lovinglefthand (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lovinglefthand) wrote2024-01-16 08:04 pm
lovinglefthand) wrote2024-01-16 08:04 pm
Entry tags:
Inbox: Pumpkin Hollow
An In-Character inbox for First Aid, chief clinician and surgeon at the Winterbottom clinic.
Oh. Well, gosh. That's awkward.
[Understatement, First Aid.]
Have you been talking to anyone else about this? Because, honestly...outside of diagnostics, I've never been very good at logic puzzles...I think this is definitely going to be a group effort, Angel.
[Understatement, First Aid.]
Have you been talking to anyone else about this? Because, honestly...outside of diagnostics, I've never been very good at logic puzzles...I think this is definitely going to be a group effort, Angel.
I get it. It's a really personal thing, right?
What if...you wrote down the important things that other people need to know, and had someone else tell them? Like in a meeting?
What if...you wrote down the important things that other people need to know, and had someone else tell them? Like in a meeting?
George contemplates just dropping in to the clinic to get things done as quickly as possible, but on balance he'd rather not risk explaining what he's there for in a waiting room with eavesdroppers. So a call ahead it is.
"First Aid? This is George Elsworth, I'm relatively new here and I've been told you're the one to see for health testing of a sensitive nature."
"First Aid? This is George Elsworth, I'm relatively new here and I've been told you're the one to see for health testing of a sensitive nature."
"Sensitive?" This is the voice of a doctor who doesn't entirely get what's being said to him, but is game to play along until he figures it out. There are no bad reasons to seek out medical care, after all.
"Well, I'm happy to assure you we take patient confidentiality very seriously, Mr. Elsworth." First Aid reaches for the appointment calendar. "We have a few different afternoon time slots open this week -- I could even see you this evening, if this is a time-sensitive matter. Are you experiencing any concerning symptoms?"
"Well, I'm happy to assure you we take patient confidentiality very seriously, Mr. Elsworth." First Aid reaches for the appointment calendar. "We have a few different afternoon time slots open this week -- I could even see you this evening, if this is a time-sensitive matter. Are you experiencing any concerning symptoms?"
To keep beating around the bush, or speak more plainly? Perhaps a halfway measure will suffice.
"An afternoon will be fine, thank you, it's not of dire urgency. I wish to verify my clean bill of health before I begin offering my services in town, Erik Osborne referred me to you."
"An afternoon will be fine, thank you, it's not of dire urgency. I wish to verify my clean bill of health before I begin offering my services in town, Erik Osborne referred me to you."
"Oh!" Perhaps if you listen closely, you might hear that penny rattling around First Aid's metal skull. "I see! Yes, I think I understand now. Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Elsworth! I'm sure Lord Osborne had many colorful things to say about me."
His tone is warm, even fond. It might have been an embarrassing encounter for the both of them, but First Aid really doesn't bear Erik Osborne any ill well. They simply had different ideas about what was necessary to take care of the town.
"So, an afternoon appointment then?" He names a couple dates and time slots in the near future, letting George pick the one most convenient to him. "Do you have any pre-existing conditions or medicinal needs that you'd like me to be aware of?"
His tone is warm, even fond. It might have been an embarrassing encounter for the both of them, but First Aid really doesn't bear Erik Osborne any ill well. They simply had different ideas about what was necessary to take care of the town.
"So, an afternoon appointment then?" He names a couple dates and time slots in the near future, letting George pick the one most convenient to him. "Do you have any pre-existing conditions or medicinal needs that you'd like me to be aware of?"
"Only good things, I assure you." Which is to say: Erik didn't actually say much, but no news is good news and the like.
George picks one of the appointment times, and spends a moment thinking over the question before he answers
"If you plan to do a blood draw you might want to have a few extra needles on hand. I've had problems with them breaking in the past."
Stone and thin metal objects don't exactly mix.
George picks one of the appointment times, and spends a moment thinking over the question before he answers
"If you plan to do a blood draw you might want to have a few extra needles on hand. I've had problems with them breaking in the past."
Stone and thin metal objects don't exactly mix.
Bart, reluctant as he was to continue putting himself in the position to be betrayed again, nevertheless had reached out in the hopes of making some real headway in the treatment plan that he had been going over with his newest patient. After all, he needs a few things that First Aid has that he himself doesn't. Steady, precise hands, the ability to fabricate and test equipment properly, and actual experience with the task at hand.
He had sent a message ahead to let First Aid know that he needed an emergency consult, hoping that warning him ahead of time that he was coming would mean that he wouldn't catch the autobot when he was once again too busy to give him the time that he needed. After all, he could certainly put their interpersonal problems aside for the sake of providing the best care possible.
When he shows up at First Aid's door, he's got his hands gripped tight around the strap of his bag and the hair at his nape pulled into a small ponytail to keep it off of his neck. He waits patiently, silently, teeth worrying at the inside of his lip.
He had sent a message ahead to let First Aid know that he needed an emergency consult, hoping that warning him ahead of time that he was coming would mean that he wouldn't catch the autobot when he was once again too busy to give him the time that he needed. After all, he could certainly put their interpersonal problems aside for the sake of providing the best care possible.
When he shows up at First Aid's door, he's got his hands gripped tight around the strap of his bag and the hair at his nape pulled into a small ponytail to keep it off of his neck. He waits patiently, silently, teeth worrying at the inside of his lip.
"Noted! Thank you for the head's up." First Aid makes a mental note to check their inventory; he wouldn't want to cause a shortage if doing the blood draw turns out to be as tricky as George makes it sound. "I would like to run a couple tests for safety's sake, but we can discuss that in further detail during your appointment. I look forward to meeting you!"
By luck and careful scheduling, First Aid is able to check George in himself when he shows up at the Winterbottom Clinic. Hopefully Erik gave him a head's up, so he's not too alarmed to be greeted by a seven foot tall living suit of armor. For what it's worth, First Aid's voice is friendly and the glow behind his blue visor is soft and gentle as he leads George into one of the exam rooms and fetches a clipboard and paper so they can go over his medical history.
By luck and careful scheduling, First Aid is able to check George in himself when he shows up at the Winterbottom Clinic. Hopefully Erik gave him a head's up, so he's not too alarmed to be greeted by a seven foot tall living suit of armor. For what it's worth, First Aid's voice is friendly and the glow behind his blue visor is soft and gentle as he leads George into one of the exam rooms and fetches a clipboard and paper so they can go over his medical history.
First Aid, for his own part, is determined to do better by Bart than he has these past few months, and he's putting that determination into action with the same energy he normally puts into his medical practice. He made certain that he'd be free to meet with Bart today, and is in fact waiting for him in the front reception room when he arrives.
Once he's lead Bart back to one of the exam rooms where they can talk privately, he begins by asking, "So what's all this about? You didn't say if you were asking for a consultation for yourself, or on behalf of someone else."
Once he's lead Bart back to one of the exam rooms where they can talk privately, he begins by asking, "So what's all this about? You didn't say if you were asking for a consultation for yourself, or on behalf of someone else."
"It's a bit of both actually," Bart replies as he follows First Aid back to one of his exam rooms. He's digging into his bag as the door closes behind them, and what he's searching for is soon made clear: a file, neatly labeled with the name Todoroki, Touya that he holds out for First Aid to look over.
Inside there are ample notes about the man in question, as well as myriad side notes concerning treatment regimens to run past others in the medical field that have been doing the work for longer than he has by far. "This man came to me for burn cream," he explains after a moment for First Aid to look it over. "There is far more damage to his body than just cream can manage, and he has given his permission for me to try and start the process of grafting healthy skin to the sites of these scars that cover a good eighty percent of his body. The problem is in the face that the scars cover so much that trying to take donor skin from himself would more or less be degloving him of what he's got left over and over, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. So I wanted your opinion."
Inside there are ample notes about the man in question, as well as myriad side notes concerning treatment regimens to run past others in the medical field that have been doing the work for longer than he has by far. "This man came to me for burn cream," he explains after a moment for First Aid to look it over. "There is far more damage to his body than just cream can manage, and he has given his permission for me to try and start the process of grafting healthy skin to the sites of these scars that cover a good eighty percent of his body. The problem is in the face that the scars cover so much that trying to take donor skin from himself would more or less be degloving him of what he's got left over and over, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. So I wanted your opinion."
Edited 2024-05-24 00:48 (UTC)
"Oh my..." First Aid's visor dims slightly in sympathy as he reads the notes. "That poor man, he must be in so much pain -- oh, I just saw your note that he has deadened pain receptors. That's problematic too, but at least he's not suffering...wow."
First Aid takes a moment to think it over. "The greatest impediment to using donor skin grafts would be avoiding a rejection from his immune system," he says slowly. "After that, the risk of infection, but we have enough penicillin to mitigate that. But the immune response...we'll need to loop Sally into this," he says apologetically. "I don't have enough knowledge of chemical synthesis to formulate the necessary drugs. But! If we can get over that hurdle," his visor brightens. "And if we can find some compatible donors, I can certainly help with harvesting the grafts and applying them to your patient. I would recommend that we start with the more recent scars on his face and hands, in order to ease his discomfort. If he's willing I would also like to examine him myself, in order to gauge the depth of his scars and his freedom of movement. If his muscle tissue has been affected we may need to develop an entirely new form of therapy to compensate."
First Aid takes a moment to think it over. "The greatest impediment to using donor skin grafts would be avoiding a rejection from his immune system," he says slowly. "After that, the risk of infection, but we have enough penicillin to mitigate that. But the immune response...we'll need to loop Sally into this," he says apologetically. "I don't have enough knowledge of chemical synthesis to formulate the necessary drugs. But! If we can get over that hurdle," his visor brightens. "And if we can find some compatible donors, I can certainly help with harvesting the grafts and applying them to your patient. I would recommend that we start with the more recent scars on his face and hands, in order to ease his discomfort. If he's willing I would also like to examine him myself, in order to gauge the depth of his scars and his freedom of movement. If his muscle tissue has been affected we may need to develop an entirely new form of therapy to compensate."
Edited 2024-05-26 23:42 (UTC)
"It's extremely problematic, he can't tell me reliably where something has torn or been injured, he would need a full inspection any time he went to see any medical professional, just on the assumption that he may have inadvertently hurt himself just going about his life. My hope is that multiple split-depth grafts might give him at least some functionality back. Dull sensations would be better than none at all."
Bart flips open the notebook that he keeps for work-specific information, and turns to the entries that he'd begun making on Touya's specific situation. He's got sketches of the man's limbs and the scar tissue held there, along with his small, scratchy handwriting on possible treatments and pros and cons for each. "The rejection issue is our biggest hurdle here, yes. When it comes to possible muscular damage, I did do preliminary examinations of his baseline motor skills, but I didn't want to subject him to a whole battery of tests when he only wanted to see me about a topical treatment. I already overstepped my bounds just suggesting a full repair regimen, I wasn't going to suggest more right then. I will send him to you though, so that you can take those readings and return your verdict to me.
"When it comes to the areas that might need to be seen first, I'd suggested to him that smaller stretches with shallower scars might be the most ideal, as something of a test to make sure that he wouldn't be subjected to a whole swath of his back or face being further destroyed because we were careless. He's got people that really care about him, at least. I think they would be willing to help him in the recovery process either way."
Bart flips open the notebook that he keeps for work-specific information, and turns to the entries that he'd begun making on Touya's specific situation. He's got sketches of the man's limbs and the scar tissue held there, along with his small, scratchy handwriting on possible treatments and pros and cons for each. "The rejection issue is our biggest hurdle here, yes. When it comes to possible muscular damage, I did do preliminary examinations of his baseline motor skills, but I didn't want to subject him to a whole battery of tests when he only wanted to see me about a topical treatment. I already overstepped my bounds just suggesting a full repair regimen, I wasn't going to suggest more right then. I will send him to you though, so that you can take those readings and return your verdict to me.
"When it comes to the areas that might need to be seen first, I'd suggested to him that smaller stretches with shallower scars might be the most ideal, as something of a test to make sure that he wouldn't be subjected to a whole swath of his back or face being further destroyed because we were careless. He's got people that really care about him, at least. I think they would be willing to help him in the recovery process either way."
George shows up a little early for his appointment, and while he wasn't at all warned about the seven foot tall living suit of armour thing, he's entirely unfazed by it. Changelings run the gamut of strange after all.
Once they're safely in the private room George lets out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. "Thank you again for your discretion, I'm quite confidant there won't be anything to find, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. Especially in an unfamiliar place."
Once they're safely in the private room George lets out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. "Thank you again for your discretion, I'm quite confidant there won't be anything to find, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. Especially in an unfamiliar place."
"Of course. By the same token, I appreciate your candor and cooperation." First Aid bows his head slightly, adding, "I know that personal matters like these can be embarrassing for humans and other species, but we all have a duty to look after the public health. I promise that everything we discuss here will be confidential, and even if a public emergency should arise, I'll do everything I can to protect your identity."
"That's good. For a repair job of this scale, post-op care can be of even greater important than the surgery itself." First Aid studies Bart's sketches carefully, committing it to memory. "For what it's worth, I think you did the right thing by offering him further care. I'm not sure a topical ointment would have made any difference to his quality of life -- unless it was magical, I suppose."
Thoughtfully, he wonders out loud, "I wonder if the local apothecary might be able to help us with this..."
Thoughtfully, he wonders out loud, "I wonder if the local apothecary might be able to help us with this..."
"Exactly. I can't be there every step of the way as I would like to, not when I've got so much to do as it is, so leaving the care in the hands of others that care for him would be the next best option, with follow-up exams after to be sure that it's all going well."
Bart plants his hands on his hips, eyes still down on his sketches, lips pursed in thought. "I do think that when it is done that the ointment may help with maintenance and pain relief where it flares up. We should ask miss Boyle for her recommendations though, yes. I did write him a prescription that was more of suggestion on my part. I will send him along to you for further analysis before we move forward with anything else, for his safety."
Bart plants his hands on his hips, eyes still down on his sketches, lips pursed in thought. "I do think that when it is done that the ointment may help with maintenance and pain relief where it flares up. We should ask miss Boyle for her recommendations though, yes. I did write him a prescription that was more of suggestion on my part. I will send him along to you for further analysis before we move forward with anything else, for his safety."
"Good thinking." First Aid gently sets his hand on Bart's shoulder. "Hey," he says gently. "You're doing a great job here. He needs help, and you're making sure he'll get it in a thoughtful and methodical way. You're everything a primary care physician should be."
Edited 2024-06-24 19:18 (UTC)
Bart's eyes turn up to him, clearly taken aback by the reassurance. His lips part and adam's apple bobs slightly as he swallows down on the tightness in his throat.
"I...no, you're just being kind. I know that I'm in over my head, here. It's why I'm glad to have others with more experience than I've got to ask for input from. Without your help I wouldn't be able to offer much at all."
"I...no, you're just being kind. I know that I'm in over my head, here. It's why I'm glad to have others with more experience than I've got to ask for input from. Without your help I wouldn't be able to offer much at all."
First Aid's visor dims, his version of a frown. He knows this is his just desserts for all the mistakes he's made, but... "I wouldn't make up or exaggerate something like that, Bart," he says quietly, trying not to sound hurt. "Not about medicine. It's too important to be sentimental about."
He looks down at Bart's notes. "Needing to collaborate with others on a case like this isn't anything to be embarrassed about. Actually, on my Earth it'd be normal. For a surgery like we were just talking about, there could be as many as eight people in the room while it was going on. The anesthesiologist, the head surgeon, his assistant, nurses to monitor the patient...and for a burn patient, there'd be even more specialists coming in and out. Trying to do it all with just the two of us, plus Sally...if it weren't so necessary, I'd wonder if we'd gone crazy."
He looks down at Bart's notes. "Needing to collaborate with others on a case like this isn't anything to be embarrassed about. Actually, on my Earth it'd be normal. For a surgery like we were just talking about, there could be as many as eight people in the room while it was going on. The anesthesiologist, the head surgeon, his assistant, nurses to monitor the patient...and for a burn patient, there'd be even more specialists coming in and out. Trying to do it all with just the two of us, plus Sally...if it weren't so necessary, I'd wonder if we'd gone crazy."
Bart's hands twist together, fidgeting now that he's not handling anything. "In my time it was common for there not to be many collaborators on these decisions when it came time to actually perform the necessary surgeries. There were automated methods that only required someone to be there to oversee. I've been having to learn all of it from scratch, more or less. A biologist shouldn't be a doctor but the principles of the former can be applied to the latter, obviously. That, and the common sense measures of my era are far beyond what the general population here is up to date on, so I've got the leg up that means it can be applied to others' education. Doctor Watson has been able to avail himself of my notes and ask questions, though I haven't been able to tell him everything I can remember. I don't want to give him any information in error without checking with others."
"You're from a very advanced society," First Aid reminds him gently. "But for most of human history, do anything of note as a team was the norm. You've been wonderful in gathering data on the island and helping Dr. Watson get up to speed, and now you're being equally wonderful in collecting this data and bringing it to people who can help your patient. Bart..."
First Aid sighs through his vents. "Being able to get relevant information from a patient is a useful skill. So is knowing who to take it to, so you can build a team with complementary skills to get the patient the care they need. Can you imagine what would have happened if Touya had walked into Dr. Watson's office, and you hadn't been there? If he was still working off a late 19th century knowledge base? I'm not sure plastic surgery had even been invented yet."
He ventures to pat Bart on the shoulder. "I can't make you believe it, but that doesn't mean it's not true. You're doing good work here, Bart."
First Aid sighs through his vents. "Being able to get relevant information from a patient is a useful skill. So is knowing who to take it to, so you can build a team with complementary skills to get the patient the care they need. Can you imagine what would have happened if Touya had walked into Dr. Watson's office, and you hadn't been there? If he was still working off a late 19th century knowledge base? I'm not sure plastic surgery had even been invented yet."
He ventures to pat Bart on the shoulder. "I can't make you believe it, but that doesn't mean it's not true. You're doing good work here, Bart."
"The unfortunate downside of being from a time so much more advanced is that old treatments that would have been available in times like this have been lost, while I am lacking in the material to make my knowledge base particularly useful outside of the theoretical. I'm trying to remedy that, but the need far outstrips the ability to fabricate it all. I need stainless steel and titanium tools, but I make do with copper. Even then, people aren't just going to take it from me that I know what's better for them. The old women with their gout that have decided my recommendation of varied diets is just silly nonsense and potatoes suit them just fine because potatoes suited their fathers just fine..." Bart huffs and draws his hands down his face, letting himself slouch in place.
"I want to do right by him. I want this to work. If we can make those breakthroughs just imagine how many lives we might save when the barrier is lifted."
"I want to do right by him. I want this to work. If we can make those breakthroughs just imagine how many lives we might save when the barrier is lifted."
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