Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 253

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 253
“So… occasionally you suddenly lose hearing in one ear, and recently the dizziness has gotten noticeably worse? And now there’s another symptom added to the list. Facial paralysis.”
Apparently, she’s begun drooling slightly whenever she drinks water.
The patient’s name was Han Yi-jeong.
Notably, she came with her younger sister, Han So-jeong.
Han Yi-jeong had refined, well-proportioned features, and despite being a patient, her eyes gleamed with vitality.
However, the corners of her eyes were red, as if she’d been crying from somewhere.
And apparently, she had been until just moments ago.
‘…It’s better to pretend I didn’t notice.’
The discretion of an adult.
Though born into an official’s household, her body was well-balanced, suggesting she’d learned basic martial arts.
At the same time, ink stains remained beneath her fingernails, indicating she frequently held a brush.
I spoke as clinically as possible while rapidly documenting her symptoms.
After asking a few more questions, it was time to proceed with the actual pulse diagnosis.
That’s when Han Yi-jeong spoke.
“From this point forward, I would like to conduct the pulse diagnosis alone. Would you be able to step out for a moment?”
Her tone toward her younger sister was remarkably stiff and formal.
Her younger sister, Han So-jeong, accepted the request without any apparent concern.
“Understood. I’ll be outside, so please call if you need anything.”
It seemed these blood sisters spoke to each other with formal respect.
‘The atmosphere here is quite different from the Gongseon Family.’
Han Yi-jeong, the older sister, nodded.
Though her tone carried a sense of distance, I could still sense the concern she held for her younger sister.
She left the room and the door slid shut with a soft sound.
Now only Han Yi-jeong and I remained in the consultation chamber.
“First, I’d like to conduct the pulse diagnosis. If you would place your hand…”
“I’m sorry. I’d prefer if you didn’t conduct the pulse diagnosis.”
I couldn’t fathom what she meant.
“You don’t wish to receive treatment?”
“I told the Hwaju Medical Institute the same thing… but I prefer things as they are.”
“Then I’ll have to report this to the Eunuch General.”
“That’s not… possible…!”
Han Yi-jeong urgently grabbed my arm.
At that moment, was it the facial paralysis acting up?
Her speech slurred, and she collapsed to the side from dizziness.
I quickly caught her arm as she fell.
Thud.
This was becoming complicated.
“So you’re asking me to lie to the Eunuch General?”
If that were the case, I was prepared to refuse.
I have no way of knowing what the world of those in the imperial palace is like, nor do I wish to concern myself with it.
They are the center of power, after all.
I have no intention of forcing treatment on a patient who doesn’t desire it.
However, in cases like this, it’s best to speak plainly—that way there are no complications later.
At my words, Han Yi-jeong’s expression grows troubled.
“I need to be ill for my younger sister to have an opportunity.”
“An opportunity, you say…?”
“The one who should rise to an official position is not me, but So-jeong.”
A brief note on this world’s knowledge.
Unlike Earth’s history, this world is one where supernatural abilities and martial arts genuinely exist.
While there are similarities to Earth, there are also vast differences from actual human history.
One notable difference is that unlike Earth’s human history, women in this world have entered official positions in great numbers.
From the beginning, those descended from Fuxi’s bloodline—men, women, young and old alike—grasped spears and thrust at one another in this blood-soaked struggle for the throne, and the founding emperor was a woman.
As a result, naturally, if one possessed ability, they were employed regardless of gender.
Moreover, while women are said to have less basic physical strength, once martial arts are mastered, both men and women transcend humanity in this world.
A blade shows no mercy to age or gender.
‘After all, even Cheonma herself is a woman.’
No one finds this strange.
She, granddaughter of the Eunuch General, possesses both the background and talent to become one of the next Six Ministers.
And one could say she possessed all the necessary abilities as well.
However, recent hearing loss, dizziness, and facial muscle paralysis had made treatment necessary.
It was the Hwaju Medical Institute that eagerly extended their hand first, but she had refused them.
Whether the Eunuch General heard of this through the Hwaju Medical Institute or discerned it some other way, this time he had sent her to Baek Rin’s Medical Guild, it seems.
When I looked at her with eyes that said ‘I have no idea what you want from me,’ she sighed as well.
“My grandfather wishes it. I did not come of my own volition.”
“I appear to be courting trouble.”
At that, Han Yi-jeong shook her head.
“That cannot be. Are you not the physician whom His Majesty favors? I have even heard him praise you lavishly in public as a ‘talented one.’ My grandfather, who values His Majesty more than us, would never fault Baek Rin’s Medical Guild, nor could he.”
‘He… praised me in public?’
Of course I understand his joy at curing the large intestinal cancer. But who would have thought he spoke of it so widely?
Han Yi-jeong pressed her cheek repeatedly, as if checking for facial paralysis symptoms.
“My cheek feels… numb, I suppose. The facial paralysis is a recent symptom, but one ear not hearing well has been occasional since childhood. So it is not a serious matter.”
“Still, your pronunciation is quite precise.”
“That much… I have practiced since childhood.”
Just as martial arts children learn incantations from their first steps, it seems children of powerful families receive their own education from birth.
“In any case, my grandfather need not worry. I shall stake myself and my family on this promise.”
In other words, she’s saying she’ll handle the aftermath so it doesn’t become a serious matter.
However, I calmly objected.
“But I don’t think you should return home.”
“Why is that?”
“When she collapsed, I caught her and examined her briefly. But if it’s a terminal illness… what would you do?”
“Pardon?”
Han Yi-jeong’s eyes widen.
“Please trust me and let me examine your arm for just a moment…”
No one could maintain composure upon hearing a doctor suggest a terminal illness might be present.
Especially when the patient was a talented individual whom the Emperor himself had praised, and would soon bear the title of Divine Physician.
Han Yi-jeong, who had been hesitating, extends her wrist.
“Please remain still and breathe slowly—inhale, then exhale.”
I held her wrist for quite some time, taking her pulse through true energy sensing.
“…”
A considerable amount of time seemed to pass.
I didn’t stop there, placing my hand on the back of her neck and taking her pulse several more times.
After a long while, I removed my hand, furrowed my brow for an extended moment, then spoke with difficulty.
“I apologize, but it seems you cannot leave in this condition.”
* * *
Immediately after completing the pulse diagnosis.
I quickly summoned the Acupuncture Guild Master, one of the four hall masters, along with the Physician Assistants under his command.
Everyone rushed over in confusion at the urgent summons, but it was only brief.
The moment everyone took their seats, my Master entered through the door.
“The pulse diagnosis results appear to be poor.”
“Yes.”
I immediately pushed the medical texts toward everyone.
Rustle—
“You’ve likely studied these already, but there’s no time to fetch the books.”
Jegalling took his seat.
Sima Bing, the Acupuncture Guild Master, furrowed his brow.
“What’s the matter that you’ve called an emergency assembly so urgently, Patriarch?”
“I know the Acupuncture Guild is busy right now. But since I cannot resolve this alone, I’ve gathered you all here.”
I said so and rapidly flipped through the book, stopping with a decisive tap at the desired page.
There it was written:
[Brain Tumor]
There was only one reason I stopped at that particular section. Sima Bing asked:
“Surely not…?”
“Yes. The patient has a brain tumor. Volume 12, page 11.”
My voice was calm. Yet there was no doubt it was a fatal disease.
One of the Physician Assistants asked carefully.
“Can it be cured?”
I answered that question.
“If we don’t cure it, she will pass. To be precise, it’s an internal acoustic tumor—an acoustic neuroma, as I would diagnose it.”
Also called a vestibular schwannoma.
Within the cochlea of our ears, in the inner ear canal, there exist multiple neural pathways.
The vestibulocochlear nerve responsible for hearing, the facial nerve controlling facial muscles, and the vestibular nerve that detects and regulates bodily balance all exist there—and when the membrane surrounding the inner ear canal grows into a tumor, it begins to compress these other nerves.
Typically, 95% of such tumors are benign.
Malignant cases are rare.
In terms of gender distribution, it occurs more frequently in women and in patients between their 30s and 60s.
At first glance, one might think that if it’s benign, there’s nothing to worry about.
But the problem is that benign tumors still grow slowly but steadily.
In purely mathematical terms, if the size is 1, the volume is also 1.
However, the moment the size becomes 2, it’s 2 cubed, so the volume becomes 8.
With a volume of 8, it begins to compress the surrounding nerves.
When the tumor size exceeds 2cm and grows to 3cm or 4cm, it starts pressing against the brain—and unfortunately, that location is the midbrain.
‘It controls respiration and pulse. It’s essential for maintaining life.’
Currently, the patient staggers occasionally from dizziness, but if it grows further, walking will become impossible, and intracranial pressure will increase.
Eventually, the patient will die.
Given the current location and size of the tumor, surgery is strongly recommended.
‘The patient is also quite young.’
If the patient were elderly, we would prioritize management through radiation therapy instead.
This is because they likely don’t have much life expectancy remaining due to age-related conditions, and opening the skull itself would be burdensome.
But this patient is at an age where they can certainly withstand surgery.
Moreover, compared to other brain tumor surgeries (though vestibular schwannoma is certainly a serious condition), the prognosis is relatively favorable.
There are several surgical approaches available.
Since the choice depends on the tumor’s size, location, and the patient’s hearing status, there’s no definitive conclusion that one method is superior.
There is only the method most suited to each individual patient.
‘The surgical approach I would recommend is the retrosigmoid approach.’
It’s closer to a neurosurgical method than an otolaryngological one.
It involves opening the skull to remove the tumor, which certainly places some burden on the patient, but I believed it was the most appropriate method given the patient’s age.
The primary reason for choosing this particular approach was that the tumor’s location and size made it ideal for this technique.
Additionally, this method offered the highest possibility of preserving hearing compared to other surgical approaches.
One of the Physician Assistants raised his hand.
“What about approaching through the ear canal by taking the longest possible route? If we do that, there would be no need to open the skull. Wouldn’t that reduce the burden on the patient?”
At those words, I nodded.
“That’s a good question, but if we approach it that way, there’s a high likelihood that the auditory nerve will be damaged and hearing cannot be preserved.”
“I see. It would be best to minimize damage as much as possible.”
At those words, I nodded.
The Physician Assistants I had trained began offering their own opinions.
“The skull is divided into several fragments, isn’t it? What if we drill through the fragment closest to the tumor and the smallest one among them? Wouldn’t that be less burdensome than opening the skull entirely?”
The translabyrinthine approach is precisely a similar method.
It’s a commonly performed surgical technique in modern otolaryngology—approaching through the mastoid bone behind the ear to remove the tumor inside the skull.
It’s chosen when the patient has almost no remaining hearing.
Using this method, the patient’s ear will never hear sound again, but the facial muscles are well-preserved.
“I’ve considered that as well. However….”
The discussion continued.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————