The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 113

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

Chapter 113

Song Jongman was truly a capable person who had endured until retirement at South Korea’s top conglomerate.

He had worked diligently his entire life, and even after retirement, he hadn’t caused any particular trouble.

After selling his Seoul home to provide wedding funds for his children, he came down to his hometown of Busan to begin the second act of his life.

He was spending his days traveling abroad with his wife, finding new hobbies, and living moderately enjoyable yet moderately boring days.

Then came the health examination results he learned about.

“It’s stage 3 colon cancer. You should go to a university hospital.”

The doctor gave him a cancer diagnosis.

Hmm, in dramas, people in such scenes don’t believe the doctor’s words, or even get angry.

They cry asking how such a thing could happen, and fall into shock.

But Song Jongman was surprisingly unfazed.

‘What was bound to come has come.’

That was about the extent of his feelings.

Song Jongman had lived thinking that if he were to die someday, it would be from cancer or a traffic accident.

Since there had been no traffic accidents at this age approaching 70, wasn’t it time for cancer to come?

There was family history, and he had neglected his health in his younger days, so there was no particular reason for it to pass him by.

Did that mean he was prepared to die?

That wasn’t the case.

Since the survival rate for stage 3 colon cancer was 50-75%, he vaguely believed he would be on the surviving side.

Whatever, treatment would take care of it.

“Is there a hospital you’d like to be referred to?”

Where would he receive cancer treatment?

It was obvious.

“I’d like to be seen at Korea University Hospital.”

Of course he should receive the best treatment at our country’s best hospital.

Some time later.

When he went to Korea University Hospital, the doctor set up a chemotherapy plan for him.

“We recommend XELOX therapy as adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery.”

Xeloda and oxaliplatin combined are called XELOX, which is a method often used for digestive organ cancer patients like colon and stomach cancer. It’s considered mild among chemotherapy drugs with fewer side effects.

“You’ll receive one IV drip of oxaliplatin and take Xeloda pills for 14 days – that’s the first treatment cycle. After that, you’ll have a one-week break from medication, then receive another IV drip to start the second treatment cycle. This way, you’ll complete 8 cycles of treatment in 3-week intervals to finish the therapy.”

There were a few other options mentioned, but Song Jongman said he would follow the doctor’s recommendation.

Since it was a professor at Korea University Hospital, wouldn’t they naturally provide the best treatment?

Like the wise intellectual he was, he understood the doctor’s explanation and didn’t bother the doctor with unreasonable melodrama or stubbornness.

‘It’s definitely systematic. I just need to follow along.’

Soon after, the surgery schedule was set.

“Oh my, honey… It’ll be okay, right? No, you’re the one having surgery, so I’m sorry for being anxious. The surgery will go well, so don’t worry. I’ll be here praying.”

“They’ll do a good job. Don’t stay at the hospital unnecessarily and rest comfortably at the hotel.”

His wife made a big fuss, crying and wailing.

Before surgery she was anxious, and after she was so relieved.

But Song Jongman calmly underwent the surgery.

And some time later, the promised chemotherapy treatment began.

Psychologically, it was less burdensome than surgery. He just had to get an IV drip once every three weeks and take medicine, right?

It would be a bit bothersome, and it would hurt when the needle went in, but when fighting cancer, he had to do that much.

It was just that level of inconvenience.

Just 3 hours after receiving the IV drip.

Song Jongman couldn’t endure the dizziness and clutched at his hair.

“Ugh, ah… ughhh!”

“Honey! Are you okay?”

How could just getting an IV drip for a moment cause this?

It felt like poison was entering his body.

“Ugh, please be quiet. Ugh…”

“Oh my, what should I do. Nurse, my husband is having a really hard time!”

He received a prescription for medicine shortly after, but the dizziness didn’t improve at all.

His vision was spinning, and his hands and feet were tingling.

The sensation was strange. Were these really his hands and feet?

“Ugh, urgh!”

He continuously felt like vomiting, but only gastric acid came out.

It felt like liquid that shouldn’t be in his body was flowing and tearing through his entire body.

‘It’s chemotherapy, so it can’t be helped. To kill cancer cells…’

He understood it intellectually.

That chemotherapy was originally like that. Since it kills normal cells too, it naturally strains the body.

‘They want me to do this 7 more times? I’d rather just die!’

But his heart felt otherwise.

And it wasn’t just the IV drip that was painful.

“Uwwwwwwwwwek!”

When he took the medicine, an insane nausea would surge up and torment Song Jongman.

“Uwek, uwwwwwek!”

Throughout his life, he had lived on various medications for migraines, indigestion, and other ailments, but it had never been this terrible.

Usually, when taking medicine, the pain would subside within 30 minutes to an hour, but when he took the anticancer drugs, terrifying agony would assault him.

“Honey, try to eat something. I made seaweed soup, your favorite.”

“I can’t eat it…”

“But you need to eat to take your medicine, to endure this.”

Seeing his wife’s tearful face, he picked up the spoon, but he didn’t even have the strength to swallow the soup.

The second round of treatment began, and once again, the hell of IV drips.

And torture time with the medication.

Stagger-.

Song Jongman, who was trying to go to the restroom, collapsed with a thud.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

He lay face down in the corridor of his own home until his wife, who had returned from grocery shopping, discovered him.

He hadn’t lost consciousness.

He simply didn’t have the strength to get up.

Why should he get up? He couldn’t understand that either.

“I absolutely can’t bear it anymore. The dizziness is too severe.”

He told the doctor when starting the third round of treatment.

“These are typical side effects of XELOX therapy. Symptoms like this are common, so please try to endure it a little longer. You’ve come a quarter of the way.”

“…”

“If you need side effect management, receive care at a university hospital in Busan. I’ll designate one for you.”

What came back was an extremely rational response that everyone endures this much.

Then one day, the side effects were particularly severe.

The world was spinning around.

He couldn’t walk.

“Honey, stay strong. We still have many countries we haven’t visited. We need to go to Northern Europe. We need to see the aurora.”

Song Jongman went to the hospital designated by Korea University Hospital, leaning on his wife.

It seemed like he would need to be hospitalized. Or at least get some additional medication.

But the hospital gave him an unexpected response.

“Anticancer treatment side effect management must be done at the hospital that performed the anticancer therapy. It’s impossible for our hospital to only provide management.”

“What? But Korea University Hospital told us to come here.”

“…They arbitrarily designate regional hospitals, but it wasn’t coordinated with us.”

“My husband can’t even walk properly right now. Can’t you see him just once?”

“Unless it’s an emergency situation, we can’t. I’m sorry, it’s the principle.”

They were turned away at the door.

Go to Korea University Hospital right now? In this condition?

His wife called Korea University Hospital to inquire.

The regional hospital refused treatment, so could they be seen immediately if they came up to Seoul? They would even be hospitalized if necessary.

“There are no hospital rooms available. Our hospital always has many reservations. Please get side effect management at the designated hospital.”

But forget hospitalization, they couldn’t even meet the professor without a prior appointment.

If Korean University tells them to go to the provinces, and the provinces tell them to go to Korean University, what exactly are they supposed to do?

“Honey…”

“Wait, let me think. I have a friend who’s a medical school professor.”

There was one person who came to mind.

None other than Song Jongman’s high school classmate, Lee Juhyeok.

The guy who had completed his service until retirement at the university hospital where they had just been turned away.

He was a peculiar fellow who could have rested after retirement but deliberately went to another hospital to continue working.

– What? Colon cancer? Hey, you have a friend who’s a hematology-oncology professor and you’re only telling me this now?

Song Jongman, hearing his friend’s scolding, kept his mouth tightly shut.

Even if he had ten mouths, he had nothing to say.

Of course, Lee Juhyeok had come to mind as soon as he was diagnosed with cancer, but he had deliberately not sought him out.

During high school, their circumstances were similar.

It was an era when everyone was poor, and they studied hard despite difficult circumstances.

Song Jongman was 10th in liberal arts, Lee Juhyeok was 10th in sciences.

But Song Jongman became an ordinary office worker, while Lee Juhyeok became a doctor.

…Yes, honestly, he was jealous. He would be eating and living incomparably better than himself.

And yet he also looked down on him. You’re just a provincial university professor, while I work at Korea’s top corporation.

So he had decided to receive surgery and treatment at the best university, and had deliberately sought out Korean University.

But now that the situation had reached this point, his friend’s connections became urgent.

Even though he had retired, his juniors would still be there, so couldn’t he at least ask them to accept him?

“I’m sorry, Juhyeok. Could you… somehow help? I don’t even understand what’s happening.”

– Ha, Korean University hematology-oncology. Those money-crazy bastards! They’re still doing that. What do you think it is? They want to do the profitable anticancer treatments themselves, so they accept all patients even when they don’t have the capacity, then dump the side effect care on provincial hospitals!

Lee Juhyeok was furiously angry.

“…Was that what it was?”

– Of all places, Jongman, why do you have to go there! Forget it. Just come to our hospital. I’ll check your condition and prescribe medication. What exactly is wrong?

Indeed, there was nothing like an old friend.

Song Jongman was overjoyed and recited his symptoms.

Dizziness, loss of appetite, lethargy, numbness in hands and feet, chills and headaches, and so on…

But after listening to the story for a while, Lee Juhyeok spoke up.

– Hey, would you consider trying herbal medicine?

“Herbal medicine?”

– Patients with similar symptoms who were referred for collaborative treatment saw tremendous effects with herbal medicine. You could try adjusting with Western medicine alone first, but from my personal experience, combining them is definitely better.

“Korean University told me not to take it… Is it really okay?”

– Those bastards always say no to everything first, then when you ask why you’re not getting better, they blame it on that and scold you.

Lee Juhyeok seemed to have a lot of grievances built up against Korean University.

Anyway, Lee Juhyeok was the only doctor who could help Song Jongman right now, and Song Jongman was ready to try any treatment he recommended.

Whether it was a friend he had secretly envied, herbal medicine, or anything else – it was all fine.

“Then I’ll go. Do you have a particular Oriental Medicine Clinic to recommend?”

– Oh, yes. Wait a moment. It’s Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic… where was it? Let’s go together tomorrow.

“With you? Is that necessary?”

– I want to see that clinic director’s face while I’m at it.

“Alright. See you in the morning.”

If he could just stop this dizziness right now, he felt like he would sell his soul to the devil.

* * *

Professor Lee Juhyeok summarized Song Jongman’s story while adding various curses.

The gist was that those Korean University bastards didn’t deserve to be doctors.

“I don’t understand why they accept patients if they’re not going to manage side effects. Chemotherapy – that’s just following guidelines, hooking up an IV and giving medication. A doctor’s capability lies in controlling side effects.”

“That’s right. It’s a bit… like that.”

As a Korean University graduate myself, I had heard stories here and there, and there really weren’t many good stories about Western medicine hospitals.

I thought they only had bad relations with Oriental Medicine hospitals, but they’ve been causing trouble at regional university hospitals nationwide?

What interesting people in many ways.

But it would be ridiculous for me to join in cursing when I don’t know much about it, right?

I just nodded appropriately.

Professor Lee Juhyeok was quite something – over the phone he seemed like a calm and seasoned doctor, but meeting him in person, he was surprisingly passionate.

Well, that’s probably why he’s still working so vigorously at his age.

Well, that aside.

I need to focus on the patient.

Dizziness, loss of appetite, lethargy, numbness in hands and feet, and even depression from side effects.

Every single one was a side effect that extremely degraded quality of life.

I should be able to reduce the dizziness.

I could probably boost his energy to some extent too.

But beyond that, he himself needed to pull himself together and force himself to eat and gather strength.

“I can’t guarantee that I’ll cure you 100%, but many people Professor Lee has entrusted to me have improved to some degree. Both Professor Lee and I will do our best to help you endure the chemotherapy treatment.”

I took Song Jongman’s hand and spoke.

“You’ve endured well so far. You can do it going forward too.”

Song Jongman’s eyes wavered.

“I thought I was a strong and rational person, but now I don’t know anymore. …Anyway, I don’t want to die, so I’ll continue treatment.”

“It’s okay to be scared. Even if you fall, you have family and friends who will hold your hand and help you up, so feel free to receive their help. These are precious people you’ve protected by living strongly all this time, and they’re ready to be with you anytime.”

He closed his eyes for a moment.

Were people coming to mind? Or were memories from the past flashing by?

“Yes, I’ll try.”

When he opened his eyes again, there was a sharp gleam in his gaze.

Lee Juhyeok had said that Song Jongman was losing his will to be treated, but from what I could see, that wasn’t the case.

Whether for himself or for his wife, Song Jongman was someone who could get back up again and again.

“Then, I’ll ask you a few questions for the prescription.”

I began the medical consultation.

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