Her Dark Silence by Jason Kasper

Author:Jason Kasper [Kasper, Jason]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781648750229
Publisher: Severn River Publishing
Published: 2020-08-30T16:00:00+00:00

16

The doctor entered the exam room with a clipboard, and Clara looked up from her seat expectantly.

Dr. Catherine Eckl had graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in 2008, and maintained an active license. Clara knew this because she’d looked her up on the Federation of State Medical Boards website prior to coming in that morning, just as she probably would every medical professional she saw for the rest of her life.

Dr. Eckl was a short woman in her forties, and wore her sandy hair in a tight bun over her white coat.

“Well, Mrs. Swanner, I can see why you haven’t been feeling very well.”

Clara’s stomach fluttered. “What did the lab results show?”

The doctor hoisted the clipboard and lifted the cover sheet.

“Your Vitamin D levels are pretty low, along with iron. That’s probably contributing to your fatigue and difficulty sleeping. I’m going to recommend a daily multivitamin, as well as a magnesium supplement. Many patients find magnesium helps their mood, and it’s been clinically proven to help with depression. I’d start with 450 milligrams per day, and give it a few weeks before you expect to see results.”

Clara was dumbstruck.

“What else is in my bloodstream? Surely you found some...substances. Something.”

Dr. Eckl lowered the clipboard with a sad smile.

“We did.”

“And? What was it?”

“Alcohol, Mrs. Swanner.”

“I could have told you that without paying for blood and urine labs. What else did you find?”

Dr. Eckl sighed impatiently.

“Mrs. Swanner, there are no other substances in your bloodstream. But I must warn you about the dangers of alcohol. It’s been shown to increase the risk of depression and anxiety, and that’s just in the short term. Long-term dangers include high blood pressure, heart failure—”

Clara cut her off. “And liver disease, and dementia, and increased risk of cancer. Listen, Dr. Eckl, I’ve received the condescending anti-alcohol speech in every possible variation. I’m looking for substances in my body that aren’t offered at a happy hour special.”

Dr. Eckl’s eyes narrowed. “Well I’m sorry to disappoint you, Mrs. Swanner, but there aren’t any. Your hormone levels are consistent with what I’d expect from a mother your age, and everything from your blood pressure to your resting heart rate shows you to be in excellent health. If there’s any substance responsible for your difficulties, I think its source is from a bottle. The best recommendations for healthy, natural sleep are for you to limit your drinking, avoid caffeine in the evenings, reserve the bedroom for sleeping and sex only, and set regular wake and bed times. It may seem that alcohol is a sleep aid, but it actually—”

“Disrupts circadian function, suppresses melatonin, and reduces REM sleep. I appreciate that. But my choices don’t come down to good sleep or bad sleep; they come down to bad sleep or no sleep at all. Now, can I kindly get a copy of the lab results?”

Dr. Catherine Eckl smiled tightly, withdrawing a sheaf of papers from the clipboard and handing it to her. “Of course. Here you go.”

Clara rose, took the papers, and walked out of the office.

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