Damn Kidney Stones

Chapter 53 Damn Kidney Stones (Part 1)

The distance from his residence to the hospital wasn't far, but for Ji Xiang, it felt like he had traveled thousands of miles.

In particular, every slight bump in the ambulance on the road caused Ji Xiang excruciating pain.

It really hurt; Ji Xiang felt like all the bones in his body were about to be shattered.

When Ji Xiang arrived at the emergency department, he felt like he only had half a breath left.

No more, that's all.

Hanging by a thread, curled up like a shrimp, his body damp and cold, Ji Xiang felt utterly hopeless on the flatbed cart.

If someone were to tell Ji Xiang to end his life now, Ji Xiang would probably agree.

The abdominal pain worsened, and the description of it as being stabbed with a knife was not just an adjective, but a true one, even though Ji Xiang didn't know how painful it would be to be stabbed with a knife.

"Where do you feel unwell?" the emergency room doctor asked as he walked over to Ji Xiang.

Not again?!

Ji Xiang was somewhat frightened, even though he knew very well that asking about medical history and conducting physical examinations were virtues of doctors.

People who are meticulous and follow the rules are a hundred times better than those who are careless!

but!

Now, Ji Xiangning believes that the emergency room doctor is a slacker, the kind of doctor who doesn't care.

Because he knows what a responsible doctor needs to do.

The next step, of course, was a physical examination.

Ji Xiang had lost all shame about his screams; all he wanted now was for the doctor to give him an injection once the diagnosis was clear.

Yes, Demerol, but not those non-psychiatric medications.

Ji Xiang even wanted to use the "gaze of a senior doctor" to describe the situation: "Damn ER doctor, stop with the physical exam and just give me the medication!"

"Where are the family members?" the emergency room doctor asked.

"No," the 120 nurse replied. "He lives alone. I heard he has a girlfriend, but she's away on a business trip."

"Go get an ultrasound," the emergency room doctor said casually.

It's just a urinary tract stone, it won't kill you, there's no need to worry.

Ji Xiang knew what he was thinking, but his own thoughts were completely different.

Give me a shot.

beat!

That one!

Damn morphine!!!

Ji Xiang had only one thought in his mind.

Ji Xiang knew what was going to happen next, but he couldn't be bothered to listen to the doctor's explanation.

Ultimately, it all boils down to the same thing: you'll definitely need to have an ultrasound or X-ray to see the stones and get a confirmed diagnosis before you can start medication.

"Call your family," the accompanying nurse instructed Ji Xiang as she pushed the gurney to the examination site.

Ji Xiang struggled to open his eyes, wanting to plead with the person in front of him, saying that he was in excruciating pain and asked if he could go first.

Although there are many unreasonable and antisocial people in this world, there are still more good people than bad, and Ji Xiang has always firmly believed this.

When Ke Jixiang opened his eyes, all he saw was a trail of blood.

Whether it was a car accident or a knife wound, the pungent smell of blood hit him, silencing all of Ji Xiang's words.

The nurse kindly handed Ji Xiang a bottle of water, explaining that he needed to hold his urine before the ultrasound so that the image would be clearer.

Ji Xiang was completely exhausted and didn't even have the strength to drink water.

But in order to get the checkup done, he still managed to drink a whole bottle of water.

His lips were dry and parched, like a dried-up riverbed.

After what seemed like an eternity, it was finally Ji Xiang's turn to have his examination.

"Young man, do you always stay up late?" The doctor in the ultrasound room was very kind, but in Ji Xiang's eyes, this kindness was particularly annoying.

I don't want to talk, and I don't want people to say that I stay up late or have an unhealthy lifestyle.

All I want is to get a shot, a shot!

Smash that damn Dolantin!

"There are two stones in the right ureter, the larger one is about 5mm and the smaller one is 3mm." The doctor in the ultrasound room was quite skilled and gave the answer quickly.

The nurse hurriedly pushed Ji Xiang back to the emergency department. There was a long line of patients outside the emergency room, and Ji Xiang was ignored again.

The sound of an ambulance siren rang out, and Ji Xiang was chased off the stretcher.

Sitting on the cold chair, Ji Xiang felt utterly hopeless.

He was covered in cold sweat, had no strength left, and was writhing in excruciating pain in his lower abdomen. All of this made Ji Xiang feel that life was not worth living and that it would be better to leave this world sooner rather than later.

Humans, living is suffering.

"You should contact your family right away. It'll be better if someone is with you," the nurse said as she pushed the gurney away.

Ji Xiang held back his tears, trying hard not to cry.

A grown man cried from pain in the emergency room. How will he ever face anyone again?

"Bao." Although Ji Xiang was in great pain, he still managed to make the call during a brief respite when the pain subsided slightly.

To get comfort, the word "Bao'er" came out without hesitation.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you asleep yet?" Ji Xiang's "girlfriend" asked.

"I have a ureteral stone and I'm in the hospital," Ji Xiang said.

"Ah!" Ji Xiang's "girlfriend" exclaimed, "Is it serious?"

"It hurts terribly," Ji Xiang said with difficulty. "I can't do anything properly. Can you come back?"

There was a damn silence on the other end of the phone.

Ji Xiang felt a chill in his heart, and also a sense of bewilderment.

He knew very well that his "girlfriend" treated him well, and their relationship was stable.

Is this the story of everyone fleeing when disaster strikes?

However, the awkward silence was quickly explained when Ji Xiang's "girlfriend" on the other end of the phone chuckled, "The little one is sick, be good, okay? I'll be back in two days, and I'll make you something delicious."

"It's just a kidney stone, it's not a serious illness, you have to be good."

"Drink more hot water and listen to the doctor's advice."

"I have a meeting here, I'll hang up."

"..." Ji Xiang was speechless.

What I need is someone to take care of me now.

Although he knew it would be difficult for his "girlfriend" to fly back immediately, those words still hurt Ji Xiang's heart.

Feeling like I was living a life worse than death, I realized that nothing was more important than my job when I sought help.

Without realizing it, Ji Xiang had lost his rationality and become the kind of person he hated.

Without saying a word, Ji Xiang hung up the phone.

A sharp pain shot through his abdomen, causing stars to flash before Ji Xiang's eyes.

Ouch...

Ji Xiang was well aware that his "girlfriend" had only kidney stones, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

But I felt like I was going to die any second...

Do not!

If he could, Ji Xiang would rather die right now.

孤单

lonely

pain

Life without love

A mix of feelings surrounded Ji Xiang, and he felt that night had fallen.

But Ji Xiang didn't call a halt, and the system NPC didn't end this empathy session either.

Ji Xiang didn't know what lay ahead; he only felt that the night was endless and he would never reach the end in his lifetime.

Death may not be so terrifying; it is simply a release.

This thought grew stronger and clearer in Ji Xiang's mind.

After what seemed like an eternity, it was finally Ji Xiang's turn to see the doctor. The emergency room doctor smiled after looking at Ji Xiang's ultrasound report. "Minor problem, two injections."

After saying that, he prescribed medicine for Ji Xiang and told Ji Xiang to go and pay for and pick up the medicine.

When the form was handed to Ji Xiang, the emergency room doctor began to give instructions.

Ji Xiang knew all the instructions: drink more water and jump around more when he wasn't in pain, and the stones would come out.

Ji Xiang really wanted to pin the emergency room doctor to the ground and beat him up, to let him experience the excruciating pain of kidney stones and how they had to struggle to get them to come down.

However, the thought only flashed through his mind for a moment, and Ji Xiang still obediently bent over, hunching over like a seventy-year-old man, to queue up and pay.

Whenever the pain came, Ji Xiang would brace himself on the ground with his hands, just like a dog.

When the people paying saw Ji Xiang all alone, his T-shirt soaked with cold sweat, looking particularly pitiful, a kind middle-aged man let him cut in line and pay first.

This heartwarming gesture almost brought Ji Xiang to tears.

After paying for the injection, Ji Xiang's abdominal pain subsided 20 minutes later, and he was back to life.

It felt so good not to feel pain. Ji Xiang tried to straighten his back. He didn't want to be bent by life and stubbornly fought back.

Holding the medication for kidney stones and oral painkillers, Ji Xiang took a taxi home.

I was covered in cold sweat, and I felt so lonely on this summer night.

Ji Xiang knew that this was all in his imagination; sick people are always anxious. But after experiencing it firsthand, Ji Xiang seemed to understand that even if the doctor's description of anxiety were increased a hundredfold, it wouldn't be enough to describe it.

Back home, Ji Xiang tidied up and took oral medication, especially painkillers.

Then he chug down two bottles of purified water, and carried another bottle downstairs to run and jump.

During his internship, Ji Xiang also followed his teacher's advice and reminded patients with urinary tract stones to drink water and run around.

Ji Xiang still remembers the key point—the heels should touch the ground first, as this will create a stronger vibration and make it easier for the stones to pass.

It was easy to say, but when it came to his own, Ji Xiang finally understood the true meaning behind it.

Like an idiot, he jumped around in the night, and whenever Ji Xiang wanted to rest, the pain would suddenly worsen.

They kept jumping around until dawn.

The pain was indescribable. Despite the effects of 6542 and Demerol, Ji Xiang was still in excruciating pain.

The will to survive sustained him as he jumped with all his might, hoping those two damned kidney stones would fall down.

As he jumped, Ji Xiang felt the location of the pain.

He knew it was the sensation of a urinary tract stone slowly moving down the ureter.

With the help of medication, the pain is bearable.

However, the ureter has three narrow points, and whenever a stone falls into one of them, the pain is multiplied by 10.

After daybreak, Ji Xiang dragged his exhausted body back home and took a nap.

After waking up, I went to the bathroom.

Ji Xiang was stunned when he saw that his urine was bright red.

This is the legendary hematuria!

He knew how hematuria came about, but what Ji Xiang needed now was not to know how it came about, but to know how it disappeared!

The bright red blood in the urine was so glaring and shocking.

After a long pause, Ji Xiang finally put the little guy away and flushed away the bloody urine.

Upon closer inspection, he felt that the stone had moved down 5-6cm, but Ji Xiang couldn't tell if it was just his imagination.

We will continue to work hard.

However, jumping around had little effect, and after several episodes of hematuria, the location of the pain did not move.

Ji Xiang began to doubt himself, even wondering if he had a urinary tract tumor instead of stones.

It was a misdiagnosis by the doctors in the ultrasound room and the emergency department.

With all these debuffs weighing on him, Ji Xiang's mental state deteriorated further.

Fortunately, Ji Xiang suddenly remembered something else the teacher had said in class—from a physiological perspective, squatting to defecate is more in line with human physiology, and theoretically, defecation should be smoother.

Whether it's feces or urine.

This is mainly because the pressure on the abdomen is greater when a person squats than when sitting, which reduces the strain on the abdomen and helps with bowel movements.

The teacher said this casually during class, and the students laughed at him and joked with each other.

Ji Xiang found a lifeline.

(End of this chapter)