Chapter 360: Chapter 361: Numerous Oddities in the Emergency Room

Chen Cang hurriedly walked into the emergency room’s doctor’s office.

Wang Yong seemed to have just come in. When he saw the patient’s lower limbs, he too was slightly taken aback. What on earth was the problem?

The dark purple, almost blackish calves resembled those obstructed by blood clots.

When there are blood clots in the lower limbs, they can severely affect blood circulation, blocking blood return and causing the limbs to turn blue or purple and even swell.

But besides having more leg hair, the patient’s lower limbs looked completely normal.

Could it be nitrite poisoning?

During nitrite poisoning, hemoglobin loses its oxygen-carrying capacity, leading to tissue hypoxia and consequently, the patient’s body turning a bluish hue.

However, nitrite poisoning would surely not be localized; it’s a systemic symptom.

Yet clearly, the patient only had discoloration in the lower limbs. It couldn’t be that!

This was Chen Cang’s initial assessment upon observing the patient.

In fact, as a doctor, long-term clinical experience had honed his ability to see through to the truth.

But medical diagnoses can absolutely not rely on first impressions alone.

One must consider a variety of factors, including a detailed medical history, possible triggers, the progression of the illness, and so forth. If necessary, various tests must also be conducted for a definite diagnosis.

The man wasn’t old, in his thirties, but he was visibly anxious and worried.

“Doctor, after I played soccer today and went to have a shower, I suddenly noticed my legs turned this color. Please, take a look for me!”

The man looked somewhat panic-stricken, staring at his own legs in shock.

Chen Cang couldn’t help but ask, “Does it hurt?”

The man nodded, “Hmm! It didn’t at first, but now… it’s starting to hurt a bit. Did I get injured?”

“I didn’t feel anything right after the soccer game, but later, while we were showering together, they brought it up, and that’s when I truly noticed the pain. I wonder if I didn’t notice it during the game due to not being careful and only discovered it afterward.”

“After resting for a while, the nerve response kicked in. I’m guessing maybe the nerves were tense at the time and didn’t react…”

The man’s explanation left everyone a bit dumbfounded!

The man also frowned, “And it’s kind of itchy! I’ve no idea what’s going on!”

Wang Yong saw Chen Cang and Qin Yue enter and nodded in acknowledgment.

However, after examining the man’s legs, Wang Yong found nothing out of the ordinary.

Continuing, he asked, “Does it hurt now?”

The man felt around and then paused in thought, “I’m not really sure? It kind of hurts, but then again, it doesn’t! I’m just not certain anymore.”

His response was ambiguous.

“But it’s definitely a bit itchy!”

After speaking, the man looked very concerned and anxiously said, “Doctor, I don’t have one of those clots, do I? On the way here, a friend Googled it and said that it looks just like this if a clot gets stuck, and if it’s not cleared quickly, my thigh could turn necrotic!”

When the man spoke, his fear was palpable.

After all, he had seen photos online, and they looked indeed similar—what were they called? Deep vein thrombosis, or lower limb clot, or something, which could require amputation of both legs if not dealt with!

With this thought, the man was full of unease, “I heard it might have destabilized clots in my body after the intense exercise, which then blocked a vessel in my lower limbs, causing this situation.”

His articulate explanation almost convinced even Wang Yong, who felt like a layman in comparison.

But…

Qin Yue looked at the man’s lower limbs and realized it didn’t seem like disease because… the discolored areas on the lower limbs were a bit too uniform, weren’t they?

The boundaries were very clear along the lower limbs…

Just like… just like someone wearing thigh-support or soccer tube socks.

Pensively, Qin Yue asked, “Did you wear socks this afternoon?”

“Those tight, leg-compressing athletic long socks.”

The man was momentarily stunned, then flustered, “How did you know?”

He had played soccer that afternoon with high soccer socks and shin guards.

So, during the game, he noticed nothing until he took a shower.

With this in mind, Qin Yue got up and went over to the sink, grabbed the soap.

She handed it to the man, “Try washing it off and see if it comes out.”

The man was taken aback, suddenly looking sheepish, “You mean… it’s color transfer?”

Qin Yue smiled, “Just try washing it, we’ll talk afterwards.”

The man, feeling there might be some truth to it, got up, went to the sink, vigorously scrubbed with the soap, then thoroughly rinsed with water.

No kidding!

It really did fade a bit.

The man was so delighted by this that he became quite excited.

“Oh my, Cao? It’s really fading?”

As he said this, the man couldn’t help but laugh at himself. He rubbed the soap on his other leg and discovered that it could fade as well, and immediately burst out laughing.

“Sorry, sorry, doctor. My apologies for the trouble, it seems I’m just losing color here.”

After he finished speaking, he pulled out two sports socks from the bag he was carrying: “I wore these to play soccer this afternoon. They’re brand new!”

“I thought to myself, finally it’s the weekend, why not play soccer in my new gear, right? Who would’ve thought these darn things would lose color! This is just too much!”

As he talked, the man became a bit embarrassed.

“Scared me so much, I went on Baidu and thought I would need an amputation. This is such a rip-off!”

Chen Cang, Qin Yue, and Wang Yong couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

The man chuckled: “When I discovered this during my shower, I was taken for a ride by those guys. If I had known, I would’ve scrubbed more and maybe it would have come clean!”

Qin Yue chuckled: “It’s okay, hurry on back now.”

The man felt a little embarrassed as he stood up to say goodbye and leave.

Emergencies like this happen more often than not.

Color fading is also a common occurrence.

So upon seeing it, Qin Yue figured it out right away.

Of course, Wang Yong considered it too, especially since the man had no other reaction, it was hard to think of any other possibility.

…

…

Indeed, such occurrences are quite common in clinical settings, not unusual at all.

The most absurd incident Chen Cang ever saw was during his internship, back when he was rotating in the dermatology and venereology department, being mentored by a female doctor.

A man arrived at the dermatology clinic, visibly nervous and making a fuss, with a complex expression on his face that Chen Cang remembers clearly.

Once questioned, the man hesitantly admitted that he feared he had contracted an STD, mentioning something red down there!

The female doctor immediately asked the man to remove his pants for a careful inspection.

No kidding!

It was indeed so.

The man had a red mark on his privates, encircling it, and the key was, it couldn’t be washed off, which terrified the man, leading him to believe he had contracted an STD.

After all, a red mark down there is frightening for anyone!

Furthermore, the most critical part was that he indeed had some recent unclean, unhealthy sexual history.

The man at that point was extremely anxious.

The female doctor in the clinic looked at the red mark, which had a peculiar shape, and doubted it herself.

It didn’t seem like a pathological reaction.

And the color was somewhat odd.

After thinking it through, it resembled a lipstick mark.

Reflecting on it, she suddenly remarked, “It looks a bit like waterproof lipstick.”

Conveniently, the female doctor had makeup remover in her bag, and once applied, the mark came right off.

This left the man feeling so embarrassed, his face turned bright red, he pulled up his pants and ran out.

Of course, there have been other bizarre cases.

Like underwear losing color, or the fraying of threads in undergarments…

Socks losing color!

There are numerous cases of fading incidents.

The emergency room is really a melting pot, with all sorts of patients coming in.

But what we sometimes fear more than the skeptical patients are those who are presumptuous.

Always thinking nothing’s wrong, nothing’s wrong, and only realizing too late when something does happen.

So, when it comes to one’s health, one should always be cautious.

ps: Alright, you guys are too good, writing… without any sense of anticipation, all guessed by you… I feel no love… humble, seeking comfort…