear as the one on the left.”

“That’s right. You can see it, right? So, I did a biopsy, and the result came back as fibrocystic change [benign breast condition] and sclerosing stroma [another benign breast condition], which means a benign diagnosis – not cancer. We’ll schedule follow-up observations every six months for the next year, and if everything looks good, you can come in once a year after that.”

It’s said that doctors experienced in reading breast ultrasounds can usually distinguish between a cyst and cancer.

Of course, this applies to doctors who have accumulated significant experience, reviewed numerous ultrasounds, and seen many results.

Tae-kyung, being experienced and skilled, could also tell whether it was cancer or not by looking at the ultrasound.

He had ordered a biopsy a week ago due to the unclear shape of Gu Ji-yeon’s ultrasound, but Tae-kyung had suspected it wasn’t cancer.

It wasn’t solely based on the absence of the fifth vital smell [a fictional sense Tae-kyung uses to detect diseases].

He always considered the possibility of patients lacking the fifth vital, so Tae-kyung only used it as a reference and didn’t rely on it entirely.

The reason he performed the biopsy despite his suspicion was that doctors must base their diagnoses on concrete evidence.

He understood the patient’s anxiety, but he couldn’t prematurely declare that it wasn’t cancer and tell them not to worry.

Of course, Tae-kyung sometimes shared his initial assessment before the biopsy, but only in one specific scenario.

There were cases where the ultrasound image strongly suggested cancer.

In those cases, where cancer seemed almost certain, he would say:

‘The shape isn’t very good. I need to see the exact test results to be sure, but there’s a high possibility of cancer. It’s best to have a biopsy right away.’

So far, Tae-kyung had never been wrong when he made that statement, and the results had always been unfavorable.

“Follow-up observation simply means regular monitoring to see if there are any changes, so you don’t need to worry. Got it?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“Thank you. My youngest daughter is getting married next year, and I was so worried. I can’t thank you enough. Thank you so much.”

“Doctor, why do these cysts occur? I’ve been exercising regularly, not drinking or smoking, and living a healthy life, so I felt a bit wronged when it happened.”

“I understand. But honestly, there’s no clear reason. So, don’t blame yourself or get stressed.”

“Doctor, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I had my daughters tested for genes that cause breast cancer, and they said there were no such genes. Is this related to that?”

“No, Ms. Gu Ji-yeon, the test results showed that you didn’t have cancer. Your daughter is fine, so you don’t have to worry at all. You shouldn’t even think that your daughter is like this because of you.”

Tae-kyung reiterated that everything was fine, just in case Kim Mal-ja continued to worry about it.

“Yes, thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. The person who administered the test did a great job.”

“Then, I’ll see you in 6 months.”

“Yes, thank you. Goodbye.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Doctor.”

“Yes, Ms. Kim Mal-ja. Always be healthy.”

The two women left the office with happy faces, a stark contrast to their arrival.

“Here’s your receipt, and the next checkup is in 6 months, so you can make a reservation for a convenient date or contact us then.”

“Please make it the 8th, and I’ll contact you in advance if I have any schedule conflicts.”

“Yes, please do. I’ve put the insurance documents in an envelope here. Goodbye.”

“Thank you.”

“Mom, are you feeling better now?”

“Yes. I feel like a decade-old burden has been lifted.”

The two, their faces brightened, continued their conversation as they headed to the parking lot.

“My daughter must have had a hard time for a week.”

“I didn’t have a hard time. Mom had a harder time than me.”

“Is the biopsy site okay? Is it bruised or painful?”

“Yes. As I said yesterday, it doesn’t hurt, and there was almost no bleeding. Mom, the doctor here explains things really thoroughly.”

“He’s always so kind to patients. You have no idea how well he treated me when I was fighting the disease.”

“He’s a good person. I’m sorry for making you come to the hospital with me.”

“What’s so hard about helping my child? It’s my baby’s concern, so I have to put everything aside and come.”

“My mom is the best.”

“Ji-yeon?”

As the two arrived at the parking lot, her boyfriend, who had been waiting, ran over to them.

“What? Judging by your and your mother’s expressions, the results are good, right?”

“Yeah. It’s not cancer. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“See! I told you it wasn’t? I’m so glad.”

The boyfriend, who had been worried, smiled, his face brightening.

“Mom, are you hungry? I suddenly feel very hungry now that I’ve heard the good news.”

“You didn’t eat, so you must be hungry. Hyun-joon must be hungry too.”

“Mom didn’t eat breakfast either.”

“I’ll buy you something delicious today. Let’s go.”

“Okay. Let’s eat something delicious together. I’ll go to the bathroom quickly.”

While Kim Mal-ja went to the bathroom, Gu Ji-yeon, in a good mood, discussed lunch options with her boyfriend.

“What should we eat?”

“I see there’s kalguksu [knife-cut noodle soup], sujebi [hand-pulled noodle soup], ssambap [rice wrapped in leafy vegetables], and gukbap [rice soup], and the reviews say they’re delicious. Your mother likes sujebi, right?”

“Wow! What a memory! Then shall we all go eat sujebi? Is that okay?”

“I’m good. Your mother’s coming out.”

While the two were finalizing their lunch plans, Kim Mal-ja came out of the bathroom and returned to the parking lot.

“Mom, we’re going to eat sujebi, how about it?”

“Sujebi?”

“Yeah. Is that okay?”

“It’s fine. You must be hungry, so go and eat something delicious with Hyun-joon.”

“What about Mom?”

“……”

“Mom!?”

Gu Ji-yeon called her mother again, who didn’t respond even when called right in front of her.

“Huh? Why?”