PHD #368: Pins and Needles and Tea
Pins and Needles and Tea
Summary: Cameron checks in on Evandreus, who's looking a little rough around the edges, and prescribes some acupuncture and medicinal tea rather than pills.
Date: 01 Mar 2042 AE
Related Logs: None
Players:
Cameron Evandreus 
Sickbay - Deck 10 - Battlestar Cerberus
Being able to accommodate combat casualties requires room, and the Sickbay has it. Beds line each side of the room with privacy curtains strung up and readily available. Large vaulted lockers hold access to the supplies at the far end of the area. Nearer the front, a Petty Officer sits ready to dispense simple items like ibuprofen and aspirin. Further to the rear is an area prepped twenty-four hours a day for emergency surgery. To the side are a set of double doors that lead to the Recovery Ward where patients can recuperate.
Post-Holocaust Day: #368

Evandreus has been a proverbial yo-yo of recent, from worn but determined to grim-faced and sluggish to bright-eyed and smiling to dimmed and peaceful, in the last week the Sickbay's seen all manner of flavor of Bunny. He only works one half-shift every two cycles, his duties on the line taking up the bulk of his hours, but as long as he has the hours to give, he gives them freely. He doesn't do much that's exciting, volunteer-status nurse as he is. But since he's been cleared for the work he's punctually updating vital statistics along with the more mundane tasks of bringing food and water, petroleum jelly for dry lips and lotion for dry skin. And bedpans, of course. So. Many. Bedpans. But he bears it all with a good grace, seeming fairly well 'up' today, taking a stack of newly sanitized bedpans back around and distributing them as needed, according to the charts.

Though the Bunny might not be a patient in Sickbay these days, Cameron hasn't been able to not notice the high variance in his manner and health, studying the man with quiet concern and, after a few days of this see-sawing sentience, decided that perhaps he should take some action. The man's files were perused first, his dependence on and later addiction to antidepressants a red flag for the doctor. So he waits until Evandreus has finished his bedpan rounds before approaching him and greeting, "Hey there. Mind taking a short break and having a chat with me?"

Evandreus is pretty mellowed out, today. He hangs the last of his bedpans and looks to the slumbering inhabitant of the medical cot before he swats his hands on the sides of the deep red scrub pants, elbows cocked out slightly to his sides as he turns to offer Doctor Adair a game sort of smile. "Sure, doc. What'd you need?" he wonders, voice easeful and friendly.

"Actually, it's not so much what you can do for me is what I can do for you," Cameron replies in return as he leads the way into one of the exam rooms, where they can talk undisturbed, gesturing Evan to take a seat. "First off, I'd like to thank you for talking to Lieutenant Vandenberg awhile ago. Helping her see, well, if not exactly sense, at least something such that she was able to forgive if not forget my mistake. Second, I can't help but notice that you've been having a somewhat rough and erratic time of it lately. I took the opportunity to examine your chart and I see that you've been having a rather rollercoaster ride of it lately with your depression and medications. I was wondering if you would be willing to talk to me about possibly exploring other solutions to your problem.

"Eh?" Evan asks, then, "Ah…" a little more uncomfortable, when the topic of his meds are brought up. He's… still more than a little embarrassed at having put himself and the medical staff in such a position. "Right. Well… it's been a rough couple of weeks, just… you know, with stuff going on. It's been hard. But, uh.. actually, speaking of Natalie, she's been kind of helping me through stuff, too. I'm just glad I could help, on that score." He tucks his hands behind his back, gripping one wrist with his other hand, "What, ah.. did you have in mind?"

"Hey, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. The brain is a complicated thing and we're still figuring stuff out about it. Having depression is no different from having any other kind of illness or disability. You wouldn't yell at someone for being in a wheelchair or having a skin rash, would you? Of course not." Smiling reassuringly, Cameron notes, "I figure I'll ask you some questions, see if there's anything revealing in your answers and then we can try some other possible treatments that you might find relieve your problems naturally, rather than having to rely on drugs and the rollercoaster that can be." Sitting back in his seat, Cameron picks up a notebook and pen. So lets start with some basics. Can you describe for me what you generally eat on a daily basis?"

Evandreus shuffles closer to the raised exam table, not quite going so far as to get up on it, but he leans against it with a hip, one leg out at an angle, shoe toeing the ground in an almost bashful stance as he listens, giving the doctor a little smile, which— promptly fades, lips curling a little. "Uh… y'know, things are so crazy I usually just… grab what I can when I can. A protein bar or some of the fruit cocktail stuff… whatever's up there. Nothing trying to be meat, though."

"Okay, okay, that's right I remember… you and food don't really get along so well. Right. Okay. Well, right off the bat I recommend you avoid eating too much sugar and carbohydrates. They can really throw your system off and, if you suffer from depression, those chemicals will really throw you out of whack even more." Tilting his head to one side, Cameron offers, "I know this sounds hokey, but I really just want to help you, and I can't help but get the feeling like you think I'm going to pull out a stick and start beating you or something? Is there anything I can do to help you feel, well, more comfortable and relaxed around me." Offering his hand, the doctor points out, "For one, you don't have to call me Dr. Adair. Doc or Cameron or Cam will do just fine, whichever you prefer. Okay?"

Speaking of hitting him with a stick. As far as Evan and food ever particularly get on, it usually has to do with something sweet. The Red Stuff or syrupy preservative-laden fruit bits in the mess— his own stash of candies in his bunk. If he and doctors have ever had a bone of contention as to his health, it's this; he doesn't drink (much), he doesn't smoke (at all), but almost every doctor he's ever been to has got after him about the sweet stuff. He tilts his head aside, looking down to the surface of the exam table, "I know… Cam," he tries out the name like trying on a new pair of pants, seeing how it fits. "It's not your fault. I know I should lay off the sugar. It's a weakness. But the weakness is so strong," he adds with a playful grin.

"Mmmmmm," Cameron replies, not exactly disapprovingly, but in a mix of understanding and regret. "Okay. Well, if changing your diet isn't an option lets try some other ones. I'm going to make you a tea that I need you to drink every day, alright? I also want you to come in each week for an acupuncture session. I think between these two treatments I think that perhaps we can offset some of your sugar intake. But I would like you to also make a list of foods that you can tolerate eating that are not sugar based and I'll see if I can't talk to the galley and make sure that some other more healthy options are available to you, alright?" Tapping the pen against his lower lip he asks, "What do you think of your current medication? Is it working for you? Are you having any side effects? Have you tried any alternative medications?"

"I… like tea," Evan replies, with a brow crooked in a fashion that indicates that he suspects he won't like -this- one. It's Health Tea, after all. But he sounds game, anyway. He can always put sugar in it. "And I went to an acupuncture place a couple of times, back in Corinth. I didn't know you did that. That's… pretty cool, actually."

"I… like tea," Evan replies, with a brow crooked in a fashion that indicates that he suspects he won't like -this- one. It's Health Tea, after all. But he sounds game, anyway. He can always put sugar in it. "And I went to an acupuncture place a couple of times, back in Corinth. I didn't know you did that. That's… pretty cool, actually. Um… my eyes are a little dry, when I'm not crying. And then there's the crying, but— I don't think that has to do with the pills, exactly. I've never been shy about tears. I cry at the endings of movies. All of them. Doesn't matter what the movie's about or how it ends. I cry."

Laughing at Evan's slightly dubious response, Cameron notes, "I'm going to make the focus of this tea more for your depression than your diet," he reassures. "So it's going to be a mix of valerian and chamomile. So not so dreadful." Nodding, Cameron concurs, "My mother was a healer and practitioner of alternate and traditional forms of medicine, so yeah, I do massage therapy, acupressure, and acupuncture, as well as dietary and herbal treatments." He makes a few notes noting with a small smile, "Crying is good. A healthy release. I think everyone here could benefit from a good cry now and again."

"Hm. That's not likely to happen. Most of the dudes and at least half of the women are far, far too manly to be caught with tears in their eyes," Bunny points out, his tone of voice indicating that he finds the posturing a little on the preposterous side. "I do my pressure points thing sometimes. I mean. I never really learned how to do it properly, but I do, like, my eyebrows, and right…

"Hm. That's not likely to happen. Most of the dudes and at least half of the women are far, far too manly to be caught with tears in their eyes," Bunny points out, his tone of voice indicating that he finds the posturing a little on the preposterous side. "I do my pressure points thing sometimes. I mean. I never really learned how to do it properly, but I do, like, my eyebrows, and right…" he sort of sticks his thumb up at the inside corner of his cheekbone. "Wherever that's called."

"Yeaaaaaaah," Cameron concurs with a sigh and a wry smile. "I know, but a doctor can hope. Good thing I'm not a therapist or it would worry me a lot more than it already does…." A small smile touches his mouth as he notes, "Well, if you like, once I've figured out where your points are, I can show you where to press for future self-care. If you're pressing on the wrong points you could be doing more harm than good." He jots down a few more notes and then offers Evandreus a friendly smile. "Right. Okay, well this is a good start. I'll get a tea blend made up for you and we'll do an acupuncture session soon, sound good?"

"It… does, actually," Evan remarks, brows quirking. He doesn't need to sound so surprised, or anything. "I didn't realize it changed from person to person, I've just been doing some that a friend showed me, once." Because that's always the best way to go about things. "And I'm really sorry if I've seemed kind of out of it on rounds, Doc." It comes more naturally than 'Cam' did to his lips. "Things have just been… kind of crazy, emotionally, since Mouse and Henry died."

"Good!" is Cameron's cheerful response, his smile growing broader at Evan's acceptance and even faint approval of his recommendation. "Oh yes," he concurs. "While certain points are always good for certain problems or symptoms, everybody has different bodies and different needs. What might be good for one person might be completely different than what someone else might need. One man I knew carried a huge amount of tension in his upper back, and his release spot was back here," he notes, reaching back with one hand to touch a point at the base of his skull, "whereas a woman with a similar problem had a release point in the small of her back here," and his hand moves down to press slightly to the right of his spine. "Different bodies, different release points…" His expression sobers though, a small nod proffered as Cameron murmurs, "I'm sorry for the loss of your friends. Things are difficult all round for everyone, but when someone you know dies, defending the fleet. Well, it's just so very in the moment and hard to face and deal with. Over time the other losses begin to blur and merge. But new ones are so fresh and distinctive…"

Evandreus turns, hyper-extending his legs just a little as he rests his butt against the side of the exam table, folding his arms before him. "Yah. Yah, it does, kind of. It's… it's awful, isn't it? I dunno. Maybe I'm just afraid that if I kick it out there I'll just.. go into the blur with everyone else," he murmurs, punctuating the sentiment with a swallow. "I guess that's what happens when the mourners to mourned ratio gets so out of whack."

"I don't think that will happen," Cameron murmurs, setting aside his pad and pen for a moment, leaning forward. "This might sound almost callous, but before, the numbers of deaths, of loved ones lost. It was too numerous to count. Too great to even fully comprehend, let alone feel. But now, with so few of us left, ties and bonds are stronger whether people like it or not. With so few of us left, each life has become that much more precious than before. There are thousands upon millions of people who have died that have no one left to mourn them. Those of us that are left? We will be remembered by all of what's left of humanity." It's a goal that many people have strived to achieve in their lifetime, to be so infamous that all the universe would mourn your loss. But it is a goal that Cameron cannot take any particular pleasure in the thought of now. Ocean eyes lift to Evandreus and Cameron assures, "You will not be forgotten, or lost in the sea of the dead, for whatever that small comfort is worth…"

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License