Log 1: July 15th 2XXX
Subject: Dashiell Stoppard
I've had many experiences with new victors, and my current patient, Dashiell Stoppard, is much the same as the rest of them. Sustained injuries from the arena, dealt by the District One Male in the arena. Wound cutting through the left shoulder as well as a large incision in his left thigh. Superficial at best, nothing major. No great deal of blood loss from the arena.
Observations on first visit to patient: hypertensive – 150/80; tachycardic – 110; oxygen saturations – 98% on 2 litres of oxygen therapy; respiration rate – 20; temperature – 36.5 degrees. Clinically well, no pain and discomfort found; wound dressings intact; no blood noted; ongoing analgesia infusion – morphling at 5mg per two hours.
Plan: Change dose of morphling to compensate for wound pain; aim to regain consciousness.
Mr. Stoppard is alone in his room, no sign of mentor. Will notify nurses to contact me if there are any changes.
~Dr. Eir Hepius, Consultant.
Log 2: July 17th 2XXX
Subject: Dashiell Stoppard
Two days after being alerted that Mr. Stoppard has awoken, I come into the room. The newest victor is sitting awake. Noted food tray by bedside remains untouched. The patient is displaying vacant episodes, or just dazed and tired from recovery? Will continue to monitor.
Questions such as date and time, as well as location is often jumbled by patient. Disorientated at times, also. I attribute this to the increase of analgesia. Patient has expressed localised pain around bandaged shoulder, have reassured patient that it is normal, he seems content with this at present.
Latest set of observations: normotensive – 110/65; tachycardic – 94; oxygen saturations – 96% on 1 litre of oxygen therapy; respiration rate – 15; temperature – 36.4 degrees. Clinically well, if not confused and disorientated; I would attribute this to tiredness and stress from the arena. Dressings to shoulder and leg are intact, changed daily by nursing staff, have not seen wounds today, but is healing; ongoing analgesia infusion – morphling at 10mg per two hours.
Plan: Physiotherapy when able; encourage dietary intake; daily dressing checks; wean off oxygen; change morphling from infusion to tablet form; can go to the crowning ceremony when able.
Will see patient prior to the ceremony crowning. I am happy to report that Mr. Stoppard is improving at a good pace from his injuries. No such experiences yet from the arena, although I do not suspect that it will one day come. Continue to monitor whilst in the Capitol.
~Dr. Eir Hepius, Consultant.
Log 3: July 20th 2XXX
Subject: Dashiell Stoppard
Crowning ceremony was a success. Patient on television did not seem too distressed and looked comfortable, but upon entering the unit, nursing staff had told myself that Mr. Stoppard had been awake all night and had been causing a racket in his room.
Mr. Stoppard was sitting on his bed, knees up to his head, face buried on his knees. Today is his discharge date, but I seem to have calculated wrongly. Mr. Stoppard is not yet ready to face the outside world.
Mr. Stoppard has expressed nightmares have started every night after the crowning ceremony. He had 'trashed' his room every time it has happened followed by an intense searing pain from his shoulder. I have asked about the nightmares, and all he could divulge were the final moments of the Hunger Games; where the District One Male had injured his shoulder with the sword; the trauma of the pain as well as his eventual resolve to murder the One Male has contributed to the nightmare. The pain expressed was new and have also stated that he is suffering from insomnia after the first nightmare.
Observations: Unable to correctly gather; wound dressing is now removed; scar has healed completely and no sign of inflammation anymore; unable to persuade to take vital signs; visibly tired today.
Plan: Discharge; once off stronger analgesia Diamorphling before discharge; start on sleeping tablets to help with insomnia; review after Victory Tour; morphling dose change from 10mg twice daily to 5mg twice a day.
Patient has been grateful for the help given and apologised for the room. Reassured patient that it is quite alright. I have wished him a good life and that he takes good care of himself when he returns to District Six.
~Dr. Eir Hepius, Consultant
Log 4: January 15th 2XXX
Victory Tour is over. Patient, Dashiell Stoppard looks well. Patient has expressed that the nightmares continued since discharge and subsequently the insomnia too. Patient too afraid of taking sleeping tablets due to the nightmares. Continues to take analgesia twice a day.
I attribute this to arena experience likely brought upon by the Victory Tour. Studies have shown that victors during their Victory Tour is when they are at their most vulnerable. Some take it better than others; examples include Leroy Ramnes and Balas Beacon, but others such as Mr. Stoppard takes it the hardest.
Noted that nightmares are due to the same scenario over and over. The arena being an abandoned forest cemetery did not help situations as now the patient has expressed seeing ghosts and hallucinations. Mainly the District Nine Female that he had killed in the dead of night being the root cause of the problem.
Observations: tired; refused vital signs once more; jittery at times; wound sites clean and skin intact
Plan: Increase dose of sleeping tablet; reduce dose of morphling to 5mg once daily instead of twice daily.
Patient has expressed worry over supply of analgesia. Reassured him that there will be a year's supply given to him when he leaves the Capitol today. Advised him to get some rest, despite the nightmares. I will continue to monitor Mr. Stoppard if he continues to have nightmares. I may need to refer him for further investigations.
Log 5: July 15th 2XXX; 25th Hunger Games
Subject: Routine Follow Up
Routine follow up before the Hunger Games officially begin. Mr. Stoppard is my first stop before heading to Mr. Villiers. Upon entering the residence, I notice three bodies on the seating area of the lounge. On closer inspection I can confirm that it is Mr. Stoppard and his tributes from the Hunger Games.
Unfortunately both the tributes picked by their citizens were from correctional facilities. Studies have found the Six has had a recent outbreak of morphling usage. Death by overdose have become the top in that district alone. There're no signs of why that is a thing as of yet.
However, this is not some post injection haze that the tributes and their mentor were experiencing. They were clammy and shivering, they have no concept of time. Training had started two hours ago and the tributes were still here. Smell of vomit too all points to signs that they are all withdrawing from morphling.
I conclude, therefore, that I have failed Mr. Stoppard. Under the law, I cannot legally help Dashiell and his tributes as that would be considered as bias. I could lose my registration for intervention given. I have to leave.
I hereby stop all interactions with Mr. Stoppard. He is no longer under my care.
With regret,
~Dr. Eir Hepius, Consultant.
Cade Valentine, Owner of Club Valentino's
Train to Five
Julia Aquilla's Victory Tour: Day 11
Diaries and newspaper articles, I would normally find interesting, but when I got into my room on the train and find medical notes on top of the soft red velvet pillow is the most surprising thing. A little note from Lincoln tells me that it was his doing.
I didn't know that a specific doctor was attached to a victor, observing their vitals and wellbeing. Shows that the Capitol truly does care for their victors. I don't know to what extent, but I think they're more malicious than expected.
I think what happened to Dashiell is that his year's supply of analgesics were ambushed and stolen; or simply was not given to him. That year's supplied was widely distributed to the greater population of Six, mainly the outer sectors.
History books about the 'Morphling Epidemic' states that people were so deprived of anything else that drugs were the only thing that kept people motivated and moving. Unfortunately for Dashiell Stoppard he was caught up on this, as he was still suffering from the pain caused in the arena that he had gotten himself involved with street drugs, to take the pain away.
The Quarter Quell twist did not help so much either, as the two voted tributes were from correctional facilities in the district. It is a well-known fact that correctional facilities in Six were drug dens, many were used to make street drugs and put into the wider district.
The tributes had given him such an impure dose of morphling that he was spaced out on the train journey over and was withdrawing from the first day of training along with his two tributes. It's a shame what had happened.
The room hums in silence, the computer screen is the only thing illuminating the entire room. Windows long obscured by the creamy white blinds. I'm still wearing the same clothes I had on yesterday, being holed up in my own room for the last twenty-four hours.
Nothing is going on, Five is fast approaching and I'm not ready for whatever is going to come next. News must have spread by now regarding about Julia. What I've found exploring the districts is that they talk, they look at you differently because your clothes are leagues better and more expensive than their lives sometimes. It scares you to the core how much they stare at you, shakes me to my core at times. More than Julia Aquilla, herself, scares me now.
I don't know what the future holds for me, and I don't know if Julia will have anything to do with it, but I sure damn would not like to think about it now. I need to brave myself for what's to come. Four more districts to go and then I'll be home, in the safety of my own club.