Surgery Godfather

Chapter 282: Chapter 0266: Difficult Choices

Yang Ping was a little troubled. His parents would arrive tomorrow, and coincidentally there was surgery scheduled at this time.

The surgical time for the pregnant woman remained uncertain. If it happened to clash with the time of his parents’ arrival, it would be very inconvenient.

His parents hadn’t visited him once in all the years he had been working in G City. It would be unforgivable if he could not fetch them this time around.

For two elderly people unfamiliar with the city to wait eagerly at the train station after their journey by high-speed rail would be quite inappropriate.

However, as a doctor he had little choice. His patients took priority. If indeed the surgery was scheduled for tomorrow morning or mid-day, he’d have to perform it no matter what.

During lunch, Yang Ping chatted with Xiao Su. He discussed the situation of the obstetric patient and also mentioned his worry about not being able to meet his parents in time.

...

Xiao Su gave a small laugh, “That’s the problem? You go perform your surgery. I’ll pick up your parents.”

“You will?” Yang Ping shook his head.

Xiao Su didn’t know his parents, so how would she pick them up?

And besides, he hadn’t brought up his relationship with Xiao Su to his parents yet. Suddenly making her pick up his parents was inappropriate.

“We’ll have to meet sometime anyway, better sooner than later! Give me their number and give them mine. Arrange the gate they will come out from. I’ll hold a welcome sign. Don’t worry about it. If you have surgery tomorrow, you concentrate on the surgery. Leave the greeting to me, you will be satisfied.” Xiao Su was very relaxed.

Yang Ping thought about it, she was right, there was no other option. But it wasn’t fair to Xiao Su to make her go pick them up.

“Do you want me to tidy up your place a bit? Uncle and Auntie will be arriving, make it a bit neater.” Xiao Su offered.

“——” Yang Ping gazed at Xiao Su.

“After work, take me there. Give me a key. Tomorrow I’ll take Uncle and Auntie straight to your apartment. I’ll also need to buy some groceries, you have gas right? And tableware? We’ll eat at home for lunch and then go out for dinner.” Girls really are different; Xiao Su was thoughtful and efficient, sorting everything out in a few sentences.

Indeed, the elderlies would be tired from their journey tomorrow. They would not have much appetite, better to eat something at home first and rest; we can all go out and eat together in the evening.

“We have piped gas; a whole set of kitchen and dining ware. There’s just no food and I think we have some oils and spices, you’ll have to check.” Yang Ping wasn’t sure.

After all, he hardly ever cooked at home. He always ate at the cafeteria.

Xiao Su hadn’t been to his apartment once all the time they’d been dating. Now that she was asking to go, Yang Ping’s mind was filled with endless imaginings.

“What are you daydreaming about?” Xiao Su looked at Yang Ping’s lost expression.

Yang Ping shook his head and said, “Nothing, I’m just thinking about what else we need with the oils and spices.”

After eating, Yang Ping circled around the department a few times. Fang Xiaoyun was about to be discharged, Chang Juan bought two big fruit baskets, one for the nurse’s station and another for Professor Zhang in the outpatient department. She even brought a banner of gratitude.

Fang Xiaoyun’s complexion was quite good, she’d come in on two crutches, she was now able to walk out normally.

Zhang Lin was urging her; after being discharged, she still had to continue her anti-tuberculosis treatment. She could get her medication for free from a designated hospital in the city.

“Doctor Yang, thank you.” Fang Xiaoyun bowed.

“Do remember a proper course of anti-tuberculosis treatment. Please heal yourself completely.” Yang Ping advised.

The obstetrics doctor called. The patient’s MRI was done, they asked Yang Ping to come over and have a look.

Little Five washed an apple. Yang Ping was halfway through eating it when he had to rush off to the MRI room.

As expected, there was a mark around the neck which dug deep into the flesh. Looking at the 3D reconstruction, the fetus’s hands were clearly trying to reach for it as if wanting to remove this deadly noose.

It appeared that the human survival instinct was already present in the womb. Looking at the tiny creature, it was truly pitiful!

Yang Ping’s earlier assumption was confirmed. The neck was tightly choked by the amniotic band, digging deeply into the skin and flesh.

“No wonder the fetal heart rate was a bit slow.” Director Mei exclaimed.

The pregnant woman sat by the side, watching the image of her baby on the screen. She broke into tears.

The poor child was strangled by amniotic bands while in its mother’s womb. These amniotic bands were as thin as hair.

If they choked a certain part of the body they would tighten further, causing a potentially fatal attack.

If they choked the limbs, the distal end of the limb would disappear due to lengthy periods of ischemia. The baby would be born missing an arm or a leg.

If the band wrapped around the neck, almost always, the fetus would die in the womb. And even if it survived and was born, the baby would be mentally retarded due to defective brain development or severe cervical deformity.

“Director Mei, please arrange the surgery for me right away!”

“Tell your husband to come quickly, we need to communicate seriously with him.”

“There’s no need to wait for him, I make my decisions.” The pregnant woman is very stubborn.

“There’s no need to rush, it won’t happen so quickly, we still need to complete the pre-surgery check. The risks of the surgery are high, we must wait for your husband to come and sign, you are an older first-time mother, the surgery requires opening the womb, exposing the veins which might result in a high risk of amniotic fluid embolism.” Director Mei is very cautious.

The risk of this surgery is very high, once amniotic fluid embolism occurs, the pregnant woman is in danger of death. At that point, let alone saving the child, even the adult can’t be saved, her husband must be present to sign, under some conditions, signatures from all family members are required.

The patient is transferred to pediatric surgery, because the fetal surgery is handled by pediatric surgery.

Director Ke of pediatric surgery has performed hundreds of fetal surgeries and is very experienced.

This surgery needs cooperation from three departments, with the obstetrician in charge of maintaining the pregnancy, and pediatric surgery in charge of the fetal surgery.

However, this surgery requires several Z-shaped changes and several points that need to be separated. A microscope is needed for the surgery. All of these are what orthopedics excel in that’s why they are called for help. Plus, many steps of the surgery require the presence of an orthopedics as the chief surgeon.

Speaking of operating under a microscope, no one in the hospital does it better than orthopedics, let alone someone like Yang Ping who has monstrous skills. The plaque of microscopic traumatic orthopedics is not hung for no reason.

Director Mei sends one obstetrician to accompany them while Yang Ping returns to his department to rest. He spends 30,000 points in the system space and buys training for 300 fetal surgeries.

In the afternoon, before getting off work, Yang Ping goes to the pediatric surgery again to check on the patient and understand the preparations for the surgery.

The relatives of the pregnant woman have all arrived, her husband, father-in-law, mother-in-law, father, and mother are there.

The whole family, in a chaotic mess, gathered in the meeting room, Director Mei and Director Ke talk with them together.

“The risk of the surgery is huge, isn’t it?” The mother of the pregnant woman is very nervous, shivering.

“The risk is extremely high, amniotic fluid embolism can be fatal!” Director Ke is stern.

Medicine is a serious matter, with regards to risks, neither exaggeration nor concealment is allowed. It may sound ruthless, but facts can’t be changed.

“Forget about it, don’t keep the child. The risk is too high and it’s not worth the risk. Being mother and son also depends on fate, it seems that they don’t have such a fate.” The mother of the pregnant woman sighs, wiping away tears from the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief.

“You said it lightly, they’re forty years old and only just having a child, not keep it? Doctor, will the child be disabled if the surgery is successful?”

“Based on the current situation if the surgery is successful and no other growth or development deformities occur, the child shouldn’t be disabled. But no one can guarantee it.” Director Ke explains.

It’s not a lack of confidence, nor is it being ambiguous; no doctor dares to guarantee that the surgery will be 100% successful — except for god-like doctors who can defy their own decisions.

“In-law, I know you want to hold your grandchild. We understand, but the doctor has said, the risk is too high, what if–”

“We must keep it even if it’s risky! What is without risk? It was not easy to conceive this time, there won’t be another chance if we give up now, do you want the Zhong family to have no descendants?”

“What do you mean by that? You want a grandchild, but my daughter is not a human being? Is my daughter’s life not worth anything? I will oppose it.”

The old men on both sides are holding their wives’ clothes, signaling to calm down and have a good talk. The father of the pregnant woman says, “Doctor, can you help us make a decision?”

Director Ke is also in a difficult position: “We can’t help you make a decision. We can only tell you the risks and benefits of surgery and not having surgery. Whether to undergo the surgery is ultimately up to you, especially the patient herself and her husband.”

The family argues without resolution in the meeting room, the doctors had no choice but to temporarily exit and suggest they go back to discuss further.

A single child is involving two generations and three families. The doctors are also in a bind, legally they don’t need the parents’ signatures, but since their family’s opinion is not unified, no one dares to perform the surgery. If anything goes wrong, they won’t be able to face the consequences.

After the parents of the two sides leave, the husband returns to the ward, sits by the bed, and holds his wife’s hand.

“You dummy, why didn’t you tell me about the check-up? The risk is too high, let’s not keep the baby, we can still live without a child. All I want is for you to be okay, understand?” The husband says emotionally.

The wife shakes her head: “My greatest wish in this life is to have a child for you, I’m willing to take any risk!”

“I know your feelings, but why–”

“Let’s not talk about it, I’ve made up my mind, I just hope that you support me, support me and our baby.”

“Husband, our baby is so pitiful, the doctor said that the amniotic band strangles the neck and limbs. Did you see the 3D image of the MRI? He wants to stretch out his hand to unravel the band around his neck–”

The pregnant woman touches her stomach affectionately.

—

Some results of the pregnant woman’s blood test have come out, Yang Ping looks through it once. There’s nothing abnormal in the routine blood, biochemical, liver, and kidney functions. The coagulation function and the four items for blood transfusion have not yet been tested. However, even if all the tests are normal because her family can’t come to an agreement, the earliest possible surgery can only be scheduled for tomorrow. @@novelbin@@

Xiao Su calls, wanting to go to the rented house with Yang Ping to help him clean up.