Sunset Shimmer - Six Friends One Heart

by Babroniedad

14 - Special Holidays - Sunset - Dr. Quinn Explains

Sunset - Dr. Quinn Explains

Sunset Shimmer sipped her apple juice through a paper straw.

“I guess cafeterias are all the same, right?” she grinned, lifting the carton-shaped box that came with her breakfast. “Not going to lie - exact same thing where I come from. Probably haven’t been around as long though. They were a new invention when I left.”

Principal Celestia smiled as she gnoshed her croissant. “I wouldn’t doubt it!” she snarked. “I’d imagine it was invented anywhere that had paper, and needed to put drinks into a kind of box.” Celestia snorted. “I can just picture some future explorer uncovering a trove of ancient drink boxes.” The two shared a laugh.

“Did you just snort? I heard a snort!” gasped Sunset, juice dripping down her chin from her unexpected chortle.

“What! I would never do something so undignified,” decried Celestia. At which point they both dissolved into fits of uncontrolled laughter.

While they recovered from their fit of folly, Dr. Quinn knocked, poking her head in. “Hello Ms. Shimmer, Ms. Celestia! Have a moment?”

“Come in! Please, come in!” laughed Sunset, drying her face and clearing away her finished meal. “We were just finishing up. Come on in, please!”

“I should go,” said Celestia. “I’ll give you two some privacy.” She got up and offered the chair to the Dr.

“No, wait, please? You don’t have to go. You can stay.” Turning to Dr. Quinn, she asked “She can stay right? She’s family to me, she can stay if I want, yes?”

“Sunset, you are legally an adult. If you want her to stay she can stay. It’s fine,” replied Dr. Quinn.

Turning to her Principal, Sunset reached for her hand. “Please stay! Unless you have to leave, I’ll understand. But please, if you can, stay, please?”

Celestia sat at the edge of the bed, next to her student, and took her outstretched hand. “I can stay Sunset. If you want me here, I’m not going to leave.” She smiled, and squeezed Sunset’s hand.

With a smile of her own, Sunset squeezed her back. “Thank you. Yes please. You can’t imagine what a comfort it is to have you by my side. Thank you so much.”

Sunset turned to Dr. Quinn. “Okay please, don’t keep us in suspense. What’s the good news?”

“I really admire your optimism Ms. Shimmer. It will take you far, I am sure, through life, and through your recovery.” She smiled at Sunset, then flipped through the pages of her chart.

“Let’s start with the good news. You’re healing at an amazing rate. Not freak of science fast, but definitely well above what’s expected. Your bones are mending, the fractures in your spine and head are set and closing well. We expect no complications from those beyond what you’re currently experiencing, and those should clear up as well over time.”

Dr. Quinn flipped to the next page. “Onto the swelling. Okay so more good news. The swelling in your brain is gone, no long-term negative effects there…”

“...aside from the missing evening…” interrupted Sunset.

“...aside from the missing evening,” repeated Dr. Quinn. “Still nothing then? Okay, still not worried. Sometimes it takes longer for memories to come back. And sometimes they only come back after therapy and counseling, especially in cases where there was violent trauma involved. You may need to see a specialist in traumatic event recovery Sunset. I’m referring you to a colleague I’ve worked with. He has a successful practice and a world-class reputation in his field.”

A few more quick notes to the chart, then she flipped the page. Dr. Quinn continued. “The swelling appears to be substantially reduced in your spinal cord. However, you still seem to have sensory and motor deficiency from L5 down. There doesn't appear to be a break in the nerve fiber itself, so we suspect your injury resulted in the demyelination of your spinal nerves, causing the issues you’re experiencing.”

“Wait what? What does that mean? So my nerves are fine, but some myeli-something got knocked out? So I’ll still be fine, right?” Sunset looked apprehensive. “I don’t get it.”

“It’s called Transverse Myelitis. Or TM for short. Basically, something happened, causing damage to the myelin sheath that wraps around the nerve fibers running through your body. That sheath allows your nerves to fire and communicate effectively with each other, so your brain can send your muscles messages to flex and relax, and your muscles and other sensors in your body can tell your brain when something is wrong, or how they are working.”

“But I feel something. I’m in pain all the time. That means it's working right?” asked Sunset.

Dr. Quinn answered. “Sort of, but not really.

“Right now, your nerves are passing messages. But they’re getting the message wrong. Without that sheath, the messages are all getting garbled. Instead of the wonderful symphony of messages usually passed through them, you're getting a terrible screech at top volume that your brain has no idea what to do with. When it doesn’t know what to do, and it’s getting something LOUD it doesn’t expect, it falls back to the default. Pain. All the messages coming through are getting read as pain.

“And the messages to your muscles from your brain? They’re wild and chaotic screeches of noise as well. That’s why when you try to move your legs or toes, nothing happens. Or at best, something happens, but it’s a spasm or spastic twitch.

“It’s not all bad news though. First, those spasms can be useful. We can train your muscles to use them to get some limited functionality back. With a well-trained spasm you can hoble for short distances with a walker, allowing you to… get in and out of a car, or into a bathroom stall if needed. Or to transfer from your bed to chair without a transfer board, so you wouldn’t have to deal with carrying one around to slide from seat to seat.

“Second,” continued Dr. Quinn, “the myelin sheath has been known to regenerate. It’s entirely possible given time you could make a partial or even complete recovery. We won’t know for certain until enough time passes, but it’s a distinct possibility. So have hope!”

“What are my chances for that?” asked Sunset.

“About 30%,” answered Dr. Quinn. “About one-third of the time with a demyelinating injury similar to yours, there is some significant recovery of function, given enough time for the myelin sheath to repair. Roughly another third of the time there is no significant change. And a third of the time the function actually degrades over time, with significant ongoing loss.

“For what it is worth Sunset, the latter case it’s usually because the underlying cause for the demyelination is systemic, meaning it keeps coming back. In your case, because this was something that was done to you, that’s likely not the case, in my opinion.”

Celestia took Sunset’s hands in hers. “Sunset? This is good news, okay? Maybe not great news, and definitely not what we wanted to hear. But this is good! And you won’t have to face this alone. Luna and I are right here. We’re with you every step of the way.”

Sunset looked into her Principal's eyes. “Okay. Yeah. You’re right. This is good news. Thank you. And thank you for staying.” They hugged briefly then turned back to Dr. Quinn.

The medicine woman continued. “I’m not going to sugar coat it. You’ve a rough climb ahead of you. But I am confident you will pull through it, and in the end, when you work through all this, it will not have defeated you. You are a strong and wonderful young woman Sunset Shimmer. You will survive this, it will not define you. You can do this.”

“I can do this,” repeated Sunset. “I can do this.”

Dr. Quinn scribbled a few last notes into the chart, then rose to leave. “I think you’re ready for the next phase of your recovery, Sunset. I can release you to a recovery home, where you can learn to function with your current deficits while working on your recovery. I’ll write those referrals for you, then get started on your paperwork. I’ll need you to return for Physical and Occupational Therapies, and continued workups so we can monitor your inflammation and nervous response. But other than that, I feel comfortable releasing you.”

“So that means I can go home?” asked Sunset.

“Not home, so much as more like a group recovery home. Or a rest home.”

“A rest home? I thought that was only for older people,” commented Celestia,

“No, a rest home is a place that will provide the level of care Sunset needs to meet her daily functions… using the bathroom, bathing, cleaning up after herself, eating… all the little ins and outs of life that we normally take care of ourselves, but that Sunset can’t at the moment because she needs help even getting into and out of bed. No offense dear - that’s part of what you will be learning in Occupational therapy.” Dr. Quinn turned back to Sunset. “For now, until you’ve mastered those skills, you just need that little bit of extra help.”

Celestia looked to the doctor. “Dr. Quinn? My sister and I talked about this. We would like for Sunset to move in with us. We would be happy to provide that care for her, and we can make sure she’s back here for her therapies and tests.” Turning to Sunset, she added “That is, if you want this Sunset. Neither Luna nor I want to force anything on you. This is entirely your decision. And you don’t have to decide now, take your time.” Celestia hugged the girl gently.

“Yes! Yes! I chose yes! Thank you. Yes!” cried Sunset, clinging tightly to Celestia.

“Okay then!” smiled Dr. Quinn. “Give me a few, and I will get started on that paperwork.” With that, she left the room, chart in hand.

Comments

[ForNeverMore20]

Tia coming in, saving her baby! Wooo!

[hmaf43]

why not try passing her though starswirl's magic mirror? it's basically a body reconstructor.

[Babroniedad]

11158773
Good point? Not sure it works that way. In my story I assume it doesn't. If that isn't cannon, welp, then I guess I pooched that.

[AetherToast]

I know how crap having something happen to your myelin sheath is. Had a slightly different issue where the body decides to attack the sheath with the antibodies. Barely avoided getting a respirator and wheelchair; probably due to being in my early 20s, catching it early, and being in a hospital that has experience with the condition. Though that didn't spare me about 2 years of hospitalization and physical therapy.

[Babroniedad]

11417311
I'm glad for you that your doctors were able to catch it early. I was told by mine that almost *never* happens because in most cases - and in mine - the first sign of what the disease really is comes when the nerves are completely demylinated, and then it's mostly too late. I was fortunate that my injury was down far enough my lungs were largely spared, though my motor function and perception in my lower body were lost. Years of therapy and hospitalization later I am still paralyzed from just below my chest down, and still confined to a wheelchair for all activities.
Still alive though, still working, and still fighting. So happy for that. Wishing you every success, with my prayers and kind thoughts.

[cunyu]

11417428
Sorry to hear that.Wish you good luck and health after the rebirth from nirvana like a phoenix!

[Luviere]

i don't know what is with Celestia adopting Sunset but i always find it enjoyable, like, it's meant to be.

[ForNeverMore20]

Just noticed this after rereading the story that there was a lot of medical talk in the chapter. Did you happen to know about it beforehand or did you research?

[Babroniedad]

11787757
I did do plenty of research, mostly due to giving poor Sunset the same issue I deal with IRL. Demylinated spinal cord and paralysis, though my was not due to a beating but an aneurysm and blood clot in my back.
That said, Sunset has lots of loving people to help her.