Page 50 of Hiding Rose
Chapter Fourteen
Sawyer gripped my hand as we waited in the doctor’s office for Gideon’s friend to finish with another patient. The hospital was gigantic and if it hadn’t been for him I would have been lost three times on the way here. The Queen’s Hospital is the largest hospital in Honolulu and the biggest teaching hospital. Gideon’s mother was treated here for her breast cancer, and Gideon got to know the staff well. Gideon and Dr. Keoki became good friends after Gideon hosted the neurology department at the resort for an event. I sensed Gideon found the father figure he lost, when his own dad died, in Dr. Keoki.
It was only nine a.m., but I was already anxious to leave. Sawyer and I had a full day of shopping left to accomplish and I didn’t feel like anything good would come of this appointment. I suppose the fatigue didn’t help my attitude. We only got a few hours of sleep last night, but it was worth it. After we made love in the hot tub, he lifted me out and settled me on the bed, still naked, but tucked inside the sheets until I was warm and toasty. He kissed, touched, and explored every part of me, being careful of my leg, until we couldn’t take it any longer and made love again, and again, and again. With snippets of sleep in between lovemaking sessions, I wasn’t bright eyed and bushytailed this morning. I wouldn’t change it for the world, though.
He squeezed my hand when we heard someone outside the door. “Remember,” he whispered, “whatever he says we’ll deal with together. Nothing is too much to handle when we’re doing it together.”
I gave him a reassuring smile, even though I didn’t feel it inside. “I know. No fear.”
Gideon’s friend pushed the door open. He was short and balding, not to mention nearing sixty-years-old, and not at all whom I was expecting. He stuck his hand out to me. “Hello, Rosie. I’ve heard so much about you from Gideon. I’m Dr. Keoki,” he introduced himself.
I shook his hand and smiled. “Nice to meet you, Dr. Keoki, and likewise, Gideon has nothing but good things to say about you.” I motioned to Sawyer. “This is my boyfriend, Sawyer Kanki.”
The two men shook hands and I noticed Sawyer was flustered when he spoke. Apparently, doctors make him nervous. Dr. Keoki sat at his small desk and laid a computer on the top. He spun toward us on his rolling chair and braced his hands on his knees. Over the next ten minutes he asked questions, had me attempt certain movements, and used pins and other devices to test for sensation in the leg. I described how it spasms at the hip and took the brace off to show him the torsion of the foot.
He picked the brace up and held it, turning it a few different directions. “Who prescribed the AFO?” he asked.
I stared at him confused. “AFO?”
He held up the brace. “This. It’s called an ankle foot orthotic. Doctors prescribe them to stabilize torsion.”
I swallowed and glanced at Sawyer. Would I get in trouble if I told him the truth? Sawyer smiled and nodded once, so I cleared my throat. “Uh, it wasn’t a doctor actually. I don’t want to get him in trouble, though.”
He set the brace back in my shoe. “Someone you know made it?”
I nodded. “My friend, Niko, he works with Gideon. He also works for the Children’s Hospital and makes 3D braces for them. He used a program to map my foot and sent it to his tech at the hospital. I’ve only been wearing it for a few weeks. It helps me stay upright and I didn’t think it would cause a problem to wear it for a few weeks. I wanted to know if a brace would help by the time I came in, so please don’t get him in trouble, he was only trying to help me.”
Dr. Keoki held up his hand to stop me. “No one is in trouble. I’m impressed, to be honest. He managed to create a brace, which for the most part, is exactly what I would have you wear. There’s a few modifications I would make, but I’m glad you were able to get one and try it. Do you think it helps?”
I nodded, thankful Niko wasn’t in trouble. “It’s the only thing that’s helped me since this whole thing began. I can stay upright longer and my hip spasms less. Maybe since my leg is straight instead of twisted when I wear it, the muscles don’t work as hard.”
He nodded his agreement. “You’re correct there. When the foot is twisted in eversion,” he held his hand toward the outside, “which is what it’s called, the muscles of the leg work differently. The strain at the hip would then cause it to spasm after a long day of forcing the muscles to work in a way they weren’t intended to work. He scooted forward on his stool and pointed to the scarred flesh. “The bullet basically destroyed your rectus femoris muscle here,” he explained, palpating on my good leg the top part of my thigh, “and the sartorius, which is a band like muscle running from your pelvis to the inside of your tibia,” he explained. He grabbed a chart and showed us the muscles. “Can you cross your legs when you sit?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No, at least not without lifting the left leg to set it over the right one. If I try to sit with my legs crossed my thigh will spasm almost immediately.”
“You’re saying the hip spasms because one of the muscles is damaged?” Sawyer asked.
Dr. Keoki set the chart down. “It’s one of the reasons, yes. There are others.” He opened his computer and brought up my MRI, which I had done about three months ago. “You can see these areas,” he explained, pointing at jagged white clumps inside my leg, “aren’t smooth and round the way a muscle should be on MRI. We can see the trail the bullet took as it entered her thigh and bounced around inside the leg.”
Sawyer and I both grimaced and the doctor paused. “I’m sorry. I can’t begin to imagine how difficult it is to see these images and relive the night it happened. I also wish I had better news for you, but this is what we know. The muscles are essentially scarred over now and there is nothing more we can do with them. Muscles scar when they heal, but we can’t always control how they accomplish regenerating themselves. Once they scar over, the human body, as wonderful as it is, will force them to keep working. Even if they aren’t working right. The massive amount of scarring will limit how far you can stretch the muscles before you damage them again. You’ll need to stay active, but I suggest low impact exercise like swimming or water sports. I also want you to start a massage routine.”
I cocked my head. “Like with a massage therapist?” I asked and he nodded.
“In the beginning, yes. Whoever you see will teach you, and whoever else who wants to learn, how to massage the hip, thigh, and foot to keep it supple. After six or seven appointments, you’ll be able to do the massage yourself each day.”
I glanced at Sawyer. “Do we have any massage therapists on Maui?”
He grasped my hand and held it tightly. “Gideon will find someone. Don’t be discouraged.”
Dr. Keoki spoke. “There are several on Maui I would recommend. I’ll give you their names. You can contact whoever you’d like when you return to the island.”
I nodded. “Okay, so if I do the massage will it make my foot straight again?”
The doctor shook his head and leaned on his thighs. “I’m sorry, Rosie, but I think Gideon may have made promises to you I can’t deliver.”
I glanced between the two men. “He said you have clinical trials and other new therapies to help me,” I explained, my voice going up an octave.
He reached out and put his hand on my good knee. “I do, but those are for patients with a specific disease causing their nerve damage. Unfortunately, what’s happened to you isn’t reversible. The damage to the femoral nerve and the saphenous nerve was extensive. The nerves have likely recovered as far as they are going to now. It’s why you have spotty sensation in the leg, pins and needles, and why it gives out on you frequently. I do want to up your dose of your nerve medication, as I think you’d benefit from a higher dosage than what you’re on.”
