Chapter 77 – Grandfather Eoheung (2)

“Mmh, I do not know if I can be of major help, but I will examine you. So please tell me the symptoms first.”

“Hmm, because I kept coughing and my voice turned hoarse, I initially thought it was a body ache cold and went to a hospital in town, but they said it was not ordinary and told me to go to the Gangwon Provincial Hospital. I received a diagnosis of lung cancer there.”

At that, Sang-cheol’s mother reluctantly opened her mouth.

‘The Gangwon Provincial Hospital is indeed the largest hospital in Gangwon Province, though.’

“By any chance, what stage of lung cancer did they say it was?”

“I heard it was stage three. They said it would be dangerous if I did not undergo surgery right away… and that it couldn’t be done here, but I had to go to a big hospital in Seoul.”

Sob, sob, sob, in the end, Sang-cheol’s mother poured out the tears she had held back.

Even if she seemed resolute, how could she not have a fear of death? How torn must her heart have been at the thought of leaving her young son behind and going first.

Kim Ji-hyuk felt a lump in his throat.

“Sister! Why on earth did you leave it alone until your body reached this state? Huh? How could you let the disease grow like this?”

Nurse Park In-seon, who was beside her, also burst into tears in unison.

‘If it is stage three lung cancer, it is a situation where it is unclear whether she can undergo surgery or not. If surgery is possible, we might do something, but if not, support is impossible. If the diagnosis is correct, I must send her to Professor Jeong Gi-ryeo as quickly as possible!’

“Mother, by any chance, do you have the X-ray film data?”

“Sob, sob, yes. The doctor packed it for me to show when I go to Seoul.”

Sang-cheol’s mother said, wiping her tears with her sleeve.

“By any chance, could I take a look at it?”

“That is not difficult, but…”

Her expression suggested what use would it be to look.

“Then please show it to me. I will examine it a bit.”

“I feel like I am causing too much trouble for the doctor…”

“No, Sister! Are we in a position to be picky right now? For Sang-cheol’s sake, you must tenaciously recover your health, Sister. Okay? Bring it and give it to the doctor. Yes?”

As Sang-cheol’s mother hesitated, Nurse Park In-seon pressed her.

“Ah, okay. It should be in the drawer somewhere over there.”

Sang-cheol’s mother stood up reluctantly.

In that way, Kim Ji-hyuk returned to the clinic quarters with Sang-cheol’s mother’s X-ray data.

* * *

Click.

Whir—.

As soon as Kim Ji-hyuk returned to the clinic, he checked Sang-cheol’s mother’s X-ray results and chart.

‘A nodule of about 2.8 cm in the right lower lobe of the lung? Furthermore, in the central region about 7 cm below that point, even a nodule somewhat larger than the right lower lobe nodule?’

Sigh—

Kim Ji-hyuk shook his head.

As a result of examining the X-ray film, looking at it with the naked eye, it must be lung adenocarcinoma.

‘It seems it is indeed lung cancer…’

No matter how much he examined here and there, the film showed no room for disagreement that it was lung adenocarcinoma.

Fortunately, if the cancer was confined to the lung, they could somehow take measures, but if it had metastasized to other organs, there was no choice but to prolong life even a little through chemotherapy.

Since it was a cancer that metastasized very well to other organs.

It was around the time Kim Ji-hyuk was examining the film.

‘………!’

After examining the film closely, Kim Ji-hyuk tilted his head.

‘Ground-glass opacity! This is a bit strange.

The location and shape of the opacity are not very good, but even so, is it too much to view it as a typical opacity of lung adenocarcinoma?’

Kim Ji-hyuk tilted his head once more.

‘For now, I must examine it!’

The literature research began in that way.

Spreading out the papers, materials, and books he had brought to study, Kim Ji-hyuk began comparing them with Sang-cheol’s mother’s diagnostic film.

‘Reflecting that nodule is somewhat different from a typical lung cancer nodule.’

Kim Ji-hyuk continued to delve into the materials.

‘At any rate, it seems I need to verify this more. Before I was possessed into this body, wasn’t there no cancer with a misdiagnosis rate as high as lung cancer?’

Even before the possession, in 2024, the cancer with the highest misdiagnosis rate was lung cancer. In other words, lung cancer was a cancer that could never be guaranteed until opened up.

Kim Ji-hyuk, who was examining Sang-cheol’s mother’s X-ray results and various materials from multiple angles.

He reached the judgment that, perhaps, it might not be cancer.

If so, it was a matter of performing a proper examination once more.

* * *

A few days later, Sang-cheol’s house.

Kim Ji-hyuk visited Sang-cheol’s house again.

“Hello!”

“Oh, Doctor!”

Hearing a presence, Sang-cheol’s mother wiped her hands on her apron and came out of the kitchen.

“You were at home.”

“Yes. Today is my day off… By the way, what brings you here again?”

“Mmh, because there is something I wanted to ask you.”

“Ah, yes. Then please sit here. I will bring some arrowroot juice.”

“No. It is fine.”

“Oh, I feel comfortable only when I treat you. Please sit for just a moment.”

“Alright.”

Kim Ji-hyuk sat on the edge of the wooden veranda.

“………!”

While looking around awkwardly with nothing to do, photographs in a corner of the wooden veranda caught Kim Ji-hyuk’s eye.

They were photographs he had not managed to see during his last visit.

‘Did they run a chicken farm?’

Kim Ji-hyuk stood up and examined the photographs closely. It was a photograph taken affectionately by Sang-cheol’s mother and father.

The background was a poultry farm.

“It is a photo of me and my husband.”

Right at that moment, Sang-cheol’s mother came carrying arrowroot juice on a tray.

“Ah, yes.”

“Even back then, my relationship with my husband was good. The poultry farm also did quite well, so there was no trouble making a living…”

Clack, Sang-cheol’s mother laid down the tray on the veranda and said weakly.

“Ah, you ran a poultry farm?”

Kim Ji-hyuk asked, swallowing a sip of arrowroot juice.

“That is right. Until we came and settled down here, that is.”

Cough, cough, Sang-cheol’s mother coughed while covering her mouth with her apron.

‘If she ran a poultry farm, she must have come into contact with chickens a lot…’

“If you do not mind, may I ask why you quit the work?”

“Ah, that… I had to quit because my heart was not good.”

Sang-cheol’s mother lowered her head weakly at the subsequent question.

“Heart disease?”

“Yes. It is a chronic disease I suffered since childhood. My father also passed away from his chronic heart disease.”

“I see. Then what about treatment?”

“There is a medicine I take. It has already been quite some time since I started taking it.”

“Could I take a look at that medicine?”

“Yes. Sure. Here it is.”

Drrr, Sang-cheol’s mother pulled the medicine out of the drawer and showed it.

‘Antiarrhythmic drug?’

What Sang-cheol’s mother showed Kim Ji-hyuk was definitely an antiarrhythmic drug.

“How long have you been taking this?”

“Hmm, I think it has been almost over ten years.”

‘She has been taking flecainide for over ten years.’

Flecainide was the main ingredient of antiarrhythmic drugs.

Kim Ji-hyuk’s eyebrows twitched.

“Is it a medicine prescribed by the hospital?”

“Yes.”

“Are there no other medicines you are taking?”

“Yes. None.”

“Yes. I understand. When you went to the hospital this time—meaning, when you received the diagnosis of lung cancer—did you mention that you suffer from heart disease?”

“Yes. I told them.”

“What did they say?”

“When I said I was taking this medicine, they didn’t say anything special. When I asked if I should stop the medicine, they said it was fine to keep taking it…”

“I see. Then, by any chance, did you also mention that you ran a poultry farm in the past?”

“No. They didn’t really ask about that. But why is that?”

“Ah, no. Well, take good care of yourself, and if there is any place uncomfortable, please contact me immediately. I will help with whatever I can help with.”

“Oh dear, you are busy, I feel sorry because I seem to cause you trouble.”

“It is fine. It is my job anyway.”

“Yes. Thank you. Then I will do so.”

“Yes, yes. If you have pain, do not endure it and come straight to the clinic.”

“Yes.”

‘She ran a poultry farm? On top of that, she took flecainide acetate long-term?’

Kim Ji-hyuk nodded as if something crossed his mind.

* * *

Office of the Okdong Mining Office.

The only place here equipped with a telephone. Professor Jeong Gi-ryeo, who examined Sang-cheol’s mother’s X-ray results sent via express mail a few days ago, placed a call.

“Doctor, a phone call from Seoul!”

“Professor!”

Kim Ji-hyuk, who had been waiting for Professor Jeong Gi-ryeo’s call, grabbed the receiver as if he had been waiting.

—Yes. Is it alright to talk now?

“Yes. Please speak.”

—About that film you sent me. It was a bit intriguing?

“Pardon? What do you mean by that? Could you explain in more detail?”

—Just as you said, the aspect is different from lung cancer.

“In what way, sir?”

—Looking at the subpleural ground-glass opacity (GGO) and reticular opacity in the lower parts of both lungs, bronchiectasis, and the findings of reduced lung volume.

“Then?”

—To put it simply, there is a significant possibility that it is not lung cancer. Of course, we must test more, though.

“Mmh, then does Professor’s options also include NSIP (non-specific interstitial pneumonia)?”

—Huhuhu, it seems you have read my paper.

“Yes. I saw this patient’s test results, and there was something different from typical lung cancer, so I researched it. Centered around your papers, Professor. Actually, the patient has a few unique points. I inferred it from those.”

—Unique points? What are they?

“Customer had been taking antiarrhythmic drugs for over ten years.”

—If it is antiarrhythmic drugs?

“Yes. Pulcard tablets.”

—If it is Pulcard, flecainide acetate??

“Yes. That is right. Doesn’t flecainide act as a trigger factor for NSIP? I believe it was written like that in your paper, Professor.”

—Correct. It is a major inducing factor of non-specific interstitial pneumonia. If she took it long-term, there is a possibility!

“Furthermore, she said she ran a poultry farm for several years in the past.”

—Haha, chronic bird fancier’s lung! In that case, we cannot exclude the possibility that bacteria penetrated while breathing in chicken feathers or feces! Since this is also a powerful inducing factor of NSIP.

“As expected, that was it. What about the treatment? Is complete cure possible?”

—Mainly immunosuppressive therapy is done, and the prognosis is quite good. That is not a problem, but since the size of the nodule is not small… surgery seems unavoidable. Transfer the patient to the National Medical Center as quickly as possible. Actually, Professor Yoon Sang-guk from Severance was appointed to our hospital last week. You know Professor Yoon, right?

“Who wouldn’t know Professor Yoon, the authority on lung cancer!”

Professor Yoon Sang-guk, the father of lung surgery.

As the highest authority in our country’s lung surgery field, he was a veteran among veterans who had performed lung surgery more than a thousand times during his lifetime.

It was the most welcome news he had heard.

“We should perform a biopsy, right?”

—Of course. How could one diagnose without a biopsy?

“Then naturally the examination fees and treatment costs will be free, right?”

—Wh-what? Naturally?

“I mean, it will be precious clinical data for your NSIP research, Professor, shouldn’t you cover at least that much? Besides, didn’t you say you also receive support from the Okdong Mining Office.”

—Sigh, you attach it in that way?

“Professor, although this place has become wealthy from coal, the lives of those in difficult circumstances are a mess. For these people, lung cancer or NSIP are not very different. They cannot afford treatment due to lack of money anyway.”

—Mmh… Yes, I understand what you mean. Anyway, send the patient up to Seoul quickly. Although NSIP is not as bad as lung cancer, it is not easy if the treatment window is missed.

“Understood! I will do so.”

‘What a relief!’

Hanging up the phone, Kim Ji-hyuk let out a sigh of relief.