SWLOR - Iskellia Posts
"<You’ve done very well thus far in keeping the progression of your conditions contained,>" Dr. Ipol’s twin mouths rumble, translated by the voice box atop the Ithorian’s elongated head. The alien doctor is projected by hologram, peering at his own local copy of the in-depth medical scans of Iskellia’s body also floating above the holoprojector in the Surgical Ward of the Mon Cala medical center.
Dr. Eerru nods, pointing at areas of the hologram. “The progression has been far better than last projected for you at your last comprehensive scan,” the Mon Cal agrees. "Lifestyle changes?"
"Of a sort," Iskellia rasps. The scarred Jedi Knight points at a section of her diagram with her cybernetic hand, highlighting the neck and torso. "I’ve been gaining greater control over my…[khHh]… inner biology the more I learn as a Jedi Healer. …[hHhh]…It’s an active battle that I fight myself, now, instead of coming to the pharmacy and…[hhHh]…relying on pills and bacta. Every morning during my meditations, I…[khHh]… dive in and monitor my lung, feel what’s hurting and why…[khHh] try to do my best to suppress the symptoms. Sooth inflamed tissue in the pharynx to lower my cough…[hHhh]…try to reconstruct capillaries that have been eaten away…that sort of thing. It’s…slow going. …[khHh]…the best I can do is slow the decline to a near-halt and suppress the symptoms. But I can’t reverse all the damage. So, little by little…been going downhill."
The doctors nod, listening, as she continues, "When I use the Force, let it flow through me during physical exertion on Jedi missions…[khHHhh]…It allows me to ignore the pain, push past the symptoms, so I can do what needs to be done. …But… numbing myself to reach my full physical peak…[hHhh]…It doesn’t prevent the underlying damage that I cause by pushing myself that far… Diaphramal muscle spasms. Bronchial flutters. Heart murmurs. Ruptured esophigal tissue. …[hHhh]…After every day of fighting, I have to spend an hour repairing myself, even if I didn’t take a single combat wound."
Dr. Eerru nods. “That explains what we’re seeing here, then…There’s permanent damage to some of your tissues that should have taken years of fibrotic progression.” He taps the hologram in a few places. "Here in your throat…and here along your remaining arm. If you’ve been pushing yourself past your limits on a regular basis…I’m sorry to say that you’re paying the price for that now. It’s unlikely that you’ll ever have the FULL functionality of a perfectly healthy woman of your age…but, our job is to get you as close to that as possible."
He summons a few more diagrams. "We’ve gone over all this before, but just for review…Once your lung is removed and replaced with the two new cybernetic models, we estimate an 85% remission of your chronic pneumonia, and a near 90% remission of the pleural effusion. Complete elimination, of course, of the idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis…and with that out of the way, your nervous and immune systems should be able to start actually rebuilding and recovering, instead of being fully occupied trying to slow the spreading wildfires. That’s been a big contributor for your immunocompromised state; your body’s been so busy fighting the fibrosis it barely has anything left to fight off anything else."
Iskellia nods as he continues, "Replacing your lungs will also require finishing the replacement of your ribcage, as a fully cybernetic structure will be stronger and more durable than the half-organic approach you have right now. It will also allow us to support the new lungs better with additional feeds and mounts, increasing your periods of physical exertion, allowing you to function at a higher level of physical activity and achieving parity with a healthy person, or even surpassing them."
"Obviously, you’ll be sedated for the entire surgery," Jedi Knight/Doctor Selendar Teldranilith chimes in, standing next to Eerru. "I told 'em you could take a little pain, but they don’t have as much faith in the Force as I do. Or modern medicine, apparently."
"It’s not a matter of modern medicine," Ipol rumbles. "She’ll be completely intubated once her old lung is removed, and while we’ve seen her healing abilities with the Force firsthand, allowing a patient to assist in her own operation is unnecessary. That’s why you’re here, Jedi Teldranilith. Your medical expertise and knowledge of the Force serves as an additional safety net and assists us during our work, so Sarken doesn’t have to guide us."
"Lung transplants and chest reconstructions are intricate procedures, but it’s fairly settled science," Eerru adds. "I’ve done dozens myself, and we have top-notch surgical droids as well."
Ipol looks to her. "Any questions before we begin?"
Iskellia flexes her cybernetic hand thoughtfully. “Can you make sure my new torso is waterproofed and sealed?” she asks. [khHhh] "…I’d like to be able to swim again."
"Your torso, yes," Eerru nods. "The shoulder socket is just a standard CyberDyne G3 bracket. Compatible with 80% of cybernetics on the market, and most humanoid droid models are either compatible with it, or can easily connect through an adapter. So whether or not your arm is waterproof depends on what model you attach, but your shoulder socket and joint will be fine. …Any other questions or concerns?"
The scarred Jedi shakes her head. "I’m ready. Let’s get this over with."
"Then remove your tunic and lie back, please…"