STF

Sacred Heart- Consultations

Posted June 8, 2023, 8:12 p.m. by Lieutenant Hannah Lori Asimina (Asst. Chief Medical Officer) (Jennifer Ward)

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Sacred Heart- Consultations

Posted by Lieutenant Hannah Lori Asimina (Asst. Chief Medical Officer) in Sacred Heart- Consultations

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Sacred Heart- Consultations
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Eela had been attending appointments at Sacred Heart frequently enough that even the part-time staff knew the procedure the moment she stepped through the main entrance towards Reception. It was to their credit that they made little fuss and also helped to expedite her time there. Her life was crazy busy even without her medical needs, but add in the appointments and some days she felt like she was having an out of body experience.

Today she was going to a different area than usual and the only people that knew she was even having this appointment was Cort, Dr. Helaky, maybe Sharah if she had been checking for updates to her file (and she honestly didn’t see why she would), and of course the doctor she was meeting with.

It was just a consultation. She hadn’t told anyone about it, not even Kenzo. Eela pondered why given she was exceptionally open to him, especially in the last while. Something about that lunch they had had and the thing with the bug had put their friendship more in focus. She wasn’t sure if she could explain the nuances and depth of their relationship, and much like a lot of things it seemed that it was best to not try and just let it be what it was.

The reality of this appointment was that depending on what Asimina said, she might have something to think about. She could add it to the list. Finding a seat in the waiting room, Eela puled out a PADD to read yet another report. At least she got work done amongst all her appointments.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Hannah had been doing some research for this appointment for some weeks. Both on Dasca’s history and possibilities. She had finally decided on what she felt would be the best option. She entered the waiting room, “Ms Dasca?”

Eela looked up and smiled, giving a nod. “Yes,” she said, gazing at Hannah directly. It was nice every once in awhile to be referred to as something other than her position. But this was probably one of the rare places and times where it could happen. She set her padd in her workbag and rose to her feet, her brace doing its job beautifully as she shifted upright and set her bag on her shoulder.

She held the door open and then led the way to a small conference room. “I’m Dr. Asimina,” she offered her hand. “Please have a seat. Would you like anything to drink or something to snack on?”

Asimina, SFAMO

Eela lifted her hand and waved it slightly, though she smiled. “Touch telepath. I don’t mind shaking hands some days, but I’m a bit more tired today and it’s easier f I don’t,” she said honestly. She doubted the doctor would be offended and in fact it often helped people navigate a bit better with her.

Hannah nodded and dropped her hand, waving toward a seat. “Understandable.”

She set her bag down and settled into a chair. “Nothing for me, thank you. I think if I have anymore coffee today, my assistants will cut me off,” Dasca said with a laugh. “But I am eager to hear what you have to say. Dr. Urasus didn’t say a lot other than to ask if it was okay to pass my file on for a consultation. I honestly wasn’t expecting to hear back anything.” Or maybe she just assumed that no news meant status quo and she was honestly okay with that. She had come a long way in her recovery and maintenance after her accident. That she had 95% use of her spine and surrounding nerves was amazing all things considered.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

“Well Dr Eraras gave me your file, and I took the time not just to read it, but look at the notes and talk to your doctors and therapists. To really understand why they chose fusion over replacement initially, and why it wasn’t discussed later on. Then I had to look at what options might be available. You have regained a great deal of mobility back as you are, and Eraras tells me the brace works quite well for you.”

Eela nodded. “I’ve managed pretty well so long as I keep up with the strength training. And the brain injury is not an issue like it was back then.” The coma from her brain injury had severely hampered what options were available to the doctors at the time, and even the fusion had occurred after they got her back to Earth and her condition had stabilized, such as it was.

Hannah opened a box and slid it to her. “This is a prosthetic spine replacement. We would replace the fused bones and disks with this. If you pick it up you can see it is actually two pieces. We would place them on either side of your spinal cord and then use a tissue migrate to connect the two pieces together.”

Asimina, SFAMO

The surprise hit her face before Dasca could even think to hide it. She reached a tentative hand out and pulled the spine towards her. It moved. It flexed- with stability, of course, but still it moved in a way her spine right now could not. Eela sucked in a breath and cast her hazel eyes up at Hannah. “I… I don’t know what to say. I know why something like this wasn’t an option before, but I never thought it could be later on. What about the nerve damage I have. Would it impact this new spine’s function? Or…” She was overwhelmed with questions and worries as she set the spine back on the table. “Can you walk me through the procedure and the risks and everything?”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Hannah tapped a couple controls on the table and the lights in the room dimmed and a holographic display appeared over the table. It showed the section of Dasca’s spine that was fused. “First we would start by detaching the blood vessels that feed into those vertebrae. Then we would cut away the fused bone, but cutting here and here.” the display showed the cuts. “Now here is delicate. we may have to cut the pieces smaller to release nerve endings. I won’t know exactly where until I go in. But we will be very careful and precise. We’ll map the pathways so they are reattached the same place. The prosthetic will go around the spine like this. We’ll actually use bone marrow from your bones to inject into the prosthetic. That will accelerate your body’s integration of the replacement bone and discs. Then we’ll use a tissue migrator to seal the two halves together and reattach the nerves, blood vessels, and muscle and tissue around it.” Hannah paused here to see if Dasca had any questions.

“There are the standard risks, any time you have surgery. Reactions to anesthesia, risk of clots afterwards. There is risk of rejection with a prosthetic, and complications if your body doesn’t integrate it completely. But your circulatory and nervous system scores make you a prime candidate for this. I won’t sugar coat it, Ms Dasca. Working near the spine always carries risk of permanent to nerves or the spinal cord. The risk is very low, we have an excellent team. The most likely side effect is a slight numb spot in your back where the incision will be. Caused by multiple incisions in the area.”

Asimina, SFAMO


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