Posted by Commander Brad Walker (Chief Of Staff/Second Officer) in Sickbay - Iyun’s Medical evaluation

Posted by Ensign Iyun Riani (Scientist) in Sickbay - Iyun’s Medical evaluation

Posted by Commander Brad Walker (Chief Of Staff/Second Officer) in Sickbay - Iyun’s Medical evaluation
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
<snip>
Looking briefly up, Iyun said, “I’m an astrophysicist, but I also have a minor each in mathematics and theoretical physics.” A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips and eyes as she mentioned her field of expertise. Meanwhile the tricorder would show a few - long healed - fractures: her big right toe, right pinkie and index finger and left wrist. But those fractures were already listed in her medical file. What was new was the partially healed fracture of the smallest toe on her left foot. Walker would also notice a number of bruises in different stages of healing. From their positions and Iyun’s height, he might be able to guess - correctly - that she seemed to bump into things a lot. But otherwise she seemed in good health.

~Ensign Iyun, Science

“Hm,” he said, mostly to himself as he read the results. “How’s your left foot feeling?” Having broken a few toes of his own in self-defense classes, it couldn’t be entirely fun for her to be walking around in regular footwear.

Lt. Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

“My left foot, Sir?” Ria asked, but before he could answer she continued, “It’s been hurting some after I caught one of my toes on my desk a few weeks ago. Not always though. Mostly when I’m walking, but that doesn’t surprise me. It got bruised quite a bit, why?” While she wasn’t stuttering for once, her voice was still very hesitant and she seemed to literally radiate uncertainty and insecurity. For while she assumed that something had shown up on the scan - after all it was’t the first time she’d walked into something absentmindedly and thus slightly injured herself - she started to worry that it might have been more than a simple bruise and that she would get told off or even reprimanded for not seeing a doctor earlier.

~Ensign Iyun, Science

“Well, you actually managed to break that toe,” Brad said. “Well, not break per se, but fractured. Any particular reason you didn’t get it looked at before now?” He tried not to sound particularly condescending, especially since he didn’t know this young woman, but was also ready to hear a disappointing excuse.

Lt. Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

The colour drained from Ria’s face at his words. “I-” she started and for a short moment actually looked Brad in the eyes. Her breathing had become very shallow and she noticed her vision become blurry around the edges. Why are you panicking? she asked herself, while trying get more oxygen into her lungs. After all, the last thing she needed right now was to pass out. Placing one hand on her chest and the other on her stomach, she managed to take several deep breaths with her eyes closed. Eventually she opened her eyes again, but kept them cast down as she tried answering the doctor’s question once more. “I thought it was just bruise,” she whispered sheepishly. “It didn’t feel at all like the time I broke my big toe. And …” she paused, biting rather hard on her lower lip. “And if I come to see a doctor every time I walk into something … I’d never leave sickbay again,” she concluded in a barely audible whisper. She could add that it happened towards the end of her finals. But of course that was no reason not to take care of one’s health. So she didn’t mention that part.

~Ensign Iyun, Science

Brad watched as the biobed monitors started lighting up with alarm as they registered her panic attack, though he noted that she also registered it and took steps to calm herself down.

“Hm,” he said. “Have you also, per chance, been diagnosed with anxiety?”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

At first Ria merely nodded, not sure if she should elaborate or not. After a moment of silence that felt like eternity to her she, said, “It’s usually not that bad. Uncertainties and new people … aren’t my strength. It will get better once I’ve settled in.” There was conviction in her voice, yet it also sounded a little as if she tried to convince herself just as much as Dr. Walker.

~Ensign Iyun, Scientist

“I’m sure it will,” he said. “Are you seeing anyone about it or on some sort of treatment plan?” Brad was sure, considering she was so adept at recognizing a panic attack, that she had at least seen someone about them in the past, but considering they still happened with a seeming regularity, it might be something to note in her file for the Counselor.

Nodding again, Riani said, “Yes and no. I’ve been seeing a counsellor throughout my time at the Academy, but medication hasn’t been necessary. It’s all in my psychological file.” Her anxiety was the one thing that made her worry most that she would get kicked out of Starfleet because someone might deem her unfit for duty. And of course that triggered her anxiety. A perfect example of a vicious circle.

Brad checked his PaDD and found it was as she said. “Alright. Did you make arrangements to continue your treatment shipboard?”

“Not yet,” Riani admitted meekly. “But I have my psychological exam later today and will discuss it with the counsellor then.”

“Good,” Brad said.

In the meantime, he pulled an osteoregenerator out from the biobed. “And would you like me to properly take care of that toe?”

Cmdr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

“I would appreciate that,” Riani replied with a timid smile. She lifted her left foot and placed it on her right knee and started taking off her boot and sock right away. Out of the boot, it was rather noticeable how small her feet were. Of course the bruise would be hard to miss either. Even though it had been a couple of weeks now, it was still a dark shade of blue and purple, spreading from the tip of her smallest toe an inch or two down the back and side of her foot. Afraid that the doctor would not be pleased with the state of her foot, she added meekly, “I bruise easily and it always takes a while to heal. I’ve been told it’s nothing to worry about…” Her voice trailed off and she stared down at the floor again.

~Ensign Iyun, Scientist

“Individually, no,” Brad said. “But if you get too many at once, it could be a cause for concern,” he warned, starting to apply the osteoregenerator to the foot.

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

“Why?” Ria asked before even thinking about whether or not she really wanted to know. Yet the doctor’s statement had sounded very ominous and made her feel afraid and worried. So knowledge might be desirable over wondering why it might be a concern.

~Ensign Iyun, Scientist

“A bruise is internal bleeding typically caused by damage to your smallest blood vessels,” Brad said. “If you damage too many of them, it could disrupt your blood flow to more critical areas of your body. Simply put, we want your blood inside the vessels, not hanging out under your skin. And, of course, if you damage the ones in critical areas, you run the risk of those dangers becoming more pronounced.”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

Riani’s eyes went wide and the colour seemed to drain from her face as she listened to the doctor. She never thought bruises could actually be dangerous. How could she not have known that? Spelled out like that it seemed so obvious and it made her feel like a fool. She knew that that hadn’t been his intention, of course. Yet she couldn’t seem to help feeling the way she did.

~Ensign Iyun, Scientist