Posted by Commander Brad Walker (Chief Of Staff/Second Officer) in Primary Sickbay- Private Consultations

Posted by Lieutenant John McCandless (Head Nurse) in Primary Sickbay- Private Consultations

Posted by Captain Dira Myqian (Commanding Officer) in Primary Sickbay- Private Consultations
Posted by… suppressed (32) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

John felt like shrugging but resisted the urge. He had a thought and spoke it out loud not anyone in particular.
“Could it be more than one illness, or disorder? The symptoms are so generic. If the cortex swelling accounts for some, but not all the symptoms. Could it be logical to conclude that there is something else going on as well?”

Lt. John McCandless, a truly stumped Head Nurse

“The simplest answer is usually the correct answer,” Solal replied, “Occam’s razor. I’m disinclined to believe it is more than one disorder that hasn’t shown up on any tests.”

~ Solal

Dira was feeling her own brand of frustration and it wasn’t their fault. She had known her random group of common symptoms would present a problem, which is why she hadn’t bothered getting checked out till something proved to actually be a problem. But regardless of the long process, she couldn’t just sit around waiting.

Sliding off the biobed, she regarded the two men with determination. “It’s a long process of investigation, I get it. But we need a plan and I have a ship to run. I’m going to go get some work done for a couple hours and then I’ll come back. If you want to run more tests then, we’ll do that. Yeah? Great.”

And with that, she left the exam room.

John shrugged once the Captain had left the room. He was truly stumped.

Myqian made it down the hallway to the main reception area of sickbay when she felt that familiar tingling in her hands and feet. Just like she had in the shower that prompted this whole investigation. She paused and put a hand to her head as suddenly everything felt like it was spinning.

A voice to her right said something, but she couldn’t quite make out the, “Captain?” Crewman Shrual said from the main desk.

Her heart was racing and she knew exactly what was happening, her medical training enough to catch up with her in this moment. “John! Solal!” she called out, unsure how loud she even was. Then the world went dark.

Dira collapsed onto the deck and Shrual rushed over. “I need some help over here,” she said as she pressed her fingers to the Captain’s carotid artery. There was a pulse. Racing, but there was a pulse. Good!

Captain Myqian, CO

John was about to open a discussion with Solal but then he heard the Captain call them. He leapt up out of his chair, grabbed a medical tricorder and rushed out the door. He looked down the corridor and saw the Captain collapsed on the floor. Shit He thought as he rushed over. He turned to the Crewman.
“I’ll stay with the Captain, go and get stretcher. As quick as you can.” He stated authoritatively and with conviction. He tested the Captain’s pulse, it was rapid. He then scanned her with the tricorder.

Lt. John McCandless, Head Nurse

Shrual raced to get an antigrav stretcher.

Meanwhile, Dira did not stir. Her heart was showing the similar period arrhythmia that they had detected in her previous visit, which might have have accounted for the fainting. Her blood pressure was low as well. Her cortisol levels had actually dropped quite dramatically from the original tested levels and there were signs that her adrenals were struggling.

The crewman returned with the stretcher. “She was holding her head and seemed unsteady on her feet. Then she just passed out.”

Captain Myqian, CO

John nodded.
“Good observations, that will come in handy. Now, let’s get her on the stretcher and over to a biobed. Preferably one out of the way.” He stated giving the crewman a look. He then took the stretcher and put it next to the Captain he motioned for the Crewman to roll the Captain onto her side. Once this was done he moved the stretcher onto place so that the Captain would be on the stretcher when rolled onto her back.

Shrual was careful to support Myqian’s head and neck as they carefully shifted her about.

It took a few seconds and when the Captain was in place John took the head of the stretcher, the Crewman the foot, they stood on three and then rushed over to a secluded biobed and placed her on it. John turned to the Crewman.
“Go and get Doctor Solal, he should be in my office. Quickly now.” He said with urgency. He set the biobed to record her vitals so they could monitor the situation but also so they could look back over them later. He waited for Solal to arrive.

McCandless, Head Nurse

OOC: Lucas and I agreed that Walker would naturally enter (or be brought into) things at about this point.
IC:
“Yes, Sir,” Shrual said. She hurried around the corner and down the hall, not even bothering to knock on McCandless’ office. “Dr. Solal, come quick! It’s the Captain. She’s collapsed,” she said, moving back out of the doorway so as to no impede the doctor.

“She was about to walk out when she stopped, held her head ad looked unsteady. Then she passed out. McCandless and I have moved her to a bed.”

Captain Myqian, CO

While the Crewman ran to get Doctor Solal John pondered and thought. He debated whether to bring in Brad, he was reluctant. The Captain had said she didn’t want anyone to know. With her now unconscious he had no choice. He tapped his comm badge =^= McCandless to Walker. Sir, please come to Primary Sickbay immediately, medical emergency. =^= He sighed as he finished the comm, keeping an eye on the Captain’s vitals.

MCCandless, Head Nurse

It took five minutes for Brad to arrive in the Primary Sickbay from wherever he had been, hair still suspiciously damp. His eyes sought out McCandless, and he made a beeline for the nurse, only to break stride once he clocked just who was on the biobed behind him.

“What have we got?” he asked quietly as he approached the bed.

OOC: Brief me like I haven’t read this entire thread, please, because I’ve been in and out ;)

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

OOC: don’t worry, I got you

IC:

John turned as Brad approached relieved to see him so quickly.
“Well, Dr Solal and myself have been doing some investigations. The Captain initially came to use with the following symptoms:

Fatigue, brain fog, aches (especially in the areas that were dislocated), insomnia (difficulty falling asleep), unexplained dizziness, weight loss.

We completed a series of tests the results are:
Out of the series of tests (Complete blood panel, white cell count, standard hormone levels), everything was normal compared to Dira’s baseline except for:

White Blood Cell count: slightly elevated
Albumin: Slightly Low
Total Protein: high globulin (resulting in an abnormal albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio)
Liver Enzymes: Normal, except very tiny increase in ALT, but still within a normal range
Thyroid- Low thyroxine (T4)
C-reactive protein test- moderate elevation
Cancer markers: negative
Antibody test results: negative for all the conditions they were testing for. Whatever it was, it wasn’t a specific autoimmune disease, even though it was making her body react as if it was.

We also completed a brain scan which showed cortex swelling. Dr Solal and I were about to discuss things further when the Captain collapsed in the corridor. She was holding her head and then collapsed. She has raised corticol levels, a low BP and she’s in arrhythmia.” John explained as quickly as he could trying to get Brad up to speed, in medicine context was everything.

McCandless, Head Nurse

“She is a telepath, have we considered a psychic attack?” Brad asked, moving to the biobed. The arrhythmia was concerning, as was the low blood pressure. He took a look at the scans to see how close they were getting to intervention being required.

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

Even as they were talking her blood pressure had been steadily climbing back up to her normal baseline and the arrhythmia had ceased. It was like the blood pressure only dropped when the arrhythmia started and that caused the dizziness and, in this case, loss of consciousness.

She could hear the words but it took a moment before Dira could blink her eyes open. The captain all but sighed as she took in Brad. “It’s not telepathy related,” she said softly. “My psilosinine is its usual every levels for me, and more importantly, I still have the symptoms even if I’m using the headband.” The headband that Kane made for her blocked telepathic input and gave her a reprieve given she couldn’t filter it all out herself.

Dira placed her hands at her side and pushed down so she could try to sit up. “How long was I out?”

Captain Myqian, CO

“They called me immediately, it took me five minutes to get here… call it about seven?” Brad said, looking to John to confirm.

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

John nodded.
“Aye, I’d say about seven. You had me worried for a moment there Captain. At least we have some more data to go on. It might be easier to pin down what’s going on with you. Can you tell us what happened before you collapsed?” John asked preparing to take a mental note.

McCandless, Head Nurse

Sitting upright, she seemed better, more steady. Dira breathed in deeply. “I got up and moved towards the entrance of Sickbay and then near Reception I had a a wave of dizziness. It was like the one I had had in the shower beofre, that prompted me to seek our Dr. Solal, but this time I my hands felt fuzzy and my vision started to go. I knew I was about to pass out and so I called out for you and Solal. And then I clearly passed out.”

Captain Myqian, CO

“And the hypotension is a… new symptom?” Brad asked, puzzled.

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

Dira nodded. “Yes, as far as I know. I’ve been feeling tired lately and had a bit of brain fog, even a bit of weight loss, but honestly”-she sighed-“I just considered it signs of stress. It’s not like things got calmer once they gave me the fourth pip,” she said flatly. “When I got the dizziness, I knew something had changed, so I asked for a consult. And now we’re here and no closer to an answer than before, though we have some data.”

“Data’s good,” Brad said. “Well, it’s a start, at least.”

It was hard not to feel dejected, but she was more miffed that things had escalated. “We should call Commander Sinclair and let him know I’m here. He’ll get concerned if I don’t return to the bridge soon.” She was assuming they were going to keep her in Sickbay for the time being.

Captain Myqian, CO

“I’ll handle that,” Brad said. “That said, would you prefer we move this to a less-public setting?”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

John stood and listened to the Captain, trying to think what could be going on. It was definitely puzzling for sure.
“We do have a room available Captain, we could move you there?” He asked adding to Brad.

Lt. John McCandless, Head Nurse

She most definitely didn’t want to be out in plain view of everyone who traipsed into the general care unit. “Private would be better,” she said with a sigh. She was already sitting upright and, mindful not to move too quickly, Dira slipped off the bed. Her boots hit the deck and she stood still for a moment to make sure she was fine. She was.

Myqian gave them a shrug. “Let’s go then, and I’m going to make a call myself.”

She followed a step behind and tapped her commbadge. =/\=Myqian to Haven.=/\=

Zoi’s eyebrows rose as she heard the comm from the Captain. She wasn’t expecting one. There were no drills or Captain required involvement in her shifts today. She wondered what it could be about. =/\= Haven here, Go Ahead.=/\=

=/\=Zoi… it’s not an emergency, but when you get a minute, come find me in Sickbay. I’ll be in a private room.=/\=

Captain Myqian, CO

The Captain had used her first name… meaning this was personal, not professional. Not an emergency.... meaning don’t panic. While Zoi wasn’t one to panic, her heartrate jumped a fraction at the thought of something having happened to Dira that would require her own room. Granted, having a private room when you were captain helped keep people from peeking in and speculating. Zoi rose from her desk and sent a few quick orders to her security teams before she left to attend her love.

John nodded and moved ahead of the Captain, he motioned for a nurse to follow him and together they cleared a private room for the Captain. It took seconds to prepare the room and he beckoned the Captain over, watching her closely.

Lt. John McCandless (Head Nurse)

While McCandless escorted Dira to the private room, Brad headed back to his office. The call he was about to make was something best done in privacy.

He locked his door and activated the privacy settings. The glass that normally let him look out into the main ward went black.

He sat down at his desk. =/\=Walker to Sinclair. Commander, are you somewhere private?=/\=

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

=/\= Sounds ominous, Doctor… but yes. I just locked my office door. What seems to be the issue? =/\=

Cmdr. Royal Sinclair, XO

=/\= Circumstances have forced me to admit the Captain for observation,=/\= Brad said. =/\= For the moment, you have command of the Ogawa.=/\=

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

Meanwhile, Dira folded her uniform jacket and set it to the side, along with her boots and slipped up onto the biobed, sitting cross-legged. Visually she seemed fine, and her vitals were once again stable and as they were before in the exam room. Her gaze was unfixed and she held her hands loosely in her lap, one thumb tracing a line up and down the other.

Captain Myqian, CO

There was a notable pause before a reply came through. =/\= Understood, Doctor. Is she going to be alright? /\=

Cmdr. Royal Sinclair, XO

=/\=She should be,=/\= Brad replied quickly, before briefly pausing himself. =/\=It’s just a precaution, but better safe than sorry. I’ll let you know if I need to keep her for more than today.=/\=

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

=/\= Understood. Command codes transferred temporarily. And this makes you XO, by the way. Don’t redecorate the office, please. Sinclair out. =/\= The reply sounded obviously relieved, but even with the change being temporary, there were things all the officers knew had to be done immediately.

Cmdr. Royal Sinclair, XO

“Little danger of that, since I don’t intend to set a foot in it,” Brad said to himself with a chuckle, rising and deactivating the privacy mode before heading for the exam room.

“Settling in, Captain?” he asked Dira, before giving a check to her vitals. There was a medical mystery to solve, and those were always some of the funnest puzzles to put together.

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

She gave a half shrug and she cast her hands out to the sides. “Felt like the thing to do. Not much else I can do, yes?” She was still mostly in uniform but unless they had a good reason, she didn’t feel the need to change into something else. But then again, she was the patient and would do as she was told (within reason). Still, as much as she appreciated all their efforts, the situation was starting to grate on her nerves, even if just slightly.

Dira cast her gaze to the readings and sighed. They were ‘normal’, or as normal as they were going to be right now given her current issues. “Where did you want to go from here?”

Captain Myqian, CO

As Zoi stepped into the main sickbay, she was glad to see no one was running around in a panic. She quickly moved through the space to find the private room where Dira sat seemingly unaffected. Mentally, she let out a breath she had been holding in. Externally she smiled softly, glad to know Dira was curious about whatever was going on. Her glance around lingered on the medical instruments readouts, showing fairly normal in her limited experience. All good signs. “First, I’ll just join you here, shall I?”

Dira broke into a smile at the sight of Zoi. “That would be nice,” she said softly.

She stepped forward and leaned in to kiss Dira’s forehead. “Hello my dearest.” She said in a voice only this tender when she was genuinely showing love, care, and concern. “What do we have here?”

Haven, CoS

“I was here as a followup to some tests. We reached a point where they didn’t need me to stay and as I was passing reception I got dizzy.” Dira sighed again. “I passed out. So yay me, I get to stay now.” She was miffed but it wasn’t at any on person. She was doing her best to keep going and not panic over anything but she was starting to feel overwhelmed by the prospects.

“But I feel fine again, or at least as fine as I’ve been lately.”

Captain Myqian, CO

“So this is something that has been increasing in intensity?” Brad asked. “How long since you first noticed any symptoms?”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

She drew in a slow and measured breath. “A little while after the whole incident with Franks and I took Command. At first it was just fatigue, which made sense. I was working really hard and I had just been through a difficult situation. I wasn’t always getting as much sleep as I would have like due to intermittent insomnia. And so when the brain fog kicked in, I figured it was more of the same. At first I was willing to admit that maybe it was psychological, that the ordeal with Franks was affecting me in ways I wasn’t willing to admit, but my gut feeling is that it isn’t that. I’m in therapy and I’ve conquered some major fears from it all.”

Dira shook her head and sighed. “When exercise started to make me feel overheated, even if it was a light workout, I started to think something else was going on. Then I got the dizziness in the shower and that’s when I had my consult with Dr. Solal. Just before I passed out, I could feel my heart skip a beat, and we have seen the arrhythmia on the monitors. And I’ve lost weight and not on purpose.” It was easy to just lay out all these simple symptoms, but when combined with the tests results, it was hard to ignore the fact that something was definitely going on in her body. “I should also add that I feel the symptoms whether I use the headband that blocks my telepathy or not, so that’s not a variable.”

Captain Myqian, CO

Brad nodded, hand coming up to his chin in a thinking pose.

John stood, out of the way at the edge of the room listening intently with his arms folded. He had nothing useful to add so stayed silent. If you had nothing to say, better to say nothing at all.

McCandless, Head Nurse

“You don’t think it’s something psychosomatic?” he asked.

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

Dira sucked in a breath and didn’t answer for a moment. Finally, she shrugged. “My instincts say no, because I am actively dealing with my trauma. Yes psychological trauma can have all sorts of physical effects, but in most causes it manifests when the trauma is ignored. That’s not my situation. But can I rule it out entirely, no? But if you want to bring in Dr. Grayson to consult with, she’s aware of my situation and offered as much to me already.”

Captain Myqian, CO