When I'm on the night shift, all the department heads can't sleep.

The neurologist on duty arrived quickly.

She first stood in front of the workstation and scanned the notes written by Lin Yegang, then reread the line that read "both times she stood up, she clearly leaned to the right".

"Has the person been in a wheelchair the whole time? They haven't gotten out of bed since?"

"Yes, we didn't let him get out of bed again after that."

"Hasn't the CT scan been done yet?"

"The examination room just called back; the patient in front of us just came out, and we can arrange it immediately."

The on-duty doctor nodded and went directly to the observation area.

Wu Jianping, still in his wheelchair, saw another doctor approaching and asked first, "Does the neurology department also treat benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)?"

"We need to do an examination to find out if it's benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)." The on-duty doctor gestured for him to put his hand down. "Keep your eyes focused forward and don't let your head follow my hand movements."

She checked his name, asked if his dizziness had worsened, and then asked Wu Jianping to look to his left and right sides in turn.

When the gaze shifted to the right, a noticeable horizontal nystagmus appeared.

When I looked back to the front, the slight tremors hadn't completely disappeared.

The on-duty doctor alternately covered his left and right eyes to observe whether his eyeballs returned to normal when the hand was removed. Then, the doctor checked his eyeball response and limb coordination when he quickly turned his head.

But every time he turned his head, Wu Jianping would get dizzy and close his eyes tightly to back. He tried twice, but the result was still unstable, so he could not make a conclusion based on the physical examination at the bedside.

"Doctor, look, my hands and feet are strong." He clenched his fist. "It really doesn't seem like a problem in my brain."

"It's good that you have strength in your hands and feet." The doctor on duty took the small card for the examination. "But you can't even stand up steadily right now, so we can't treat you for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) directly. You need to go for a CT scan first, and you'll need to be in a wheelchair the whole time. When you get there, don't get up by yourself; wait for the people in the examination room to help you get onto the examination bed."

Nurse Zhao had already clipped the transfer slip to the back of the wheelchair. Before releasing the brakes, she also hung the black waist bag from Wu Jianping's wife's hand onto the wheelchair handle.

"Hang your bag here first. Don't hold someone with one hand and carry your things with the other. When you get to the inspection room, follow the instructions of the staff there."

Wu Jianping tried to say he could walk, but his wife grabbed his wrist first: "Stop it for a bit. You've already fallen twice, do you want to try again?"

This time he didn't argue.

After the caregiver pushed the wheelchair away, Lin Ye returned to the work station.

The electrocardiogram came back first, showing sinus rhythm. Several items in the laboratory section also lit up, with no obvious abnormalities in blood sugar and electrolytes.

After checking, Lin Ye called the CT room again, reminding them that the patient was unsteady on his feet and needed help moving the patient to a different bed.

More than ten minutes later, Wu Jianping was pushed back.

The wife held onto the push handle the whole way, and as soon as they stopped at the observation position, she stepped on the brakes.

Wu Jianping leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, his face paler than before he left.

"Does it make you feel even more dizzy when you lie flat?" Lin Ye asked as he walked over.

"It started spinning wildly, then slowed down a bit." Wu Jianping didn't open his eyes. "The machine itself isn't scary, it's just that when I got out of bed, the ceiling started spinning again."

"Do you feel nauseous now? Do you feel like throwing up?"

"I feel a bit nauseous, but I didn't throw up."

Lin Ye checked his mouth, speech, and the way he held his hands out, but found no new changes, so he told him to continue sitting and not to turn his head around.

The workstation quickly displayed the image.

Lin Ye clicked through the pages one by one and did not see any obvious acute cerebral hemorrhage or space-occupying lesions.

Not long after, the official report came back: no clear acute intracranial hemorrhage was found.

Wu Jianping's wife had been watching Lin Ye closely. Seeing him get up, she quickly came over and asked, "Doctor, how are the scans?"

"There is no obvious brain hemorrhage observed so far, which is a good thing."

Wu Jianping, in his wheelchair, immediately opened his eyes: "That's good, isn't it? I told you it was benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). Now, do a repositioning procedure for me; maybe it will help."

"The absence of bleeding on the X-ray does not mean the cause of your instability has been found."

"Let's wait for the neurologist to review the images before we can discuss it further."

"But I've never had any problems filming before."

"But the problem of you not being able to stand steadily today is still there. You fell to the same side twice, and this matter has not been explained clearly yet."

Wu Jianping didn't reply, but his fingers were still gripping the armrest.

His wife stood behind him, her hands also on the push handles, not letting up.

The on-call neurologist received the message and returned to his workstation.

She went through the original images and the official report, and then retrieved Lin Ye's records of the two standing situations.

"The CT scan didn't show any bleeding or obvious large-area infarction." She paused the image on the posterior fossa level, "but this scan isn't enough. Early small lesions in the back of the head might not be detected on a CT scan."

Upon hearing "more tests needed," Wu Jianping tapped his fingers twice on the armrest: "What else needs to be tested? CT scans and MRIs, how much will that cost? I have an appointment at the airport at 6:30 tomorrow morning. If I waste tonight here, I'll get points deducted tomorrow."

"You can check the billing details, but this examination can't be skipped right now." The on-duty doctor turned off the CT screen. "We still don't have an answer as to why you can't stand steadily."

The on-duty doctor looked at him and said, "Let's do a cranial MRI first, focusing on diffusion. Early ischemia can be seen more clearly with an MRI than with a CT scan."

"First, conduct a safety screening. If there are no problems, arrange for a brain MRI scan." She turned to Lin Ye and said, "Continue to observe him; don't let him get out of bed. We'll discuss the results later."

"it is good."

Lin Ye ordered a head MRI and included his persistent dizziness, inability to stand independently, and two instances of falling to the right in his application.

After submitting the report, he called the MRI room duty officer and explained that the patient needed to be transferred by wheelchair.

The other party confirmed that it could be arranged, and then reminded me to fill out the safety screening form first.

Lin Ye glanced at the monitoring screen; his heart rate and blood oxygen levels were stable.

Nurse Zhao took the form and walked to the observation station, checking each item with Wu Jianping.

When asked about his dentures, hearing aids, bank cards, and personal keys, Wu Jianping patted his pockets and handed his car keys and wallet to his wife.

"So many rules for one inspection." He watched his wife pack up. "What are we going to do about tomorrow morning's order?"

His wife took his phone out of her fanny pack and opened the order page.

The 6:30 airport reservation was still at the top, with a small note next to it: Cancellation may affect service score.

"Fine, deduct it then." She simply canceled the order. "Losing this one order won't kill you. If you really fall on the road tonight, who's going to drive for you?"

The confirmation pop-up appeared. Wu Jianping stared at it for two seconds, then reached out and clicked "OK".

The appointment slip disappeared from the page.

The printer then dispensed an MRI examination guide. Lin Ye pulled it out, checked the name and location, and handed it to Nurse Zhao.

"The examination room is ready; you'll have to go in a wheelchair."

The caregiver released the brakes and pushed the wheelchair toward the MRI area.

Wu Jianping glanced down at the empty appointment page and stuffed his phone back into his wife's purse.

"Let's go, let's find out about this first."