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 Lieutenant Hannah Lori Asimina (Asst. Chief Medical Officer) in Sacred Heart- Consultations
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

“Personally,” Hannah began, turning slightly as she walked to face Eela, “I have done a replacement surgery to the spine twice. Your situation is unique. When I performed them it was done at the time of occurrence of the injury. One patient had a full recovery, the other was only partial. There was extensive damage to the actual spinal cord and the nerves could not be repaired, but they have, last I checked, no further damage or degredation.”

Asimina, AMO

Eela stopped, making sure to keep her gaze on Hannah.

“I get it. It’s hard to perform a spinal surgery that requires active input and confirmation of function immediately after. I was in a coma and couldn’t provide that and my nerve function degraded the longer they waited. Despite the things I felt I lost in the aftermath, I can walk, and I have a pretty good quality of life. But you’re offering me something better, and every part of me wants to believe in that. So, maybe it’s strange, but are there any reasons you can think of, realistically, that say I shouldn’t do this?” Risks were one thing, a bunch of numbers. But she was not a number, and her life was more than a statistic. She had to think beyond the numbers to look at her actual life, her actual function as a person and how much she was truly risking for what sounded like immense reward. She was not afraid of risk, but therein lay her concern. She needed to frame it in a way that actually settled into her brain in a realistic way.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

Hannah paused and turned fully to Eela. She lifted her hair out of the way showing her implants but also the faint lines indicating multiple surgeries. Then she let her hair fall. “As someone who has undergone several surgeries, I can think of a few. Every surgery comes with its own risk and recovery. Sometimes, the more surgeries you have, the harder it is to recover. It may not improve anything for you, and then you may feel it was for nothing. With modern medicine the risk of rejection. Is miniscule, but can still happen. And of course right now you know what you are capable of, what your life is like, your ability and limitations. You won’t know how that will change with the surgery until it does.”

Asimina, AMO

She nodded, absorbing Hannah’s words. It was hard to express how much she needed to hear this dose of reality to help frame everything. And given the doctor had been the patient too, it helped Eela evaluate what she was being told. “I appreciate your candor, Doctor, it helps more than you know. With my work I can take bold risks but they are still measured, weighed. With my personal life, sometimes that’s not the case. I will think on what you’ve said and talk it through with some trusted people and we’ll see how things go. Thank you again for you time.”

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.

“Of course. I am here for any questions you have or they have. Don’t feel like you need to wait till you have a list. Contact me immediately or send me a message. Even if it ends up 500 a day. It is important that you have the knowledge you need to make your decision.” Hannah opened the door to the waiting area. “Have a good day Ms Dasca.”

Asimina, AMO

Eela gave a bow of her head. “And you as well,” she said before she stepped away. Asimina had given her lots to think about and she was grateful the doctor had taken her request to know all the risks and concerns seriously. It wasn’t that she thought a doctor wouldn’t cover them, but more that Eela needed someone to walk her through reality. If there was anything that she knew for certain right now it was that she was not the best gauge at her own reality, especially when emotions were high. She needed to approach this carefully and with not only an open mind, but open eyes.

~Eela Dasca, Lt. Gov.