fandomhigh | First Aid - Danger Shop, Friday, Period 5 [Week 6]

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First Aid - Danger Shop, Friday, Period 5 [Week 6]

The Danger Shop was set up like a waiting room again. Magazines and medical journals, a kids' table with toys and plates of cookies were scattered around the room, all circa 1960. The cookies weren't from 1960. They were real and fresh.

"Symptoms can look a lot alike. How can you tell the difference between a simple illness and something serious? The truth is, it takes years of practice and studying. You don't have time for that yet, so we're going to go through a case study so you can get a feel for what you should be looking for and how you should approach a potential emergency. One at a time, come through to the examination room. It's your choice if you come in. I won't try to force you. While it's not your turn, help yourselves to the reading material and the cookies."

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"I'd like to introduce you to Mr Harris." Mr Harris was a balding man in his late 50s who looked fit for his age and had no visible signs of trauma. "Mr Harris, this is Hiccup. Mr Harris has been complaining of chest pains. It could be a problem with his heart, which would be serious, or it could be a case of too much spicy food making his chest burn. Now, without any extensive medical knowledge, you have to make a decision about how serious this might be. What would you do first?"

"I'd ask him if he's been eating spicy food," Hiccup decided, giving Mr Harris a small wave. "Because if he hasn't, then it's probably not causing the problem."

"Mr Harris?" Hawkeye asked.

"Sometimes," Mr Harris admitted. "I add a little Tabasco. My wife boils the blue jeans out of everything, so I need to get some flavor. But this feels like my chest is really tight and I can't always catch my breath."

"So spicy food's a possibility. That doesn't rule out either option, or even an option we haven't thought about. The details aren't important here. No offense, Mr Harris, you're the most important hologram I know."

"None taken."

"What's important is how you're thinking. How you're approaching the problem."

It was a problem to be solved. Hiccup was good at that. What would he do if he was trying to build something and it wasn't working? "I guess I'd want to know if anything else is bothering him," he said after a moment. "If his head hurts, or his legs or his arms, or maybe if he feels sick? That could help you work out what might be wrong with him and how to fix it. I mean you," he added, turning to address Mr Harris directly. Made of light or not, he seemed real. "Didn't mean to talk about you like you weren't here."

Edited 2010-06-19 01:13 (UTC)

Mr Harris didn't seem bothered. "I'm here so you can work out what's wrong with my ticker, not so you can coddle me," he assured Hiccup. "I've had a cough. Head's fine, so are the old arms and legs. It comes and goes every few hours."

He scratched the side of his head, thinking, then looked up at Hawkeye. "Does that help?"

"It certainly doesn't hurt. Knowing only what you know now, what would you do physically to try to check out his heart?"

"Listen to it," he said promptly. "See if it sounds strange or if it's beating too fast or too slow."

Hawkeye reached over to the tray beside the exam bed and picked up a stethoscope. He handed it to Hiccup. "These parts go in your ears. The round part goes where you want to listen to. Mr Harris, can you lift up your shirt?"

Hiccup accepted the stethoscope, resisted the urge to examine it more closely, and fit it into his ears. When Mr Harrise lifted his shirt, he pressed the round part against his chest. "Hey, I can hear it! This is so clear."

Hawkeye's voice would have sounded muffled now. "Think about what your heart sounds like. You can put your hand on your chest if you need to check."

Hiccup nodded and put his hand on his chest, frowning as he compared the two. "Sounds about the same to me," he, well, just about yelled, small and unfortunate side-effect of having his ears blocked.

He let Hiccup listen as long as he wanted, then waved his hand to get the stethoscope back. "Chest pain, but it comes and goes. No other signs of pain, no apparent shortness of breath, no headache and he's up and alert and his heart sounds strong. What's the diagnosis?"

Hiccup returned it, albeit reluctantly. "I'm going to say too much spicy food and maybe he should lay off the Tabasco."

"I agree. Mr Harris, you heard the man. Get yourself some Pepto-Bismol for the heartburn." He turned back to Hiccup. "Heart problems will usually cause more symptoms of pain in the arms. We could check his blood pressure and more modern technology has little machines that read how your heart's pumping. Mr Harris didn't show any signs of a serious problem, but if you're ever doubtful, get the patient to a doctor."

Hiccup was pleased to have come up with the right answer and he looked it. "I'll remember," he promised, giving Hawkeye and Mr Harris a quick smile. "And I'll go send the next person in," he added as he ducked out the door.

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First Aid - Danger Shop, Friday, Period 5 [Week 6]

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