Madelyn and Lorna, Med-lab Exam Room

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Lorna is down for her regular checkup and Madelyn finds that perhaps she's been over-doing the training a little. Or a lot.



"So, how are things going, eating-wise?" Madelyn asked, finishing taking Lorna's blood pressure and unwrapping the cuff. One of the conditions of Lorna being on active status was that she keep up regular health checks, given the issues with her anorexia. Today it had fallen on Madelyn to do the job. "Your weight's looking the most stable it's been for a while. A little less than I'd like, but definitely better."

"My nutritionist says I'm doing well," Lorna grinned at the traditional joke--she had seen a nutritionist for all of two weeks before dismissing him as a know nothing fool and taking over her own planning. "And I can't gain any more weight. None of my clothes would fit. I did cut my coffee intake though. Don't I get points for my suffering?" Granted, cutting her coffee intake didn't mean she was at anything like normal people levels but it was a start, right?

"Like you'd turn down the chance to go shopping," Madelyn said with her own grin. "Still, you're stable, like I said, so I should be pleased with that. And yes, many points for lack of coffee - it's a heroic effort on your part and you deserve a medal. Really." Placing the blood pressure cuff back on the tray, she asked: "How about training? You've been clocking up some major time - any pain or stiffness that lasts longer than it should?" She waggled her finger at Lorna warningly before she started to answer. "And no fibbing, or I'll have to poke you. Lots."

Lorna made faces at Maddie. "Just a little now and then. Gives me excuses for long bubble baths and getting massages out of Alex. Which is always a good thing." She chewed her lower lip for a moment. "My arm has been aching when I put pressure on it though. I thought maybe I strained something."

"Show me where." As Lorna held up the offending limb and pointed to the spot, Madelyn carefully felt it, looking for signs of inflammation or tenderness. No swelling, not hot places, no indication of a strain - the joint moved naturally and without stiffness. There was a wince as Madelyn pressed a little harder on the forearm, and the doctor frowned. "I think I want some x-rays," she said at last. "It's hard to tell from just feeling, but I think you might have stress fractures. Not surprising, given the bone density issues from the anorexia..." She was obviously thinking out loud rather than couching her words. Besides, she'd never been one to sugar-coat things overmuch. "Actually, I think I want x-rays of both arms, and your legs too - you've been taking a lot of impact on those with the jumping around in the Room."

Lorna pulled her arm away, "Whoa, what? I haven't broken anything, Maddie. Haven't even fallen all that hard. I've never broken a bone in my life. Well, almost never. Just the once..er, twice. And that finger but that doesn't count." She pouted. Lorna didn't like x-rays.

"Stress fractures aren't the same as normal breaks, Lorna. It's like... cracks in pottery. You get a cup or a bowl that's used a lot, or has a flaw in the original clay, and after a while cracks start appearing? It's the same with bones," Madelyn explained patiently, but firmly. "You've lost bone density with the eating disorder - calcium was leeched from your system to try and cover the fact you weren't putting enough into your body, yes? So they're not going to be up to the kind of regular hard exercise you've been putting them through in training."

Lorna pouted some more but nodded. "Fine, I'll let you take x-rays. I still think you're crazy. Is this going to take forever?" She glanced reflexively at the watch she wasn't wearing.

"Humouring the crazy doctor is good, if it gets me X-rays. And it shouldn't do, with Hank's super-duper speedy X-ray machine," Madelyn said, stepping back to give Lorna room to slide off the table. "He has a habit of improving the equipment around here, so we're a bit spoiled. Ten minutes, tops."

"I can do ten minutes," Lorna decided and hopped down. She glanced down at her jeans and sweater-set. "Are you going to make me wear one of those robe things?" She followed Madelyn out of the examine room and down the hallway.

"But they're oh-so-very stylish!" Madelyn countered with a grin as they headed for the X-ray room.