Chapter 7: Toothache

*

Deer drank from the stream, gazing at the moon. Slowly, bit by bit, he tidied up his delicate emotions. When he turned around, he was startled almost to a fright.

Behind him stood a doctor wearing a white coat.

Inside the hospital, wearing a white coat and a mask that made it difficult to recognize people, Deer drank from the stream but still managed to immediately recognize Jane Qing.

In the bed, there was a mischievous troublemaker who couldn't resist stripping people's clothes. And under the bed, there was a classy recluse who seemed too dignified for this earthly world. That's how she came to know these two individuals.

The scoundrel leaned against the wall silently, his beautiful and aloof face devoid of expression. In his hands, he held a bag of small bread rolls.

Deer approached and asked, "When did you arrive?"

Jane Qing didn't answer, nor did she ask Deer why he had red eyes like a little rabbit. Instead, she simply offered him the small bread rolls in her hands.

Deer hesitated for a moment, and reached out to receive it.

She was indeed so hungry that her front touched her back.

Tearing open the packaging of the small bread rolls, Deer caught a whiff of the rich aroma of milk. He practically swallowed it in one gulp.

Jane Qing watched silently, afraid that she might choke. She walked to the nearby vending machine and bought a bottle of drink for her.

Deer took small sips, deepening his understanding of Jane Qing's thoughtfulness.

*

The next day, Jane Qing had a research class and spent the entire morning at the central laboratory.

Inside the tumor center laboratory at Fu Yi Hospital, there were dedicated research personnel as well as doctors from the clinical department who took turns for research classes.

Jane Qing's left palm was injured, making certain tasks inconvenient. Deer was then brought to the laboratory, helping her with errands, recording data, and doing various chores, always ready and willing to lend a hand.

The research class was relatively quiet. In the afternoon, Jane Qing brought her work home to do.

Outside, fine snowflakes were floating down. Inside, there was peaceful silence, with only the sound of keyboards tapping.

When Deer returned home, they didn't have any chores to do. Feeling bored, they rummaged through their belongings and found a measuring tape. They stood up straight and measured their height.

167cm, which was about 1.5cm shorter than their actual body in reality.

She held the measuring tape, murmuring to herself, "I think I can still grow taller."

She grew until she was the same height as the real world.

The sound of keyboards tapping came to a halt as Jane glanced at Deer. Out of the blue, she spoke, "You're 20 years old."

Actually, the mental age is 25.

Deer, with a playful heart, didn't agree, "What's wrong with being 20? Maybe my growth plates haven't closed yet, I might still continue growing, even taller than you."

Judging by looks, Jane was a little over 1.7 meters tall, with long legs and a slender waist. Her figure was so beautiful that it made Deer a bit jealous.

Jane averted her gaze, remaining silent while her fingers danced lightly on the keyboard, producing a cheerful "clack clack clack" sound.

Indeed, they were a very young child.

So young that their baby teeth were still erupting, causing their eyes to well up with pain. They swayed back and forth in front of a certain doctor, as if hoping to be asked a few questions and hear some caring and considerate words.

Jane, however, chose to remain silent and acted as if she hadn't noticed. Her slender fingers continued to tap on the keyboard.

Deer, unable to resist any longer, moved closer and spoke up voluntarily, "My tooth hurts, my wisdom tooth is coming in."

Jane didn't even lift her gaze and said, "I work with tumors, not oral health."

A pretended cold and distant attitude.

Deer, covering their face, bent down and looked directly at Jane. They answered in a muffled voice, "I didn't ask you to extract my tooth. The oncology department can also treat pain."

Around 60% to 80% of patients in the late stages of cancer may experience cancer pain. The hope for curing late-stage cancer is faint, and doctors have very limited capabilities. Alleviating pain is one of the things they can do.

Jane lifted her hand, which had been stitched, and said softly, "I don't provide medical care to those who resort to violence."

Deer, with an urgent illness, gently tugged at her sleeve and said, "Doctor Jane, as the saying goes, what goes around comes around. Hippocrates is watching you from above. As a doctor, you should have a conscience. You've taken an oath."

You should not be so narrow-minded, seeking revenge for every slight.

Jane looked at her, recalling the medical student oath and the Hippocratic Oath that had been buried in her heart for a while. With a faint sigh, she leaned forward, getting closer, and her lips almost touched her earlobe. "Dear Deer, I have lost my conscience."

After finishing speaking, he gently blew a warm breath towards her ear.

The warm breath brushed against her ear, making it both itchy and ticklish. It sent shivers down Deer's spine, causing her to break out in goosebumps. Startled, she covered her ear and took a step back, almost stumbling to the ground.

She glanced at the woman sitting on the sofa.

The woman appeared calm and composed as if nothing happened, continuing to type on the keyboard.

Without even glancing at her.

Her heart pounded in her chest, her ears burning as if they were about to smoke. Blushing, Deer covered her ears and rubbed them vigorously.

He was sick.

If you want to attract someone or tease someone, you must first choose the right person.

She wasn't a boy, so what did it matter if he blew into her ears?

Muttering a few words of complaint in her heart, Deer suddenly realized afterward-"

The wealthy patron and the canary.

Yuck, scoundrel!

Deer ignored Jian Qing and proceeded to rummage through the medicine box, feeling a bit dejected.

The tingling sensation from the warm breath that entered her ears lingered. Deer, while experiencing the burning sensation in her ears, couldn't help but speculate whether the ice cube was meant for both men and women or only favored women.

Who cares what she does? Who wants to bother about whether she likes men or women!

Suddenly, another voice of frustration popped into her mind. Deer shook her head, pushing aside these scattered thoughts, and focused on rummaging through the medicine box, hoping to find some ibuprofen for pain relief.

The medicine box was large, with different medicines and disposable medical supplies neatly organized in separate compartments.

Deer continued to rummage through the medicine box. Suddenly, she came across several boxes of morphine hydrochloride tablets and also discovered many bottles of sevoflurane.

Morphine is used to relieve cancer pain in cancer patients and acute severe pain. Sevoflurane is a commonly used general anesthesia in the field of anesthesia, even a small dose can make people fall asleep.

These two medicines have strong addictive properties. Misuse can lead to addiction, and overdose can result in death.

In the book, later on, Jianqing used powerful narcotic drugs to kill many people. In the end, he also swallowed and injected a large amount of medication, lying in the snowy ground, silently waiting for his life to come to an end.

Jianqing spotted Deer rummaging for a while, managing to grab a few boxes of potent medicine. He walked over and gently took the medication from her hands, setting it aside.

Deer drank from the creek, her forehead glistening with a thin sheen of sweat. Her soft locks of hair clung to her ears, giving her a pitiful appearance.

Jianqing stared at her for a few seconds, reaching out to brush aside her locks of hair. He picked up a digital thermometer and gently pressed it against her forehead, hearing a soft "beep."

Her forehead temperature was 36.8℃, indicating no fever.

"Open your mouth."

Her chin was being held, but this time it wasn't in a teasing way. Deer, without resisting, obediently opened her mouth and said, "Ah--"

The icy fingers touched and pressed against her jaw, feeling the size of the lymph nodes. She furrowed her brow, suppressing the pain.

Having seen and touched it before, Jianqing asked, "On a scale of 0 to 10, can you choose a number to describe the level of pain?"

The numerical rating scale is a commonly used method for quantifying pain assessment, ranging from 0 to 10, with each number increasing progressively.

Deer pouted and said, "Six, it hurts a lot."

A pain level of 4 to 6 is considered moderate, but there are quite a few patients in the oncology department who experience severe pain, ranging from 7 to 10. Jianqing, accustomed to such cases, maintained a cold expression and asked, "Do you have any history of gastrointestinal disorders or medication allergies?"

In addition to treating the symptoms, one must also consider the potential toxic side effects of medication. Some medications may cause significant irritation to the stomach lining, while certain individuals may be allergic to specific drugs. Furthermore, there are certain medications that should not be used together.

Deer took a moment to remember the memories of this body and shook its head, saying, "None... and I haven't taken any other medications recently."

Jianqing handed Amoxicillin and Metronidazole to her and said, "Rinse with saltwater and take two pills of each, three times a day, after meals. Eat light food and avoid drinking alcohol. As for ibuprofen, take it as needed."

After finishing speaking, she squeezed some hand sanitizer and rubbed her hands together, then turned around to continue rushing to complete her paper.

Deer grabbed her dress, unwilling to let her go.

Her dress was being tugged, causing Jianqing to halt and look at Deer. She raised her eyebrows slightly.

Deer lowered her gaze and remained silent.

The white background with black letters transformed into frames of images. In her mind, the scene of Jianqing lying in the snow, waiting for death, constantly resurfaced.

She wanted to say something, but she didn't know if she should.

In too much pain to think too much, she hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. "Medicine is meant to help people. Please don't use it for bad things, okay?"

Medicine is used to treat and save people.

Do not use it to end someone's life.

Do not use it to end your own life.

Jianqing looked at Lu Yinxun, not understanding why the child suddenly spoke such strange words.

She looked at the morphine and sevoflurane in the medicine chest, pondering silently for a moment before asking, "Can I do something bad, like taking drugs?"

When she was in the emergency room, she would indeed encounter some criminals who were experiencing drug addiction. They would falsely claim to have advanced-stage cancer and severe physical pain to deceive and obtain a morphine injection.

Lu Yinxun didn't answer, but only gripped her clothes tightly, displaying a determined stance as if vowing not to give up until getting a promise.

Jianqing became a bit annoyed by the disturbance.

"Okay, I won't do anything bad," she said in a still somewhat indifferent tone, but with a hint of helplessness as if coaxing a child, "Go take your medicine, we'll go to the hospital later."

Having received a promise, Lu Yinxun released her clothes, covered her cheeks, and asked, "Why are we going to the hospital? Didn't you say I could rest in the afternoon?"

Jianqing glanced at her and gently flicked her forehead with her hand, saying, "X-rays and tooth extraction."

*

In the dental clinic.

After taking the dental X-rays, the dentist immediately examined them on the computer screen and took a glance at Lu Yinxun. With a smile, the dentist said, "You have a lovely appearance, and your teeth are unique. The two wisdom teeth at the bottom are growing horizontally, perfectly symmetrical. They need to be extracted."

Upon hearing these words, Lu Yinxun puffed out her cheeks, almost feeling dizzy, leaning against Jianqing's embrace.

Wisdom teeth have a tendency to grow as they please, in various directions - horizontally, diagonally, or upright.

Those that grow horizontally are referred to as horizontally impacted teeth in medical terminology, and they are close to the nerves. Removing them poses a high risk, is more difficult, and often results in intense postoperative reactions.

Often, patients experience excruciating pain and burst into loud cries, with tears and snot flowing, after the anesthesia wears off.

Jianqing showed no mercy, saying, "Once the inflammation subsides, bring her to get the extraction."

The dentist nodded with a cheerful smile and said, "By the way, let my student observe and learn."

In teaching hospitals, doctors with teaching responsibilities love patients with typical symptoms. Whenever they come across such a patient, they feel like grabbing all the students and compelling them to learn through firsthand experience.

So, on the day when Deer went to the Creek for tooth extraction, there were multiple circles of interns wearing white lab coats surrounding him.

The dentist gently held her face and calmly explained to the students, "Look, for a case like hers with impacted teeth, we need to make a small incision in the gum, flip it open to expose the tooth crown, and then proceed with sectioning the tooth and removing it piece by piece..."

The light was too bright, the words were too frightening, so Deer closed his eyes and tightly clutched onto the hem of his clothes.

Once the anesthesia took effect, the tooth extraction began.

It felt as if a construction team had been placed inside the mouth, hammering, prying, and drilling away. There was a clatter and clang of tools, and the mouth filled with the smell of blood mixed with the latex scent of medical gloves. In the background, the students whispered to each other.

Deer furrowed his brow, trying to suppress his discomfort, and wholeheartedly cooperated with the dentist's movements.

No one would enjoy being treated like a teaching specimen, surrounded by a group of strangers, when feeling anxious and uneasy.

Education, however, is the cornerstone of medical heritage, where knowledge and practices are passed down from generation to generation, ensuring the continuity of medical practitioners.

In this world, there may be geniuses in painting and music, but in the field of biomedical science, there are no geniuses, only small, gradual accumulations.

The growth of any doctor relies on accumulating numerous medical cases. This is a field that places special emphasis on practice and experience.

Deer understood these things and willingly became a guinea pig for the interns to observe and learn from.

The final stitches were also entrusted to the intern to perform.

The intern was visibly nervous, struggling with tying knots and even trembling hands. By the time they finished stitching, the local anesthesia had worn off.

When Jianqing finished his work and came to pick up Luyinxi, Luyinxi was sitting quietly beside receiving an IV, with both hands resting on his knees.

She bit down on a cotton swab, glanced at Jianqing, her face pale. Her cheeks were swollen like a hamster, and the pain was so intense that she couldn't utter a word. Even swallowing saliva felt like a sharp, excruciating pain.

The dentist chuckled and praised, "Your little girl is so well-behaved, she does whatever she is asked to do, without crying or making a fuss."

Luyinxi glanced at the dentist and silently thought to herself: That's because the pain is so unbearable that I can't even let out a cry. Your student's technical skills are just too poor...

Jianqing entered from the icy outdoors, carrying a chill with her. She placed her hand on Luyinxi's head and gently rubbed it twice, saying softly, "Don't be fooled by her appearance, she may grumble in her heart."

Luyinxi: ...

You're talking nonsense!