Seasons: IC Contact/Overflow

[happydreamed]

"Hello, you've reached Kantera. If this is a medical emergency, please hang up and call a hospital. Otherwise, please leave your message after the tone."

Comments

[forgingfires]

[A pause.]

What is allergic?

[Isolated immortal has weird knowledge of the current world]

[happydreamed]

When a body has a negative reaction in the immune system to a not normally harmful substance, like peanuts or pet hair.

[forgingfires]

Ah, another instance of the body lying to itself and getting a reaction?

[happydreamed]

Along those lines, yes. An overzealous immune system attempts to protect the body from the material and ends up causing more harm itself.

[forgingfires]

Good to know, especially with the project.

Speaking of, I wanted to ask what kind of medical knowledge you have. I know a smattering of things from osmosis and some alchemical studies, but certainly not enough if her solution is more science based than magic.

[happydreamed]

[...A surprisingly difficult question.]

In my home village, I was the only doctor and therefore dealt with general issues for everyone - both treating illness and caring for injury. I mixed my own medicine, although without the same plants available as at home, my ability to do so here is limited. I would hardly call myself an expert on genetics or any specialized field, but I am capable as a general practitioner.

[forgingfires]

Are you familiar with modern medical machines? X-ray and MRI's? Machines that let you see the bones and inside people's skulls without dismemberment.

I don't suppose you know the chemical make up of the plants? Though their names might help, depending...

[happydreamed]

I can operate medical imaging equipment, yes. We had those in my home world.

[Although Clover Hospital was... a questionable medical facility for a number of reasons.]

I don't know the chemicals offhand, but the most potent medicine from my home comes from the Yama-Basho.

[forgingfires]

Good, I want to get Saya an MRI. We probably won't know something is truly effective until the time she would be feeling the effects of an encroaching hibernation and knowing what's different in her brain will likely help a lot.

We could see if any otherworlder medical professional recognizes it. Considering how many worlds produce humans specifically, it isn't out of the realm of possibility people might know plants.

The name isn't familiar to me though. A picture and what it usually treats wouldn't hurt though.

[happydreamed]

I agree with that decision. The clinic I work at has one, we should be able to schedule a time to use it.

I don't have a photograph on hand, but 'tis an effective stimulant and analgesic when the roots are ground. The flower petals are known to have hallucinogenic properties on contact, which makes it difficult to work with.

[forgingfires]

That's good to hear, we can just do after hours if we can't get an appointment in the next week. [Because he was absolutely going to break in to use an MRI machine if they couldn't and at least whenever I try to get an MRI for elderly family, its like a month out-]

I do know a plant that is somewhat similar. A Kratom could have those effects. Though that isn't a flower, its more a thin tree. Its considered a stimulating opioid over a depressant.

But really the important part is I do have alchemical knowledge, and usually when a plant is helping something, its really a part of the plant. So if we can think of plants that achieve a certain effect, we might able to work backwards from there and just find another plant that would hopefully have the same chemical.

[happydreamed]

I can pull a few strings, but failing that, yes, I will help you sneak into my place of work after hours.

[forgingfires]

Excellent. Have you interpreted MRI's before?

[happydreamed]

Yes, but not very frequently.

[forgingfires]

But that is still a basis, which is good, saves us time. Do you want me to pick up books on neurology to help brush up on the subject?

[happydreamed]

That would be very kind of you, thank you very much. There should be some at the clinic, but a wider range of material never hurts.

[forgingfires]

Precisely. Especially since there has to be a little guesswork to start.

I'm also going to see if there's any MRIs done on a hibernating animal. Mortals like to do weird experiments like that, there's surely something.

[happydreamed]

I wouldn't be surprised if there was. We do appreciate learning more about how the brain works, and what makes a human brain different from an animal's.

[forgingfires]

I'll keep looking. There's been a few books that have explained it fairly well. How familiar are you with what the body goes through with hibernation?

[happydreamed]

Not very, I'm afraid. None of the sentient species in my home hibernate.

[He's a doctor, not a veterinarian.]

[forgingfires]

I thought that might be the case. I'll bring some of the books I've been reading, the more theories we have on how its working in her case the better.

[happydreamed]

I'll study them thoroughly. Thank you for all your assistance.

[forgingfires]

[Another delay. Because he's still unused to Thank Yous.]

Of course. If I'm going to do something, then I'm going to give it my all.

[happydreamed]

An admirable quality that more people should emulate.

[forgingfires]

They should, yes.

So don't give up on her. Even when it hurts.

There will be a solution.