Logs:Transition of Life
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| RL Date: 31 March, 2015 |
| Who: Hattie, Tess |
| Involves: Fort Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Hattie reluctantly visits the infirmary and gets a diagnosis that |
| Where: Infirmary, Fort Weyr |
| When: Day 27, Month 5, Turn 37 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Dimatrin/Mentions, Nehmet/Mentions |
| OOC Notes: Menstrual cycle and other medical items discussed. Edited log poached from Hattie's LJ, thanks! |
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| Lunchtime sees the patronage of the infirmary decreased dramatically. With the morning 'sick-call' done and sorted for all the ailing weyrfolk, the infirmary staff is taking their opportunity in the lull to dart off for lunch. Tess is either kind or she drew the short straw to be the one settled at the reception desk while the only other staff (a pair of infirmary aides) change linens on some of the most conveniently located (and therefore most used) cots. The journeywoman still isn't knotted, but she's wearing an apron that indicate her function (if not her rank) well enough. Her fingers drum idly on the top of a file on the desk, eye drifting slowly down the hand-written notes there. Hattie is rarely sighted in the infirmary unless professional or personal reasons make her presence all but essential, and today, unfortunately for her, she has no clipboard or stock or other body to hide behind as she slowly ambles her way into the cavern by way of the dragon infirmary, doing little to hide the fact that she'd much rather be anywhere else if at all possible. By the time that she reaches the desk, she's defensively folded her arms beneath her chest and drawn herself up as tall as she can (being not very much), and when she finally manages to look at Tess and try to catch her attention, the worry pinching at the edge of her gaze gives her away the most. "Do you have a moment?" Tess's light eyes lift to find the Weyrwoman's face as she's noticed, a slight arch to her brow a clue that she's also taken in the posture the goldrider presents. "Yes, ma'am," is polite and professional, not that there really is any other answer that could be given to the Senior. The young journeywoman rises smoothly to her feet and gesture toward the back of the cavern, away from where the infirmary aides work, to one of the cots there that will give them the most privacy. The Weyrwoman inclines her head a little and obediently follows after that gesture without another word, unable to keep herself from giving those aides sidelong looks as she passes them by. It's not until she reaches that quieter end of the infirmary and stares at the cot for a moment or two that Hattie manages to speak again, though she continues to eye the cot as if it's some kind of threatening, destructive entity, and doesn't sit down. "I'm sorry," she says first, when she's not exactly known for apologising. "It might be nothing. Or maybe I'm tired. Or maybe I'm imagining things. I think I could imagine better things though, given the chance." Tess's movements are practiced for all that she still must be considered 'new' in the grand scheme of things, to this particular infirmary. Her expression is pleasantly neutral as she pulls the curtain and moves to sit on the usually unobtrusive wheeled stool provided for the attending healer. She doesn't urge Hattie to sit, and she listens openly to what the goldrider has to say. "When it comes to matters of health, I would always prefer to bother over what might be nothing for the peace of mind of knowing it is nothing, or what to do about the something." This is statement of opinion and only after letting it be for a breath does Tess move on, "Are you tired? What might you be imagining?" The way she phrases things is validation of the woman's assertions, even if it might "be" something after all. Hattie's got this far, and still she hesitates, glancing between Tess and the cot and back again several times. "...It's like when she's proddy," she murmurs reluctantly, looking down at the floor. "Elaruth. Except I know she's not, she knows she's not, and the dragon healers are quite certain she's not." She grimaces. "Not that that mattered, the last time..." Defeat or something else sends her to finally sit on the very edge of the cot, weary. "I keep feeling too hot, like it's the middle of summer. I can't focus. And sometimes I either want to cry on or punch out cold the next person I see, and I can't tell which. It's like being under the influence of someone else." The healer is patient. That must be something they teach at the Hall. There's a thoughtful moment before Tess asks, "How are things otherwise, in your life? Do you feel like you are unusual stress? Have you had any notable changes in your lifestyle? Sleep? Eating? Your cycle?" "I think I'm the wrong person to ask that question of," Hattie answers dryly, staring down at her knees as she laces her fingers together. "I'm not sure I'd qualify any stress as 'unusual'." It seems to be the most honest answer she can give in that respect, for she doesn't linger any longer on trying to find a better one. "I'd say I get enough sleep, but there are still moments when I'm exhausted. It's just... it feels more difficult to just carry on anyway, sometimes. Than usually does, I mean. Food... happens when it happens." Not exactly evasive about that last point, she gives a helpless twitch of her shoulders. "...I've had a couple of notably shorter cycles, I suppose," she admits. "Are the shorter cycles very unusual in your history or is it something that's happened before, that you can remember?" Tess queries, her tone still one of active thought on-going alongside the conversation. "Do you have a personal assistant, Weyrwoman? I'm sure I don't need to tell you how important regular meals and good sleep is to a healthy constitution." At least the blonde doesn't seem to be about to lecture her just now, instead asking, "How old are you, ma'am?" "Only after the birth of my children, but my youngest is recently five, so I don't think I can reasonably attribute it to him," Hattie replies, twisting her fingers together as she lets her shoulders slump a little. "And yes, I have an assistant. Dimatrin. I'm afraid I'm never going to be someone who gets the healer-recommended amount of sleep or relaxation or meals, but I can at least admit to that." She offers up her age as if she can't quite reconcile the number with herself, grimacing the faintest bit when she declares, "Thirty-nine." The blonde nods for the matter of the assistant and doesn't press, now, for the rest. Instead, she asks, "Do you use take measures to prevent pregnancy?" If Tess had Hattie's file here, she probably wouldn't need to ask, but she doesn't. "Have you had any unsuccessful pregnancies since your youngest was born?" Hattie manages to stop twisting her fingers together for long enough to hide one hand beneath the other and just subconsciously attacks it by compressing fingers as small as they'll go. "I go Between," she states, almost monotone. "Not obsessively. Probably not as often as I could." For the latter matter, she shakes her head. "Not to the best of my knowledge. I've certainly not tried to get pregnant. ...There was once... I wasn't so sure whether it was because I went Between or my cycle, but..." She twitches her shoulders again, more tightly, refusing to dwell. Tess won't make the Weyrwoman dwell on that experience either. "If the dragonhealers are indeed correct, the symptoms you've described might indicate a transition of life, though you are young to be experiencing it. It could be menopause." She pauses to let that sink in a moment before saying, "If it is, then the only thing we can do is deal with any symptoms that give you discomfort the best we can and wait to see if your cycle ceases. In the meantime, I would advise extra attention to a healthy lifestyle," as previously discussed, "and see if that has an impact. Can you keep a personal record of under what circumstances and in what mental states and moods you experience the symptoms and we can meet again in a month to see if there is some other pattern that would explain what you're experiencing?" Ready to nod along to the matter of the dragonhealers' opinions about Elaruth, Hattie begins to dip her chin, only to stop absolutely still and stare at Tess, startled. She listens to all that follows with her gaze distant and focus seemingly turned inward, and though doesn't dismiss anything that she's told, she doesn't manage to acknowledge any of it either, not for quite a long after it's likely that she should have said something. Eventually, she gives a single nod and agrees, "...I... can do that," much more quietly than before. When she moves, it's suddenly, feet planted back on the floor and skirts smoothed down in one efficient motion. "Thank you. That's... very informative." It's probably because of Tess' primary specialty that she is able to wait the length past when Hattie probably should've spoken for any answer forthcoming. "This is not a firm diagnosis, Weyrwoman. It may yet prove not to be the case. Mental and emotional factors can impact physical health in unusual and unforeseen ways. It is a natural and normal part of life that we will all experience at some point," unless they die young. "I can't pretend that I have personal experience with this change, but if it would be helpful to you either now or once we have a chance to examine other causes based on what observation you're able to collect, I can arrange a meeting with a healer who has experience on that personal level who might be better able to answer the questions you might have in a less text-book fashion, not that I'm at all unwilling to do my best, but I wouldn't want you to feel you have to speak to me only." Maybe Hattie doesn't realise that she's retreating even now, half-shuffling backwards and away from Tess and the cot. "I understand," she attempts to assure, her attention everywhere and nowhere, though in a far more obvious way than if she were experiencing one of the episodes she's described, as if she's just trying to behave in as normal a manner as she can, for as long as she can. "Don't get me wrong - as I said, I haven't been trying to-" she begins to ramble, only to smooth at her dress again and clamp her mouth shut. "I will do as you've asked," the Weyrwoman confirms once more, finally dragging her gaze back to Tess, to give a single, curt nod. "Thank you," she repeats, for lack of being able to summon anything else. And if she escapes and leaves the infirmary at twice the pace at which she entered it? She'll pretend that's normal too. The only thing that follows Hattie besides Tess' mild and observant gaze is a sincere, "I'm here if you need anything in the meantime." Otherwise the healer will see her (or find her) in a month, if not before. Hopefully, for under cheerier circumstances, and if, in the meantime, she can get a professional word with the Weyrwoman's assistant, more's the better. |
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