May I Introduce Dr. Denton's Syndrome

[DrDMatthews 0]

The exam went as Debbie had expected. The moment she saw the blemishes on the Captain's hands, she pretty much knew what they were dealing with. She had seen them before and they were unique to Denton's Syndrome. The disease was caused by a particularly nasty virus but it behaved more like a blood born cancer than most viral infections. Thus the name "syndrome."

 

The Reaent's CMO had dealt with this illness on two separate occasions. The first incident occurred while she was a rookie intern. She saw it again almost three years later as a second year resident. Neither patient survived.

 

From the moment they entered the hospital, the two human males were given little chance of survival. Specialists from around the world followed their cases and recommended a variety of treatments. Nothing worked.

 

Debbie wasn't the primary physician on either case. However, she did have daily contact with the two patients. She participated in their treatments and watched helplessly as their conditions deteriorated. She was even present when one of them died.

 

But that was a long time ago. A lot had changed since then. For one thing, medical researches had stumbled onto two drugs that, when used in combination with each other, not only arrested the growth of the disease but actually eradicated it.

 

Denton's Syndrome was notoriously sneaky. The very early stages of the disease were often asymptomatic. A patient could be infected for a couple of years and not know it. Yet, Captain Michaels had a routine physical only seven months earlier. He did not have Denton's Syndrome at that time. So, he was infected in the very recent past. How that happened was a question Debbie would explore later. For now, her primary concern was initiating treatment as quickly as possible.

 

The Captain had taken the news relatively well. She had given him a very brief synopsis of the disease, how it operated within the body and the consequences of ignoring it. Debbie wasn't sure Michaels heard even half of what she said. But he did understand the part about "turning your liver into swiss cheese" and "eventual death." The Captain was prepared to begin treatment immediately.

 

There was only one problem. Treatment consisted of weekly infusions over a six to eight month period. The drugs used to treat Denton's Syndrome were not plentiful, especially on a starship deep in outer space. They had a very small amount on hand, just enough to begin treatment and then transfer the patient to a proper hospital.

 

If they were anywhere near a well appointed ground faciltiy or a larger space station, they could order the medications and pick up enough to carry them through the treatment period. But Debbie knew that wasn't going to happen, at least not anytime soon.

 

They could produce more of the drugs in their own labs. However, that was a time consuming process and they would need a portion of their original stock in order to duplicate the medications.

 

Debbie would meet with the Captain later in the day to review the treatment schedule. In the meantime, she had to work out the logistics. She also had to review the long list of side effects Michaels might experience while under the influence of the two drugs. He had to know exactly what to expect and she was absolutely positive he wasn't going to like some of what she had to tell him.