A competent doctor can cure everything

Ignoring the puzzled looks of my fellow interns, I hurriedly accessed the hospital’s EMR (Electronic Medical Record) system.

Then, I clicked on the chart for Na Ye-jin, a patient in the Hematology and Oncology Department.

“!”

Sure enough, just as Ms. Dal-nim mentioned, there was a note stating that the patient had been complaining of knee joint pain since yesterday afternoon.

However, the reason I hadn’t paid much attention to this information until now was because:

‘Wasn’t it marked as observation (monitoring the symptoms without any special treatment)?’

The attending physician had clearly written in the chart to observe the symptoms and schedule a separate consultation if they worsened.

Also, the list of medications the patient was taking remained unchanged.

‘But just now, Ms. Dal-nim was grumbling that the patient kept calling before the medication even started to take effect.’

I turned my head towards the others who were still looking at me in confusion.

“Dr. Dal-nim, is there any medication prescribed for Na Ye-jin for knee pain? There’s nothing listed on the chart.”

At that, Dr. Dal-nim tilted her head to the side.

“Ah… It’s probably because it wasn’t prescribed as a regular order, so it wouldn’t be there.”

“Are you saying they gave medication without an order?”

The principle is that all medications prescribed to patients must be ordered through the EMR.

When I raised my eyebrows, Dr. Dal-nim elaborated further.

“It wasn’t prescribed here; it’s a painkiller the patient brought from home. There wouldn’t be an order; it should just be noted in the nursing records.”

Nursing records?

The nursing records are separate from the charts doctors write. They are where the ward nurses briefly document the patient’s condition.

I quickly clicked on the nursing records tab in the EMR.

Sure enough, the nursing records noted that the patient had taken an OTC (Over-the-Counter) painkiller, a medication that can be purchased from a pharmacy without a doctor’s prescription.

‘I didn’t know because I only looked at the doctor’s orders.’

Now that the mystery was finally solved, I felt like I could have slapped my knee in realization.

The medication the patient took was an NSAID (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug), which is a type of anti-inflammatory painkiller.

However, it showed that the patient had been taking it continuously from yesterday afternoon until today.

‘And one of the most common side effects of NSAIDs is gastrointestinal issues like stomach pain and indigestion.’

I had been wandering around aimlessly looking for answers in the wrong place, so of course, I couldn’t find any.

I clicked my tongue briefly and asked one more question.

“Dr. Dal-nim, does Na Ye-jin have any special schedule this afternoon?”

“No, not really.”

In that case, I should go for acupuncture treatment a little earlier today.

It was almost the end of lunchtime, so it seemed like a good time to go.

“Thanks.”

As I hurried out of the room with those words, Dr. Dal-nim responded, sounding puzzled.

“You’re welcome?”

I quickly gathered the necessary items on a tray and headed to the hematology ward.

Sure enough, the patient was resting in her room after having lunch.

And just at that moment, she was holding a box of over-the-counter painkillers in her hand.

“Ma’am! Please, wait a moment.”

I was panting as I stopped her, and she, startled, froze in the middle of opening the box of medication.

“…So you’re saying this medicine could be the problem?”

After listening to my explanation, the patient frowned and asked again.

“Yes, NSAID medications like these interfere with the synthesis of PG (prostaglandins), which protect the stomach lining.”

“But these are just over-the-counter meds, right? My attending doctor even said it was okay to take them.”

I pressed further, despite the patient’s objections.

“Even over-the-counter meds shouldn’t be underestimated. Is this something you usually take? Have you ever experienced these side effects before?”

“Hmm… The pharmacist recommended it, saying it was effective, so I bought it even though I hadn’t taken it before.”

The patient looked at the medicine box, trying to recall.

“Then, I suggest you stop taking this medication. You were taking it for your knee pain, right?”

“Yes. I felt cooped up in the hospital, so I did some stair climbing, and my knee started hurting yesterday afternoon.”

“I can treat it with acupuncture. Why not stop taking the painkillers?”

Hearing this, Ms. Na Ye-jin hesitated for a moment.

“Can acupuncture really help with this?”

“Of course. Musculoskeletal pain is one of the areas where acupuncture is most effective.”

“Well, then, I’ll give it a try.”

The patient slowly nodded her head.

But somehow, she seemed uncharacteristically hesitant.

How should I put it… she looked embarrassed.

‘She must feel awkward because she got angry at me this morning, and now it turns out the cause might not be the herbal medicine.’

I pretended not to notice her discomfort and began the medical interview.

“Where exactly does your knee hurt and how?”

“Here, the front of my right knee feels all achy and annoyingly painful.”

The area she pointed to was around the patella, the rounded bone at the front of the knee.

“The left knee is fine, right? When does it hurt the most?”

“Hmm, let me see… It hurts when I go up the stairs, bend or straighten my knee. It also hurts when I stand up after sitting.”

Hearing this, I rested my chin on my hand and considered several possibilities.

‘I need a bit more evidence to make a decision.’

“I’m going to do a simple test. I’ll bend your knee and hip.”

I had the patient lie down flat and, holding her heel with one hand and her knee with the other, fully bent her leg.

‘Ah, I see.’

As soon as I touched her, the conditions were met, and a vision of the next week unfolded before me.

It wasn’t a particularly ideal scenario.

‘She takes painkillers for a few days without improvement, then goes to see an orthopedic specialist. And due to stomach discomfort, she refuses further traditional Korean medicine treatment.’

It was a mission failure ending.

‘That’s not going to happen.’

I ignored the vision and focused on what was in front of me.

I stretched her bent leg once, and then again.

The first time, I applied force to rotate the leg outward; the second time, I applied force to rotate it inward.

Meanwhile, I watched the patient’s expression and listened carefully for any sounds coming from the knee.

“Does it hurt?”

“Uh, not really…”

The patient didn’t grimace in pain, nor was there a clicking sound from her knee.

‘So, it’s not a meniscus injury.’

Given this, the most likely diagnosis was “patellofemoral pain syndrome.”

This condition is characterized by vague pain around the kneecap and is common in women. It often starts after engaging in unusual or sudden physical activity.

‘This issue is more about the muscles around the knee rather than the bones.’

In that case, acupuncture treatment could quickly alleviate the symptoms.

“Could you lie on your side with your right knee on top? It might be more comfortable if you put a pillow between your legs.”

“Huh? Lie on my side?”

The patient looked a bit puzzled as I handed her the pillow but followed my instructions willingly.

The treatment targeted the quadriceps on the front of the thigh, the iliotibial band on the outside of the knee, and the hamstring on the back of the thigh.

‘For the front thigh, I’ll use Xuehai (SP10) and Liangqiu (ST34) points; for the iliotibial band, Fengshi (GB31) point; and for the hamstring, Yinmen (BL37) point…’

Additionally, points such as Zusanli (ST36) below the knee and Yanglingquan (GB34) and Yinlingquan (SP9) on both sides of the knee were also targeted.

When I applied the alcohol swab to places other than the kneecap, the patient questioned me.

“Huh? But my pain is in the front of my knee.”

“It seems like the muscles around your knee were affected by the exercise you did yesterday, which you aren’t used to. So, while treating the knee itself is important, it’s even more crucial to treat the surrounding areas.”

“Is that so?”

The patient nodded in agreement and closed her eyes.

I carefully started to insert the acupuncture needles into the selected points.

“Ah!”

As I inserted a needle, the patient let out a small gasp.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“No, it’s not that. It does hurt, but how should I put it? It also feels incredibly refreshing.”

After inserting all the needles, I began to twist or lightly stimulate them.

“Wow, it feels refreshing, like my muscles are loosening up. I guess my leg was really stiff.”

The patient didn’t complain at all and seemed to enjoy the sensation from the acupuncture.

“All done. I’ll remove the needles in 15 minutes.”

If we were at the Oriental Medicine ward, I might step out for a bit while waiting to remove the needles, but here, there wasn’t much else to do.

I sat on a nearby stool next to the patient.

“…Phew…”

As I stared blankly out the window for a while, I started to hear a faint snoring sound.

Na Ye-jin had fallen asleep with the needles still in place.

‘The acupuncture must be quite relaxing for her.’

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

When the time was up, I removed the needles and woke the patient.

“Oh my, I must have dozed off because I felt so relaxed.”

Looking slightly embarrassed, she glanced around before bending and straightening her right knee.

“Oh my, what’s going on?”

She looked at me in surprise.

“It doesn’t hurt when I straighten my knee? Even the painkillers didn’t help much, and it’s gotten better after just one acupuncture session?”

“Still, try not to overexert yourself for a while. The pain could come back.”

The patient remained smiling happily even as she listened to my instructions.

“Doctor, your acupuncture skills are amazing. Can I continue to get acupuncture for my knee from now on?”

“Yes, I’ll continue to provide acupuncture for your leg for a while.”

The patient, who had been smiling contentedly, suddenly adopted an awkward expression.

“Doctor, um… I’ve realized that I might have blamed the herbal medicine too much without trying it a few times. I’m sorry.”

“That’s alright. It’s understandable for patients to have questions.”

“I’ll trust what you say from now on and follow your instructions consistently. I’ll stop the painkillers, get acupuncture, and take the herbal medicine.”

“Ha ha, okay.”

With a light heart, I returned to the ward and checked Na Ye-jin’s future charts.

At least for the next week, there was no recurrence of knee pain, and since stopping the painkillers, there had been no stomach discomfort.

And above all…

I confirmed that the herbal medicine, Gui Pi Decoction, was improving the initial symptoms as intended.

‘At this rate, Professor will likely declare the mission a success within a week.’

It felt like I had solved a troublesome problem.

As I was stretching with a sense of thrilling accomplishment, I heard:

“Dr. Seon Joon?”

Kang Eun-Jung was passing by in a wheelchair pushed by a caregiver next to the station.

“Why weren’t you there during the morning rounds?”

“Oh, another patient called for me at that time.”

“I see… I was waiting to talk to you, so I was disappointed not to see you during the rounds.”

Kang Eun-jung smiled gently.

“For me?”

At that moment, an idea popped into my head.

“How about I push your wheelchair and we take a short walk?”

“Huh? Intern, you’ll push Eun-jung’s wheelchair?”

“Yes, the caregiver can go rest in the patient room for a while. This is a doctor-patient consultation time.”

“Huh?”

I quickly took the wheelchair from the dazed caregiver and headed to the hospital rooftop garden.

As we were strolling through the garden, I was the first to speak.

“Miss, is there something you want to say?”

“Doctor, thank you… Since the herbal medicine changed yesterday, my condition has improved so much. Interestingly, the nausea and queasiness have disappeared. This morning, I even ate almost half of the rice porridge, and the caregiver was astonished.”

Her face certainly looked the best I had seen it so far.

“For a terminal patient like me, bowel obstruction is a major issue, and I’m extremely grateful that it was detected early.”

“……”

“And I heard that it was the intern doctor who noticed and suggested changing the medication? You are like a savior to me… I really wanted to express my gratitude.”

It seemed that Kim Pyeong-hwa had also mentioned it to the patient.

“I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better. Once your bowel movements normalize, you’ll be able to eat more and your condition will improve further. Also, you should go out without the wheelchair or IV.”

At that, Eunjung didn’t give much of a response.

After a brief silence, I spoke up.

“Miss, may I ask you a question too?”

I stopped pushing the wheelchair.

“Who is someone named Kyung-soo?”