Seeing Director Zhang’s dark, brooding expression, which even held a hint of suppressed anger, Xu Ze jolted awake. He realized that Director Zhang must have said something to him, but he had been dozing off and hadn’t heard a thing. That was why things had come to this.
He groaned inwardly. He had thought this grand consultation had nothing to do with him, but who would have expected such a slip-up? Falling asleep during a major consultation in front of so many doctors and department heads was utterly embarrassing…
Judging by the way Director Zhang was staring at him, whatever had happened must have involved him.
In a panic, Xu Ze quickly asked his automated monitoring system, which was always running in the background: “Did Director Zhang just call on me? What did he say?”
The system promptly replayed the audio: “Xu Ze… you share your thoughts on this patient…”
“Huh? This is a grand consultation. Why would he ask for my opinion?” Xu Ze was taken aback by the replay. But seeing the anger darkening in Director Zhang’s eyes, he forced a dry laugh and said, “Director… with so many department heads here, how could it be my turn to speak?”
“Hmph… You’ve always had some unconventional ideas, haven’t you? And you looked so bored and drowsy just now—like you already had a plan,” Zhang Lide sneered coldly, clearly displeased that Xu Ze had finally snapped to attention. “Just speak when you’re asked. But if you don’t come up with something worthwhile, don’t blame me for marking your assessment with ‘poor learning attitude.'”
Seeing the deep displeasure on Zhang Lide’s face, Xu Ze knew the director was truly furious. He cursed himself silently for dozing off. Now he was in hot water. As he had initially suspected, this consultation hadn’t yielded any substantial results.
Zhang Lide was already in a bad mood, and Xu Ze had just walked right into it. By the looks of it, if Xu Ze didn’t offer something to soothe Zhang Lide’s dark mood today, he wouldn’t get off lightly.
Xu Ze pursed his lips, glanced at the doctors and department heads watching him with amusement, and sighed helplessly. “All the directors have already shared their thoughts on this patient. The main issue is poorly controlled blood sugar. According to the medical records, almost all hypoglycemic drugs—from metformin and Diamicron to Glucobay—have had little effect.”
“Even insulin hasn’t been very effective. So, in terms of current drug treatments, there are almost no other medications that would work better. As for combinations of drugs, I think we’ve pretty much exhausted all possibilities…”
The department heads nodded repeatedly as Xu Ze spoke. His words were bluntly honest—exactly what everyone was thinking. But with so many colleagues present, no one else would state it so plainly. Doing so would almost be admitting the patient had no hope.
Xu Ze, however, had no such reservations. He was just a trainee. If someone else proposed a more effective method, he wouldn’t lose face over it. So, he was the only one who could say it outright; the others naturally wouldn’t.
Hearing Xu Ze’s confident speech, Zhang Lide frowned slightly but remained silent, waiting to see what Xu Ze would say next. He wanted to find out if Xu Ze had any unique ideas.
“As for this patient… I believe the existing drugs might not be very effective anymore. Aside from maintaining insulin therapy, I suggest incorporating traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) into the treatment.” At this point, Xu Ze paused to swallow and smiled lightly at the doctors, who looked both startled and skeptical.
Most of these doctors and department heads were graduates of Xingda Clinical College and were unfamiliar with TCM. But their lack of familiarity didn’t mean TCM was ineffective.
“If hypoglycemic drugs aren’t working, then using TCM decoctions alongside them might yield some results…” Xu Ze said calmly, seeing their doubtful expressions. “If none of the directors have better suggestions, I recommend combining TCM with the current treatment.”
Upon Xu Ze’s repeated emphasis on using TCM, the department heads exchanged glances. Director Li Qijiang from the general internal medicine department couldn’t help but ask, “So many potent hypoglycemic drugs have failed. How could TCM possibly work? Won’t it have adverse effects?”
“If the patient’s blood sugar remains uncontrolled, that’s already the worst outcome. I believe TCM, no matter how ineffective, couldn’t make things worse,” Xu Ze replied with a light smile, his words cutting straight to the point. According to future medical records, a certain TCM formula should have some effect on diabetes—at the very least, it should work better than the current hypoglycemic drugs.
If these department heads, skeptical of TCM, refused to try it, the patient might lose even this sliver of hope. Moreover, Xu Ze thought it would be excellent to let these Western medicine-focused doctors experience the charm of traditional medicine. As one of the country’s most renowned hospitals, if TCM could achieve remarkable results here, it would greatly benefit the promotion of traditional Chinese medicine in the future.
Director Zhang Lide slowly blinked, noticing that Director Li Junying from the diabetes department—frustrated by the patient’s stubborn blood sugar—seemed intrigued. The others were also pondering Xu Ze’s suggestion. Taking a deep breath, Zhang Lide turned to Xu Ze and asked gravely, “Xu Ze, are you certain TCM will be effective for this patient?”
“It should be effective…” Xu Ze nodded solemnly. “Trying is better than having no other options.”
Zhang Lide hesitated for a moment, but remembering Xu Ze’s exceptional performances in the hospital, he finally nodded. “Should we consult the TCM department, then?”
“No need… I’ll prescribe a few herbs. I have a formula that should work for diabetes,” Xu Ze said calmly. This formula was known only to him. What would be the point of having a TCM doctor review it?
Zhang Lide studied Xu Ze closely, then glanced at the other department heads, who wore neutral expressions. After a moment of thoughtful silence, he finally said, “Alright… you can prescribe the herbs. But the TCM department must review the prescription, as you don’t have prescribing authority.”
What followed was perhaps the most surreal scene in the history of the affiliated hospital: over a dozen senior doctors and department heads sat together, waiting for a trainee to write a prescription.
The rotating interns and trainee doctors nearby stared with their mouths agape, their minds reeling. During a grand internal medicine consultation, the treatment plan proposed by a trainee had been accepted—and it involved TCM, no less! Most astonishingly, the trainee was the one writing the prescription…
If there was one department at Xingda Affiliated Hospital that was the quietest and had the fewest patients, it was the TCM department. The head of TCM was a man nearing sixty. Seeing the highly influential Director Zhang of internal medicine personally visit his office, he couldn’t help but glance out the window to check if the sun was rising from the west…
“Rehmannia root, astragalus, corn silk, kudzu root…” The TCM director carefully examined the prescription brought to him by Director Zhang. After a long while, he nodded and looked at the solemn-faced Zhang Lide. “This formula nourishes the kidneys, promotes yin, boosts qi, and generates fluids. It makes sense for treating diabetes.”
Hearing this, Zhang Lide’s eyes lit up, but he asked cautiously, “There won’t be any side effects, right?”
“Hmm… generally speaking, there shouldn’t be,” the TCM director replied, not daring to beat around the bush given Zhang Lide’s serious demeanor.
“Good. Thank you, Director Hu.” Zhang Lide nodded with satisfaction, took back the prescription, and hurried back to the diabetes department.
“I heard Director Zhang actually used that prescription!” Li Huaming shook his head wryly as he spoke to Li Qijiang, who had come to his neurology department for a consultation.
Li Qijiang nodded. “Seems like it. I asked Li Junying earlier, and he said the patient started taking the herbs last night.”
“Director Zhang really dared to try it… If there are side effects, it’ll be a mess,” Li Huaming remarked, marveling at Director Zhang’s trust in the trainee.
But Li Qijiang was calmer. “It should be fine. Director Zhang is always cautious. I heard he personally took the prescription to the TCM department for verification before giving it to the patient.”
“Alright… I just hope nothing goes wrong. If word gets out that after a grand consultation with so many department heads, we ended up using a trainee’s suggestion and it caused problems, we’d be in trouble…”
Xu Ze paid no mind to these doubts. As the one who had prescribed the formula, he was confident it would work.
According to the records, diabetic patients who took this formula experienced no major side effects, and it seemed to yield decent results. Although it couldn’t completely control blood sugar, it could lower it to a certain extent.
So, facing Zhang Lide’s anxious gaze, Xu Ze maintained a faint, confident smile, which somewhat reassured the director.
The most anxious person, however, was Director Li Junying of the diabetes department. This patient had troubled him for a long time, and suddenly using TCM for treatment made him very uneasy.
In his medical career, he had never prescribed TCM for a patient and wasn’t very familiar with it.
Although he bore little responsibility since the prescription was used at Director Zhang’s request, the patient was still under his care, so he couldn’t help but worry. After the patient started taking the herbs, Li Junying visited him two or three times a day, fearing any adverse reactions.
Fortunately, the patient showed no abnormalities after taking the prescription, which eased his mind a little…
Two days later, amid everyone’s tense anticipation, Li Junying stared at the blood sugar test results brought to him by the attending physician. The value—14.3 mmol/L—shocked him. He looked up and asked, “Is this correct?”
“Yes… absolutely!” The attending physician swallowed excitedly. “Director, I personally tested the patient’s blood sugar and even sent a sample to the lab. They just called with the same result. The patient’s blood sugar has dropped by 5 units compared to two days ago.”
“Are you sure?” Li Junying couldn’t hide his excitement. He was astounded by this result. Despite two weeks of intensive treatment and high doses of insulin, the patient’s blood sugar had stubbornly stayed around 20 mmol/L, with no improvement no matter what they tried.
But now, after just two days of taking these herbs alongside insulin, it had dropped by five units… It was truly exhilarating.
“Yes, Director… I’m sure. The TCM prescribed by Xu Ze actually worked!” The attending physician felt like kissing that brilliant young man. He had been agonizing over this patient for two weeks, and this kid had solved the problem with just a few herbs…
If the blood sugar had dropped this much in just two days, continuing the treatment for a few more days might bring it under excellent control…
After the attending physician left, Li Junying suppressed his excitement and quickly dialed Zhang Lide’s number. “Director Zhang… it worked! It really worked! The patient’s blood sugar has dropped!”
“Really?” As expected, Zhang Lide’s voice on the other end was equally thrilled.
“Yes, it really dropped. The blood sugar, which had been hovering around 20 mmol/L, has now fallen to 14.3 mmol/L this morning. The prescription is definitely effective…”
“Good… good… good…” Zhang Lide’s excited and relieved tone was unmistakable. In his office, he slammed his hand on his chair and exclaimed “good” three times in a row.
Over the past few days, he had shouldered considerable pressure, worried that the prescription might not only fail but also cause adverse effects. Now, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Moreover, he felt immense satisfaction at having helped the diabetes department resolve such a difficult case.
“Continue the prescription for this patient. Xu Ze said it should be taken for five days… We’ll reassess after that,” Zhang Lide instructed excitedly.
The following days didn’t bring the dramatic improvement the diabetes department had hoped for, but the results were still highly satisfying.
On the fourth day, the patient’s fasting blood sugar dropped to 11 mmol/L. However, subsequent tests showed it stabilized at this level without further decline.
Although it was still slightly above the normal range of 6.9 mmol/L, the patient’s condition was vastly improved compared to before.
With continued TCM treatment combined with insulin, the patient’s blood sugar stabilized at 11 mmol/L. His skin ulcers began to heal gradually, and even the symptoms of peripheral neuritis showed noticeable improvement…
The department heads gathered once again in the diabetes department to summarize the treatment results over the past five days. As they observed the patient’s gradually healing foot ulcers and significantly improved complexion and reviewed the recent blood sugar test reports, their initially skeptical expressions turned to astonishment.
In the office, the doctors and department heads once again sat around the long conference table to discuss the outcomes. The only difference this time was that Xu Ze now had a seat next to Director Zhang Lide.
He became the focus of the department heads’ attention, with many posing questions to him.
However, Xu Ze consistently deflected them by claiming the prescription was a family recipe passed down through three generations of doctors.
Watching Xu Ze sit calmly among the department heads, the rotating interns and trainee doctors standing nearby could only look on with envy and a hint of jealousy…
Some felt resentful, thinking, “He’s just relying on a family recipe. What’s so impressive about that?”
But Zhang Lide didn’t see it that way. Observing Xu Ze’s composed and confident demeanor under the pressure of the department heads, Zhang Lide began to suspect he had underestimated the young man. Could someone who repeatedly demonstrated exceptional abilities simply be relying on family secrets?
Absolutely not. How could someone dependent solely on family TCM recipes have such in-depth knowledge of Guillain-Barré syndrome or easily identify unusual aspects of a patient with chest pain?
“What other secrets does this kid have?” Zhang Lide sighed softly as he watched the sharp-faced young man. He knew uncovering Xu Ze’s true capabilities would be difficult.
But as long as Xu Ze remained here, there was hope. Whether he was a genius or had other talents, he would graduate in less than two years. Zhang Lide was determined to recruit him to the affiliated hospital.
Someone who constantly delivered surprises was worth the anticipation of all the internal medicine doctors at Xingda Affiliated Hospital…
Shaking his head to dispel these distant thoughts, Zhang Lide turned to Xu Ze and asked, “Are there any other methods to further control this patient’s blood sugar? After all, it’s still somewhat elevated.”
Zhang Lide’s question quickly captured the attention of the other doctors. Everyone looked at Xu Ze expectantly, hoping he would propose further treatment plans or medications…
