Post by Teagan Hayes on Nov 28, 2014 19:46:33 GMT -5
It was only getting worse. Attacks more frequent, leaving her chained to her bed, legs only able to carry her from her in-room restroom and back to the firm mattress. Any further distance than that sent her heart racing, her body crumpling to the ground in a mess of limbs and groans until a nurse urged in and swept her back into the bed, attempting to calm her thumping chest before it got too bad. Some days it'd ease up, and she'd be normal for a bit- be able to walk around the halls with a slow pulse, head held high as her arms hugged her chest. Others she couldn't move, curled in a ball as she teared up at the pain throbbing under he rib cage. It started a year ago, popping up out of no where- usually it's brought on by a heart attack, but she'd never suffered one. Delving deeper into her medical past, the doctor's concluded it was the electrolyte abnormality- a deficiency of magnesium in her case- that had done it. It had started as a case of ventricular tachycardia, and her doctor had prescribed her with a magnesium supplement and the medication 'atenolol', which was used to aide chest pains and high blood pressure. VT is known to be a sign of more-serious heart problems, it being just the tip of the ice burg. If VT lasts more than 30 seconds, it will usually lead to palpitations, dizziness or fainting, things she's suffered numerous times in the last twelve months. Untreated VT will often lead to ventricular fibrillation- which was what had happened her case. It'd gone on for too long without being noticed, which was solely her fault. The girl had an issue with doctors, and even more so with hospitals. She despised the glove clad men and women, hated being poked and prodded- and dear god, she loathed being stripped of her shirt and bra so they could stick pads and cords to her chest to get readings. Nudity was something she was never comfortable with, despite having a fit body and being breathtakingly beautiful. It was a weakness, something she'd never get over. The nurse always had to lift and adjust her breasts because they were in the way of where they'd need to place the adhesive, and she had to fight twitching and cringing every single time they did. The moment they left, she was tearing her clothes back on, casting a glare at her mother for letting them touch her, which always resulted in them bickering. She'd complain about the nurse 'fondling' her boobs, to which her aging blonde mother would rebut with a roll of the eyes and the same explanation she gave every time. 'It's not like they want to do this, Teagan, they're only helping'. She was always spinning some tale of 'it'll get better' and 'you'll be okay, baby'. She knew not to give her a hard time, for she had problems of her own she had to battle, a lot of them, on top her middle daughter's health.
A few months ago, after her cardiologist had done an exploratory surgery in her heart, he found out that what he thought was wrong wasn't even close. It was much more advanced than he thought, and too late to go back on. Teagan was diagnosed with ventricular fibrillation, and it was deadly. The doctor described ventricular fibrillation as: a heart rhythm problem that occurs when the heart beats with rapid, erratic electrical impulses- which causes pumping chambers in the heart (the ventricles) to quiver uselessly, instead of pumping blood. Most often triggered by a heart attack though is known to have several reasons for being caused (most of which are unknown), ventricular fibrillation causes blood pressure to plummet, cutting off the blood supply to the vital organs. Ventricular fibrillation, requires immediate medical attention, for it causes the person to collapse within seconds. It's the most frequent cause of sudden cardiac death. Emergency treatment includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and shocks to the heart with a device called a defibrillator. Treatments for those at risk of ventricular fibrillation include medications and implantable devices that can restore a normal heart rhythm. Though Teagan just knew it as annoying. It was a pain to live with, and she'd been bound to her room for months on end- since April, when the surgery was performed. They tried to release her numerous times, but she'd always be rushed back into the emergency room after she'd fainted at school while trying to go up the stairs, or collapsed in the middle of the mall after laughing too hard at a joke her sister told. Really anything that strained the heart set her off, but not always. She'd catch a break every now and then, a day or two where it seemed promising, only for it to go spiraling back down hours after she dared to exert herself. Today was one of those days, her heart was calm, mind stable and a coy smile was teasing her lips as she asked the (super cute) male nurse not much older than herself who worked in her department of the hospital if it was okay that she went down to the cafeteria for lunch rather than have it lifted to her room. Shyly, he agreed, checking in with his superiors to make sure it was okay. They agreed, thinking it a good idea for her to move around to try to get blood flowing, sitting in that bed all day wasn't helping her in the slightest. Plus, she'd only recently been transferred to this hospital, Crystal Bay, so she wanted to explore while she had the chance. Her last doctor sent her here in hope they'd be able to do more for he than he could. The only reason they hadn't done any surgery on her yet to fix her problem was simply because of her age, and her health as of lately. They were worried how she'd take it, so they just kept a keen eye on her and watched for signs for, well, anything. Sadly, all they'd taken note of was her shaking in bed and fighting back nausea.
Free of any of the normal symptoms she faced with her disease, Teagan eased out of the sweats and over-sized tee she'd been wearing for the past few days and slowly tugged on a tight pair of black leggings, and black tank top that was growing loose on her thinning body with a slim, dark teal hoodie zipped over top. Running her fingers through her kitten soft brunette hair kissed with a twinge of highlights here and there, she tossed the hood up, fetched her phone clad in a case that depicted a wolf howling at the moon, and waltzed out of her room to the blonde nurse waiting to escort her. A lazy pair of black moccasins hugged her feet (she clearly had no sense of color, and would often reply to the question 'why do you wear so much black?' with 'it reflects what's on the inside' though it was a lie), she slipped her arm into his and hobbled to the elevator. Making small conversation with Todd, who was really her only friend in the vile place despite him only working the weekends which left them to little time together, she asked for details about the outside world. She was filter fed news through her visitors, technology, and the nurses. He struggled to think of anything significant, but really all he had to talk about was gossip about celebrities which, as a teen, she was eager to know. Despite spending most of the last year in a anesthetic scented hospital room, Teagan still managed to be a normal seventeen year old- for the most part. The girl adored music and television alike, while still getting her dose of books in. Her taste in music varied from One Direction to Hoodie Allen to Tim McGraw to Nirvana- she listened to anything and everything. Her pick in t.v. shows was slim, usually sticking to just a few she knew she could keep up with, those being: Supernatural, Under The Dome, The Walking Dead, Pretty Little Liars, and The Vampire Diaries. She tried to watch Teen Wolf, but had gotten distracted by all the trips to the hospital and never really picked back up on it- but she wanted to, because Stiles. Like, dang. When she wasn't being tested on like a lab rat and all technology was out of reach, she was indulging in a book, reading anything really. She had her favorites, of course. The Hunger Games trilogy, The Enemy series, really any John Green book, the Percy Jackson series and anything that had been developed into a movie or show caught her attention. Teagan was a mess of imagination, and had these weird quirks about her. Her personality coming off different to everyone, for she treated each person different. As their own individual. So not much could be said about who she was until she was put face to face with another person.
Todd guided her into the cafeteria, it being just before noon so people were just trickling in for lunch. He lead her through the line, helping her pick and choose pieces of food and setting them on her tray. They joked and teased, whispering little nothings about the people around them like children would. It was nice, he did a great job at keeping her happy, but there was something about him that kept her curling away. Maybe it was the fact he looked so similar to her ex-boyfriend, a douchebag that dumped her after she was diagnosed with her disease because she wouldn't be able to keep up with him- aka have sex with him like he'd been trying to get her to do their whole relationship. It was a good thing he was gone, really, he wasn't good to her and never was. She knew Todd wasn't a thing like him, but she still couldn't get over the fact, it still hurt to think about how easily she was dropped after all she did for him. Not letting the thoughts ruin her happiness, she giggled at the tease that spilled off the man's pale lips and shook her head. Teagan couldn't get too excited, her heart would get pumping and she'd collapse. That was never a fun thing. Having made it to the end of the line, the nurse carried her tray stocked with a bottle of apple juice, a lone banana, and a bowl of chicken broth (she didn't trust the hospital's meat, never did) to the only lone table left. He tried to persuade her to join someone, but she insisted on being alone for lunch. Socializing had never been her forte. People came to her, she didn't go to them. The cafeteria had filled so quickly, the clock striking twelve and signalling the freedom of workers and patients alike. Sighing as she took a seat, she was glad to be off her feet and able to just relax. Glancing at Todd, she shooed him away, demanding he do something for himself, "Get out of here," she was teasing, of course, "Go flirt with some nurses, you don't need to be my babysitter." Reluctantly, he waved and headed off, leaving the brunette all by herself. Dipping her spoon into the steaming bowl of gold, flecks of green and bubbles of oil floating within it, she pursed her lips, thinking about it all. Well, she was until a voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Dragging her diamond drizzled eyes off of her main dish, she batted them up at the person who'd joined her. Of course they would, she was really the only free table left in the place. The area around her eyes was a sunken gray color, a side effect of not getting much sleep, but her eyebrows were primly shaped and plucked- something her mother insisted on doing despite her objections. She apparently had to keep her appearance up even if only a choice few would ever even take note of it. Either way, she let her mom make her over and dress her up to please her, it was all she could do to help her daughter. Her sister would help, occasionally dot her up with make up and her dad would just linger in the corner and stare. Her other siblings would visit when they could, her niece and nephews confused as to why Aunt Tee couldn't play, but they managed to stay calm around her. It was all odd and she hated having to put them through this, but she was thankful that they were by her side nonetheless. Her hair sticking out from under her hood, she gripped her spoon tighter, her other hand shoved in the pocket of the hoodie as she stared at the person.
"Yeah?" Teagan asked, voice soft against her paling complexion. She was fresh meat here, so she really had no clue how anyone would react to her.
A few months ago, after her cardiologist had done an exploratory surgery in her heart, he found out that what he thought was wrong wasn't even close. It was much more advanced than he thought, and too late to go back on. Teagan was diagnosed with ventricular fibrillation, and it was deadly. The doctor described ventricular fibrillation as: a heart rhythm problem that occurs when the heart beats with rapid, erratic electrical impulses- which causes pumping chambers in the heart (the ventricles) to quiver uselessly, instead of pumping blood. Most often triggered by a heart attack though is known to have several reasons for being caused (most of which are unknown), ventricular fibrillation causes blood pressure to plummet, cutting off the blood supply to the vital organs. Ventricular fibrillation, requires immediate medical attention, for it causes the person to collapse within seconds. It's the most frequent cause of sudden cardiac death. Emergency treatment includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and shocks to the heart with a device called a defibrillator. Treatments for those at risk of ventricular fibrillation include medications and implantable devices that can restore a normal heart rhythm. Though Teagan just knew it as annoying. It was a pain to live with, and she'd been bound to her room for months on end- since April, when the surgery was performed. They tried to release her numerous times, but she'd always be rushed back into the emergency room after she'd fainted at school while trying to go up the stairs, or collapsed in the middle of the mall after laughing too hard at a joke her sister told. Really anything that strained the heart set her off, but not always. She'd catch a break every now and then, a day or two where it seemed promising, only for it to go spiraling back down hours after she dared to exert herself. Today was one of those days, her heart was calm, mind stable and a coy smile was teasing her lips as she asked the (super cute) male nurse not much older than herself who worked in her department of the hospital if it was okay that she went down to the cafeteria for lunch rather than have it lifted to her room. Shyly, he agreed, checking in with his superiors to make sure it was okay. They agreed, thinking it a good idea for her to move around to try to get blood flowing, sitting in that bed all day wasn't helping her in the slightest. Plus, she'd only recently been transferred to this hospital, Crystal Bay, so she wanted to explore while she had the chance. Her last doctor sent her here in hope they'd be able to do more for he than he could. The only reason they hadn't done any surgery on her yet to fix her problem was simply because of her age, and her health as of lately. They were worried how she'd take it, so they just kept a keen eye on her and watched for signs for, well, anything. Sadly, all they'd taken note of was her shaking in bed and fighting back nausea.
Free of any of the normal symptoms she faced with her disease, Teagan eased out of the sweats and over-sized tee she'd been wearing for the past few days and slowly tugged on a tight pair of black leggings, and black tank top that was growing loose on her thinning body with a slim, dark teal hoodie zipped over top. Running her fingers through her kitten soft brunette hair kissed with a twinge of highlights here and there, she tossed the hood up, fetched her phone clad in a case that depicted a wolf howling at the moon, and waltzed out of her room to the blonde nurse waiting to escort her. A lazy pair of black moccasins hugged her feet (she clearly had no sense of color, and would often reply to the question 'why do you wear so much black?' with 'it reflects what's on the inside' though it was a lie), she slipped her arm into his and hobbled to the elevator. Making small conversation with Todd, who was really her only friend in the vile place despite him only working the weekends which left them to little time together, she asked for details about the outside world. She was filter fed news through her visitors, technology, and the nurses. He struggled to think of anything significant, but really all he had to talk about was gossip about celebrities which, as a teen, she was eager to know. Despite spending most of the last year in a anesthetic scented hospital room, Teagan still managed to be a normal seventeen year old- for the most part. The girl adored music and television alike, while still getting her dose of books in. Her taste in music varied from One Direction to Hoodie Allen to Tim McGraw to Nirvana- she listened to anything and everything. Her pick in t.v. shows was slim, usually sticking to just a few she knew she could keep up with, those being: Supernatural, Under The Dome, The Walking Dead, Pretty Little Liars, and The Vampire Diaries. She tried to watch Teen Wolf, but had gotten distracted by all the trips to the hospital and never really picked back up on it- but she wanted to, because Stiles. Like, dang. When she wasn't being tested on like a lab rat and all technology was out of reach, she was indulging in a book, reading anything really. She had her favorites, of course. The Hunger Games trilogy, The Enemy series, really any John Green book, the Percy Jackson series and anything that had been developed into a movie or show caught her attention. Teagan was a mess of imagination, and had these weird quirks about her. Her personality coming off different to everyone, for she treated each person different. As their own individual. So not much could be said about who she was until she was put face to face with another person.
Todd guided her into the cafeteria, it being just before noon so people were just trickling in for lunch. He lead her through the line, helping her pick and choose pieces of food and setting them on her tray. They joked and teased, whispering little nothings about the people around them like children would. It was nice, he did a great job at keeping her happy, but there was something about him that kept her curling away. Maybe it was the fact he looked so similar to her ex-boyfriend, a douchebag that dumped her after she was diagnosed with her disease because she wouldn't be able to keep up with him- aka have sex with him like he'd been trying to get her to do their whole relationship. It was a good thing he was gone, really, he wasn't good to her and never was. She knew Todd wasn't a thing like him, but she still couldn't get over the fact, it still hurt to think about how easily she was dropped after all she did for him. Not letting the thoughts ruin her happiness, she giggled at the tease that spilled off the man's pale lips and shook her head. Teagan couldn't get too excited, her heart would get pumping and she'd collapse. That was never a fun thing. Having made it to the end of the line, the nurse carried her tray stocked with a bottle of apple juice, a lone banana, and a bowl of chicken broth (she didn't trust the hospital's meat, never did) to the only lone table left. He tried to persuade her to join someone, but she insisted on being alone for lunch. Socializing had never been her forte. People came to her, she didn't go to them. The cafeteria had filled so quickly, the clock striking twelve and signalling the freedom of workers and patients alike. Sighing as she took a seat, she was glad to be off her feet and able to just relax. Glancing at Todd, she shooed him away, demanding he do something for himself, "Get out of here," she was teasing, of course, "Go flirt with some nurses, you don't need to be my babysitter." Reluctantly, he waved and headed off, leaving the brunette all by herself. Dipping her spoon into the steaming bowl of gold, flecks of green and bubbles of oil floating within it, she pursed her lips, thinking about it all. Well, she was until a voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Dragging her diamond drizzled eyes off of her main dish, she batted them up at the person who'd joined her. Of course they would, she was really the only free table left in the place. The area around her eyes was a sunken gray color, a side effect of not getting much sleep, but her eyebrows were primly shaped and plucked- something her mother insisted on doing despite her objections. She apparently had to keep her appearance up even if only a choice few would ever even take note of it. Either way, she let her mom make her over and dress her up to please her, it was all she could do to help her daughter. Her sister would help, occasionally dot her up with make up and her dad would just linger in the corner and stare. Her other siblings would visit when they could, her niece and nephews confused as to why Aunt Tee couldn't play, but they managed to stay calm around her. It was all odd and she hated having to put them through this, but she was thankful that they were by her side nonetheless. Her hair sticking out from under her hood, she gripped her spoon tighter, her other hand shoved in the pocket of the hoodie as she stared at the person.
"Yeah?" Teagan asked, voice soft against her paling complexion. She was fresh meat here, so she really had no clue how anyone would react to her.