Posted by Lieutenant Sharah Fayth (Chief Star Fleet Medical Officer) in Sacred Heart Hospital- Lt. Gov’s Appt

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Sacred Heart Hospital- Lt. Gov’s Appt

Posted by Lieutenant Sharah Fayth (Chief Star Fleet Medical Officer) in Sacred Heart Hospital- Lt. Gov’s Appt
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Fayth wished she had the confidence to ask the same for herself at times, but this wasn’t about her. She gave a little smile. “I am sure we can work that out. We certainly have had requests for the opposite.” Yet another knock up n the door sounded. This time it was a Klingon woman who seemed to take up all the unused space. “I am Jal’na, the head of physical therapy. I understand you have chronic back difficulties.” She shook hands with Fayth and the offered the same to Dasca. Fayth explained her diagnosis, and Jal’na turned back to Dasca. “May I examine your back?”

“Of course,” Dasca said, returning her head to her folded arms. “And yes, I fully expect you to chastise me. I’ve been prepared for it.” Was the additional comment necessary? No. But in her significant experience with physical therapists, they were the most likely to chew you out for not doing your exercises and not taking care of yourself. Eela was a compliant patient but it didn’t mean she could always prioritize her exercises as much as she needed to.

Jal’na grunted. “There is no Shame or Dishonor in having or admitting pain, but there is both in not working your hardest to over come it!” Sharah could almost see the physical therapist downing a tankard of bloodwine as she said that. She knew better than to grin too much though.

Eela snorted. “There have bene circumstances. It should be better going forward.”

The woman was surprisingly delicate. “Can you describe the type and intensity of the pain you have? How it limits your day to day activities?”

Dasca breathed slow and evenly as Jal’na examined her back, and it was obvious that a deeper breath caused her mild pain. “Aches mostly, though sometimes if I’ve been sitting a long time my legs and feet will feel tingly. By the end of a busy day though, pain can feel almost hot. Rarely will it be more acute and enough to take my breath away but it has happened, especially more recently. And honestly, I work through the pain. I can’t afford days in bed most of the time. But there are things I used to do that I no long can, like running. Part of why I have a medical discharge. I couldn’t pass a fitness test with a phaser to my head. But walking is okay, and I swim when I have facilities available to me. I used to dance a lot but I tend to avoid motions that will jar and compress my spine from heel impact. For the most part I do a lot of walking, but too much time upright can also hurt.”

“Walking is an excellent exercise. The pool is even better. We have one hear at the hospital, but most of the residential buildings also have one. Have you ever tried zero G therapy?” Jal’na asked.

“No. I think it was brought up once but at the time I was just starting my diplomatic work and ever since then I’ve been changing gravities rather often. I was told that zero-G could be effective but could make me adjustment with each assignment more difficult. That’s why we opted for swimming. Similar effect, but still some gravity to keep my body from being complacent. Something like that, anyway.”

Jal’na shook her head, “Then those people don’t understand the use of zero-G therapy. They are the type that want you to live in zero-G and never have gravity. Zero-G is only for limited time, like aquatic therapy. Now that you are on Oed if it is something you would like to try we can set up a time for that.”

Dasca nodded. “Always worth trying something new.”

“I understand Trond is repairing your brace. Are you able to sit up or stand at all without it?”

Fayth, SFCMO

Eela nodded and demonstrated this by pushing herself upright and swinging her legs at the same time so she was sitting. Her motions were strained. Then she slid off the biobed and stood, but it was clear as she straightened her spine that she had to tighten her upper back and shoulders in a bid to pull her posture more straight to relieve the pressure on her spine. It was not something she could do for any length of time without causing issues in her neck, shoulders and probably head as well.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Jal’na watched as Dasca moved and stood nodding and pointing and waving to herself. “Alright you can sit or lay, however you are most relaxed.” She looked at Fayth while she h, “Did you get readings while she did that?”

Though her motions were more laboured as she slid back up onto the biobed, Dasca moved to a sitting position, her hands bracing herself. Lying down was actually the most comfortable, but then she had to turn her head to look at and talk to people, which didn’t help.

“Of course, I will send them to you.” Fayth said as she pulled the information up.

The compression was definitely reducing her range of motion, but it was also clear that the fusion itself reduced how far she could stretch or twist. It was just the reality of having a solid piece of spine where once there had been flexion. It was also clear that Dasca had a very strong upper body but that her lower back and hips were currently weaker. Part of that might be the disc issue making everyday movement more difficult but Dasca had been upfront that she hadn’t been able to do as much PT and other therapies lately.

“I would like your permission to contact your previous PT before we do a full assessment. To see how far you have come. Then I will have a better idea of how often we will need to meet.”

“Eric will have a lot to say,” Dasca said with a tiny grin.

Trond returned carrying 3 different braces. “The servo web in the brace was shot. It will take me more than a few minutes to fix.” He paused and sniffed, “Jal’na, good you are here. Thought I would have to track you down. I have the same brace and two other options. Since you are here I don’t need to stay to adjust them you know how.”

Jal’na smiled but it looked like a sneer. She took the original style. “Let’s start with this one and see what we can do.”

Fayth SFCMO

“Just so you know, I keep spare power cells and chargers at home and in my office. And I think I will keep a set in the slider as well. But in case of extenuating circumstances, I do usually keep a cane at home and in the office in case I can’t use the brace for some reason and I need the extra support that day.” She hadn’t brought it with her, which was probably a no-no given medical staff preferred to see what a patient used for themselves. But the reason she hadn’t brought it with her today was perhaps silly but also deeply personal. She just got here. She wasn’t ashamed of the extra medical support she needed but it was as Kenzo had described: she was going to have to work hard to earn people’s trust and respect on this colony. She walked into a situation where people were predisposed to not like her before they even knew her, simply because she had worn a Starfleet uniform. She needed to project confidence and capability. Whether it was fair or not, first impressions and image mattered in her situation- this much she had learned being a diplomat. That and she sure as hell didn’t want anyone’s pity. Carrying a cane, even into a hospital, drew more attention to issues that weren’t anybody else’s business than she wished. Was it pride? A little bit. But after all she had done for the Federation and been through, Eela felt she had earned the right to have a bit of (perhaps) foolish pride.

Reaching out to take the brace, she eyed the others Trond had brought. “What makes those ones different?”

~Eeela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Jal’na held up the second one, “This one is a more full body brace, comes up higher and then also wraps around the upper thighs. This one,” she held up the third that probably looked very archaic, “Is just a metal frame. It wraps around your body and there are padded support areas that we tighten to your form and it holds your torso up to relieve the pressure. It’s very basic, but doesn’t use power cells and you don’t run the risk of it suddenly not working.” She set them down and picked up a small tool and began making adjustments while Dasca sat. “I am glad that you keep extra power cells, so I am assuming you know how to replace them.” The Klingon woman smirked, “The cane reminds me of Commissioner Karlson. I saw him without it once and it just did not seem right. But if something ever happens, the power is out, there is a short, or you think it’s just not supporting you as well for whatever reason, contact me immediately. I do not believe in my patients waiting hours or days to get something fixed. That creates more problems. It may not be me or Trond who comes, but someone will.” She made a small tweak to an adjustment and nodded. “Alright, how does that feel?”

Jal’na

One didn’t need to be empathic in anyway to know Dasca’s reactions to the other two braces. They did not appeal to her in anyway. The beauty of the antigrav brace was that it wrapped thinly around her body and the lack of bulk allowed it to mostly disappear under her clothes. If you knew to look for it, you could see it. Turning her body, she nodded and then Eela slipped off the biobed, her body clearly moving more easily than before. She turned her hips, took a step, turned in place, took a step back and all but sighed in relief. “Better,” she said softly, more emotional than she thought she’d be. But Dasca understood her reaction all too well. How she moved about and presented herself on Oed would determine how people would see her. As Hyrushi made a point of, people were predisposed to be distrustful of her, and being seen as less capable, even for non-related reasons, could impact her work here. Fair? No, but no one said impressions were always rational either.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.