[Graded] I'd Give an Arm and a Leg

[Rain21199]

By the time Zakuro made it to the hospital, the sun had already set. As far as he knew, Konoha's medical ninja had been lacking in skill as of late. He couldn't recall any of exceptional skill that he knew. He had already come to terms with the fact that his arm was already lost. It was an unfortunate event that he was going to have to learn to live with. For someone who's entire life is based around their physical strength, losing an arm throws most of that down the drain. It would be better if he weren't clutching his dismembered arm in his remaining hand. The fact that it was starting to smell wasn't a very good sign either. That usually meant the tissue was decay. On the bright side he was able to keep any flies away from it because the last thing he wanted was a bunch of fly eggs ending up in there.

As he entered the hospital, the air around the place suddenly shifted from something very casual to very serious in an instant. He had just fought off a dragon while this arm was missing, but still they insisted he lay down. Then he was quickly strolled through the white halls of the hospital. This was probably the nicest part of his trip back home. The amount of weird looks you get when missing an arm and clutching onto a bloody object wrapped in cloth is astounding. People really can't mind there own business.

He could tell that the medics around him were very confused as to what to do with his current predicament. Very assuring. Life was hitting a low point for Zakuro at the moment. He'd probably be better off sewing his arm back on himself since these people obviously didn't know what they're doing.

[Tsedas]

Another file was placed on a increasingly growing stack to the right of the man that two coordinators from the hospital were sharing a table with in a quiet conference room. Boxes of files were on hand for review and the man in the white coat with pale blonde hair had a stack in his lap that he was meticulously going through. Sadly, every time he put a file on the stack like he'd just done, one of the coordinators snatched it off the stack to look at it and second guess him every step of the way. The person that snatched the file was a blonde haired women with glasses that was downing her third cup of coffee as she opened it up and looked at what was written. "This man has a cough, how is he not something you can handle?"

Stopping his review of another file, Takamori Saigo shifted his green eyes to the woman and stared her down with a look that said he was tired of explaining every decision every step of the way when it could easily be done later. "Because his cough is a symptom, which upon review has led me to believe that he has a more terminal illness than expected. Without meeting these patients, I have to go off your medical files and the staff notes attached. From what was documented in that case, I'd see that at best that he could have his life prolonged with medicine and constant treatment but it will ultimately prove to be torturous in the end as his lungs begin failing him. I am a great physician, but I haven't had the facilities or time to stupid or learn how to handle terminal illness. I'm an expert trauma surgeon and researcher, what little I could do for him is turn him into a test subject for the sake of finding ways to help those like him later on that happen to come here. Therefore, that file goes on the helpless stack."

Frowning, the woman closed the file and replaced it on the stack as she stared at her lap, a little disappointed about the way things were turning out. Already they had reorganized and sorted several boxes of files concerning patients thanks to Saigo's expertise, but seeing how they filled 3 boxes with files of 'helpless' cases, it was becoming a depressing affair. The Doctor himself shifted his eyes back to the file in his lap but the words blurred and he shut his eyes for a second as he heaved a sigh. "Let's call it a day for now. We've been at this for hours now and my eyes need a break before I wind up needing a doctor."

Both his coordinators agreed before they stood from the table, Saigo placing his files on the table in front of him. Agreeing to meet again tomorrow. The coordinators started locking the room up as Saigo began walking down the hallway, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he groaned from the change of pace. He'd been treating patients until recently and now it was a bunch of paper work. Konoha certainly had a ways to go in order to catch up in terms of top notch medical prowess. From what little he he heard, Sunagakure had better medical facilities and personnel but the over zealous religious thing he heard about them was a bit unnerving. Still, at least he could go home and see how Isane was doing.

A smile was about to pull at the corner of his lips when suddenly it shifted into a frown as someone was running down the hall yelling after him. Turning back, Saigo looked over his shoulder and saw a nurse closing in on him, a panicked look on her face. "We need you in the O.R.! Patient just came in with a severed arm and-" Saigo listened to what the nurse said as she rattled off his information, both of them walking briskly down the halls in the direction of the operating room. Saigo was already pulling his coat off and handing it to the nurse in order to change into his operating gown when he arrived.

It wasn't long before he was in the prep room, scrubbing his arms while a nurse put a cap on his head and mask over his face, his gown draped over his body for the surgery ahead. Walking into the room, he saw there was a lack of a patient and he turned to look at the Nurse. A little flabbergasted, she ran over to the other doors and pulled them open, a gurney could be heading coming down the hall before it slipped into the room with the patient on it.

"What is that?" Saigo asked the patient as he seemed to be holding a bundle of bloody cloth. Saigo saw he was missing an arm and could only guess what it might have been. "Also, report. How did this happen? How long ago did it happen? What field treatment had you received? Any other injuries or problems aside from the lack of an arm?"

[Rain21199]

Luckily enough for the doctor that just entered the room, Zakuro was in a much better state of mind than most people that lose an arm. Of course, his knowledge on exactly what had happened was a bit foggy, but nevertheless he would attempt to answer the questions as best as he could.

"Where to start? My arm detached itself from my body, what? A few hours ago? Maybe two? Something like that. I'll be honest with you, I'm fairly impressed that I made it here at all with the state I was in. I was gathering these gloves from a mountain when some people showed up. My memory is a bit foggy after that, but I woke up missing my arm. Someone did a bit of medical jutsu on it which stopped the bleeding long enough for me to help kill a dragon. Oh yeah, I think I have a few broken ribs and I'm pretty sure my left leg is fractured as well. That damn dragon really put up a fight." At this Zakuro began laughing, and then the laugh turned into a very rasp and painful cough. He continued speaking. "There's nothing more I can tell you, other than the fact that I've done my best keeping this thing preserved," he said while holding up his arm wrapped in the tatters of his own clothes.

"Honestly, I wish I could tell you more about what happened, but my memory seems jacked at the moment. Sorry."

Zakuro just hoped that this guy was one hell of a surgeon. If not, then he'd probably miss having his arm.

OOCShow

If you want more info on the events, the dismemberment was an extremely clean cut from a katana. He doesn't remember it because a Suku was there. Here's the post where his arm was treated so you know what to expect when you're describing stuff. viewtopic.php?&t=?p=4032853&t=8051955

[Tsedas]

'Two hours? Shouldn't be that bad then.' Saigo thought to himself as he motioned for a nurse to take the arm and unwrap it. Approaching his patient, The Doctor pulled back the clothing that was covering the young man's stump and examined it carefully. Saigo noticed the bleeding was obvious stemmed, but the real problem was too much scar tissue had developed over the wound for a simple two hour time period. If he had to venture a guess, it was at least two days worth, maybe a day and a half minimum. "Nurse, numb the stump and remove that scar tissue and scabbing, it'll get in the way."

As Saigo left a nurse to handle the stump, he turned to the arm that was now unwrapped and stinking up the Operating Room. Furrowing his brow, Saigo picked it up off the table the other nurse had placed it on and started to examine it. The wound was a similar match minus the scabbing. Signs of a sharp edge being noted as the tool for severing the arm so cleanly judging by the striations on the wound. The only problem was that while the arm had indeed been preserved to some degree, that preservation wasn't going to prevent the decay that had taken place over about the same amount of time as the scabbing, a day and a half to two days worth. The patients story was off and it made Saigo turn to look at him.

"This arm is more decayed than just two hours, it's at least two days. Same with the scabbing on your stump. What day is it today? And What day was your battle on?" Saigo asked as he set the arm on the table and started working to clean the cut itself up so he could attempt to reattach it. He wasn't sure how well it would go if he was right about his assumption on the time frame. The limb's preservation might allow it to still be usable again, but the decay may cause some atrophy within the muscles themselves. It was going to require some close observation and frequent return visits from the boy if it was to be a successful reattachment and rehabilitation.

"If anything, with this decay you'll be lucky to have the same arm put back on. I know a way to replace the arm if it's not possible but that would take time and samples of your DNA in the event this doesn't pan out and you still want to have two arms." The Doctor explained as he continued his work on the severed limb, feeling that it was better left to him in regards to the preparation to ensure it could still be usable for surgery.

[Rain21199]

Zakuro could sense the urgency in the voice of the medic, but at the same time, the man looked calm and collected, as if reattaching arms was a daily thing for him. When Zakuro heard him say that his arm had been detached for at least two days, his head began to go into overdrive. He lost consciousness a few times on the way here, but how could that account to two days of time, and how the hell did Gene carry him all the way to the village. Speaking of Gene, where was that bastard? Suddenly, after he asked that question, memories of intense pain while he wandered towards the city came back to him. It was a weird sensation to have memories suddenly pop into his head, but he could see Gene fighting a group of bandits while telling Zakuro to continue on. Apparently they must have been close to the village at that time because Gene obviously wasn't back yet. Normally Zakuro would be worried about his comrade, but Gene could handle a few bandits without a problem, so he quickly pushed any idea that the man could be injured or dying out of his head.

After a few seconds of thought and a blank, wide eyed stare, Zakuro finally gave an answer to the medic. "I... I don't know what day it is anymore. I thought I did, but... I guess not. The fight, it was Wednesday. Just tell me what I have to do. Anything to make this better."

[Tsedas]

"Just sit there for now, there's not much you can do at the moment since it's all on our end and you've given me all the information you seem to have." Saigo stated before resuming his work on the severed limb. The Nurse was working on Zakuro's arm, numbing it before dealing with scar tissue that might impede Saigo's attempt to reconnect the arm together. As Saigo worked, he tried to make mental check lists of the tools he'd need which he started telling another nurse to gather as he ensured that the limb was not too necrotic to work with.

After finishing a rather sizeable list of tools, Zakuro would see a small table on wheels rolled over by his injuried side as Saigo then began rambling off a list of things to be made ready in addition to the tools which the rest of the staff set about doing as Zakuro was asked to lay down, get comfortable, and relax by one of the nurses as they started to prep things for surgery. Saigo's words seem to coordinate the surgical team as he issued tasks and the like to each member, barely looking up from his own work as he seemingly corrected mistakes when someone was doing something the wrong way. It was then that another doctor looked to Zakuro before looking to Saigo, "Should we put the patient under?"

Saigo stopped as he straightened himself upright, seemingly done with his prep work on the arm before looking over at the other doctor, then to Zakuro, "I shouldn't think so, it's only a limb reattachment. Non-invasive, patient is already prepped and numbed, If anything, if he chooses to take a nap while we work that's all on him. Frankly, this won't take long, but the therapy will." Picking up the arm and moving over by Zakuor, Saigo place it on the table so the two severed ends were almost touching. "Once I reattach your arm, you'll need to undergo therapy and observation for some time. We have to monitor any nerve damage that might have been cause and possible muscular atrophy. The preservation used on the arm may have prevented it from going into full blown decay, but the break down of tissue was still taking place, just at a much slower rate. We want to ensure this doesn't cause any permanent damage to you ability to use this arm so your physical therapist will be able to help you with any problems you have."

Holding up both gloved hands, Saigo quirked an eyebrow "Any questions before we begin?"

[Rain21199]

Zakuro began sweating when he realized the surgery was about to start. He knew that he could handle pain with ease, so that wasn't the issue, it was just the thought of being stabbed by a needle over and over again made him cringe. He's never really been scared of needles, if he was, then his Chuunin exams would have been a living nightmare, but still he disliked them. A foreign object entering itself into his body... It was a violation of himself, but at this point, he had to deal with it.

His surgeon had mentioned sleeping, but he highly doubted he could sleep during the procedure with being constantly stabbed and all. Maybe he could close his eyes and try, but odds were he wouldn't get anywhere, regardless of the fact that he felt ready to pass out.

The explanation was simply, but the realization that he was going to have to be out of duty for any period of time really filled him with dread. He hated being defensless, but if he was going to have his arm heal fully, he'd have to simmer down on his physical activities. In reply to Saigo, Zakuro said "No, I'm... I'm fine. Just get it over with." and with that, the Chuunin shut his eyes and prepared for the first poke.

[Tsedas]

With the go ahead given, Saigo had the arm moved near Zakuro's stump and grabbed a tool from the near by table and set about holding things in place as he ordered a nurse to hold the arm in place and keep it steady. After the nurse freed up one of his hands, he promptly moved it and set about channeling his chakra through it as his hand started to glow, numbing the severed arm as he was about to reattach bones first. After that he shifted his chakra towards a different technique, one that goaded the bones into healing themselves back together as the Doctor used Iijutsu to bring the foundation together. After getting the bone back in place and ensuring it was a clean reattachment, he swapped the tool in his hand and started delicately pulling tissue and the like around the muscle, giving them a little stretch to get them back where they were needed as some of them had rolled up inside of Zakuro's arm like wind shades.

Getting some of them back in place, Saigo's hand started glowing once again as the tissue was given a similar treatment. If anything, reattaching Zakuro's arm was like putting layers on an onion and this was bound to take some time. Saigo didn't even bother to check and see if Zakuro was trying to relax or if he was observing the process, either way all he might feel is the sensation of things being moved but the lack of pain would keep him from experiencing anything that wasn't massive on the pain scale, however when Saigo got to reattaching nerves he would definitely feel that.

Luckily, Saigo wasn't at the nerves yet as he was still working on connective tissue and the muscular tissue around the bone first. It took some time, and a lot of shifting around the severed spot, but he managed to get it all done at the base muscular layer and was now gonna work on reattaching things like blood vessels. This part was gonna be trickier than the muscle tissue as he had to be quick in order to prevent too much blood loss. Taking a moment to let a staff member mop his brow with a sponge, he leaned back in after grabbing a bunch of hemostats. "If you're awake, do you notice anything at all? If you start to feel pain, then let me know so we can numb the area again."

[Rain21199]

Zakuro was no stranger to pain. It was something he felt every single day of his life, and by now, it was simply another feeling, nothing more. He didn't like it, nobody really did, but the sharpness of it all had turned in to a dull feeling. As the feeling of his arm returned, and so did the pain that came with it, Zakuro was already fast asleep. A rest that he didn't think he would achieve, but was very much well deserved. It had been days since the last time his body felt sleep's embrace, two if you counted being unconscious as sleep, but five if you didn't. Zakuro felt more memories flood back to him in his sleep. He saw flashes of a sword, the one that did this to him. He saw the large looming figure of a dragon. A dragon.... His dreams were getting crazy. Who was to say if what he dreamt were flashes of the past or simply illusions that his mind conjured in his sleep.

And then.... bam! Zakuro's head shot up as he grabbed his shoulder. His arm looked intact, but he saw his doctor working on it, and for some reason, it felt like his arm was on fire. "Arg... I can feel that! What the hell are you doing?" Obviously helping, but Zakuro wanted to know what in particular was causing this sensation. It was hell. Something that Zakuro was not keen to do again. 'I need to get more defense if I want to survive something like this again'

[Tsedas]

The response told Saigo that the reattachment was a success and that another round of numbing jutsu was in order. Relaying that order to his nurses, the Doctor continued working on restoring the boys blood vessels. "That is nerve pain, that tells me that your arm's nerve ends still react to pain, later on your physical therapy specialist will ensure things like your ability to touch, tell cold from wet, hot from cold, and so on are still intact. The Nurses are numbing the nerve endings now so it should make any pain you're feeling subside, so bear with it for a moment longer."

"Also, don't try to move your arm or fingers until I tell you. Last thing I need you to do is rip all my work apart before I even finish." Saigo hoped the boy would heed that advice, otherwise he'd risk injury to himself by trying anything. Who knows what would happen to an incompletely put back together arm if someone tried to flex something at the wrong time. Saigo removed a bunch of hemostats as he finished speaking his warning to Zakuro, the flow of blood going back into the arteries and veins within the reattached limb. With that done, Saigo grabbed a different set of tools and started reattaching muscle fibers, pulling them out and holding them in place with tools before using Iijutsu to heal the two ends back together. The Nurses near by seemed to flutter about now and again, handling something the Doctor requested or doing some pre-assigned task at needed intervals, but for the most part, the were all trying to observe what Saigo was doing. The surgery team was little more than extra hands for the man at this point as he seemed more than capable of handling this by himself. The thing that made them all seemed awed was more the fact that he was capable of performing surgery as fast as he was.

[Rain21199]

The burning had subsided, but Zakuro still felt a sharp pain with every movement that his doctor made. His body was still screaming out, but he had to ignore it. The guy should have put Zakuro under because this sucked. How much longer would he have to lay here in pain? Zakuro didn't dare look down at his arm. He knew it was a sight he didn't want to see. He couldn't look at it when it was first gone, and wasn't going to now. Grimacing in pain, the Chuunin decided that he might try to pass the time with some small talk. "So, what's your name? Also, I can't help but notice you're an amazing medical ninja, but at the same time , you're not wearing a headband. Why's that?"

[Tsedas]

As Saigo worked, the boy on his table started to make small talk by asking him a few questions. "My name is Saigo, you can call me Dr. Takamori or just the Doctor is fine. As for my skills in medicine, I've been a practicioner all my life, doing research and study for about 15 years before moving on to practical application. I've done a lot of work in the Minor Countries, helping war torn areas and teaching the Art of Medicine to local physicians in order to help them better tend to their patients. I've probably improved the quality of Health Care in places I've gone by at least 27 to 40 percent."

Saigo's hands slipped this way and that around the severed arm, reattaching muscle fibers with ease before finally he started tugging the rest of it together, pulling connective tissue and dermal tissue together and healing it all back together. "Well, a headband doesn't help perform a surgery. Even if I had one I wouldn't wear it in here." Saigo finished closing the wound up and checked for any scarring before placing his hand on Zakuro's arm and performing the diagnosis technique. "Blood flow is good, muscle tissue is back in order, nerves are responsive, and..." Taking a his hand off, Saigo gave the skin around Zakuro's wrist a quick light tap to see if he would feel it. "Sense of touch, how is that working?"

[Rain21199]

As soon as he felt Saigo tap on his wrist, a small wave of pain went with it. It wasn't anything too bad, but it was noticeable. Hopefully that would go away. "Yeah I felt that. It actually hurt a little. Is that normal?" The boy's mind began to race. What if he permanently damaged his arm? A light tap like that shouldn't have caused him any pain. Could it be that his arm rotted away enough that it wouldn't work properly now? If that was the case then Zakuro was screwed. He just sat in the bed with his fingers crossed that he was going to be okay.

[Tsedas]

'It hurt? Maybe I tapped a little too hard to be sure he could feel it... Oh! I know.' Saigo shook his head as he smiled, "Perfectly normal. You've just been without an arm and suddenly you have nerve connections again. You'll be fine, you might just need a period of re-acclimation." Standing up, Saigo walked over to a nearby sink and started to wash his hands thoroughly. "Unless there is some other part of you that needs reattaching, I recommend you head out front and start scheduling that physical therapy after you stay for some observation. Even if it feels like you can fully use your arm again, you'll wanna be sure about it unless you want it lopped off again. Understand?"

Finishing up, Saigo grabbed a fresh towel and started drying his hands as he turned back to Zakuro. "Now then, unless you have any other body parts that need reattaching, I think we're finished here. Don't you agree?" Saigo asked as he finished drying his hands, folded the towel and dropped it in a hamper of dirty ones. Saigo looked the boy over one last time, the back of his mind asking him ultimately what had caused him to lose his arm in the first place but Saigo knew asking such a question wasn't his place, nor his purpose. Still, he was thankful the cut was so clean and the arm's decay was slowed down, otherwise reattachment would have been trickier or almost impossible with a rotted limb.

Saigo folded his arms, his gaze looking to the floor as his mind wandered. his thoughts went into Post-Op mode as he started talking aloud, giving the nurses instructions and to hold Zakuro for a few hours and make sure nothing literally popped off.

[Rain21199]

Zakuro heeded the advice of the skilled shinobi, and nodded silently. Thoughts and worry were flowing through the young man's head about his future. Zakuro attempted to give his arm a lift, but suddenly he felt as though he were set on fire. Waves of pain were radiating from the wound in sync with his heart beat. Zakuro quit his attempt, but the pain didn't leave. It throbbed and throbbed, increasing the young shinobi's worries. His body was everything, and now he could hardly move. A tear ran down his cheek, but he swiftly wiped it away with his left arm. The good one.

He laid there in his bed for what seems like an eternity, trapped in his own mind, when a nurse came in. "I'm here to examine you." She said softly and with a warm smile. Zakuro glanced at her and simply looked back at the white ceiling, not saying a word. She approached the cot and slowly lifted his right arm. She bent it at the joint. Zakuro grimaced but didn't make a sound. "On a scale of one to ten, how badly does it hurt?"

"I don't know... 8?" Her holding it didn't give him an ounce of the pain that lifting it himself caused.

"Alright, that's to be expected. As long as it doesn't feel like it's about to come off we're good. Sit up."

Zakuro did what he was told. He just let his arm drag lifelessly as he lifted his body into a sitting position. The nurse grabbed a sling from the table behind her and gently set his arm in it. "Go to the physical therapy office in the next building over. Give them your name and they should help you set up an appointment. Have a wonderful day." She gave another radiant smile and walked out the door. Zakuro stood and head for the office.