Wrestling With Death
I place the heel of my hand on the lower half of the breastbone, in the centre of the his chest and immediately began administering chest compressions, hoping to at least maintain that weak pulse. Seconds stretched into agonizing eternities as I continued the chest compressions. Mia and the queen remained by my side, their tears mingling with silent prayers for a miracle. With each compression, I maintained my rhythm, focusing on the task at hand while humming a calming tune under my breath.
Exhaustion weighed heavily on me, beads of sweat trickling down my forehead, but I persevered, continuing to press down methodically, careful not to break my rhythm.
Five, Six, Ten minutes passed.
In the sea of darkness, a glimmer of hope emerged—a faint breath, inhaled and exhaled, barely perceptible.
Mia and the queen exhaled a huge sigh of relief and broke down in tears—it was a miracle.
"Don't celebrate yet. He's still in critical condition. Help me lay him on his side," I instructed urgently.
Together, Mia and the queen carefully helped me roll his body onto his side.
As I knelt beside the bed, I inserted my fingers into his mouth, pressing my index and middle fingers on the back of his throat, hoping to trigger a gag reflex. Almost instantly, he began to vomit, expelling some of the blue substances from his system.
"Mia, I need you to gather people and find some woods— dry, dense, and hard, quick!"
Mia composed herself and nodded. She immediately stormed out of the room.
"Queen, how long since the last time his majesty defecate?"
"Three days" the queen replied, her voice trembling with worry.
("Not good, The longer those toxins stay in his system, the worse it is.")
"I apologize, Queen—we need to strip His Majesty's clothing, please help me." I said to the Queen, my tone urgent.
The queen nodded in agreement without questioning my instructions.
I press firmly into his belly and slide my hand in a circular motion up toward his ribs, across the belly, down to the left hip bone, and back across the bottom of the belly. This is called 'abdominal massage'
My goal was to stimulate the bowel movements to induce excretion of any built-up toxins in his digestive system. After repeating the process ten times, slow defecation began, the smell indicating the prolonged consumption of the toxic plant.
Although faint, we could hear the king's groans, indicating that his reflexes were slowly returning, causing him to make small noises and groans.
Half an hour after, Mia burst back into the chamber, breathless and gasping.
"Sir Gideon, We've gathered the wood!"
"Queen, please stay with the king for a while. I'll be back soon," I instructed before rushing out of the chamber with Mia.
"Are there any large furnaces nearby? We need something big and extremely hot," I asked the guards as they arrived with the wood.
"We have one in the forge," one of the guards replied promptly.
"Perfect, take me there immediately," I instructed, urgency lacing my voice. With the guards at my side, we dashed towards the forge.
Upon arrival, I wasted no time in instructing the blacksmiths to stoke the furnace to its maximum temperature.
"This is the maximum temperature we can achieve," the blacksmith replied, sweat beading on his forehead as he worked the bellows.
"Now, everyone, chop these woods into small pieces and throw them in. Keep the fire burning," I directed urgently.
The clang of metal against wood echoed through the forge as we worked in a frenzy, sweat dripping down our faces as we chopped and split the dense wood. Each strike of the axe or swing of the machete, knowing that time was of the essence. The flames of the furnace danced and roared, eagerly consuming the fuel we fed it, casting flickering shadows across the walls of the forge.
"Is this the hottest we can achieve?" I asked, a note of frustration in my voice.
The blacksmith wiped the sweat from his brow, shaking his head. "I'm afraid so. We've pushed the furnace to its limit."
I clicked my tongue, my mind racing for another solution.
Mia stepped forward, determination etched on her face. "Sir Gideon, please allow me." With a solemn expression, she extended her hands, speaking the words with conviction. "Misericordia (compassion): Gust of Gaia." Instantly, a powerful gust of wind surged forth, engulfing the furnace and causing the flames to roar even fiercer.
I blinked in astonishment, my mouth agape as I witnessed Mia's display of power. Turning to her with a mix of surprise, I couldn't help but ask, "Why didn't you tell me you could do that?"
"You never asked," She replied with a smile.
With the help of her quasar, the furnace reached an astonishing temperature. The heat was so intense that I could feel it searing my skin, threatening to melt my face right off.
After a while, we halted the furnace, and all that remained were blocks of charcoal, glowing red-hot with residual heat.
"Collect the charcoal and mash it to powder, make it super smooth."
"Got it," replied one of the blacksmiths, as they began the task of collecting the charcoal and grinding it into a fine powder, what's left is a bowl of fine charcoal. We just got ourselves an activated charcoal
Back in the king's chamber, we wasted no time in bringing the powdered charcoal to the bedside, where the queen anxiously awaited alongside her husband. With swift and precise movements, I mixed the charcoal powder with water, creating a thick, black solution.
"Please help me straightened his body."
We gently guided the king's body into a supine position, ensuring his airway remained open. Carefully, I poured the charcoal solution into his mouth, monitoring his swallowing reflex and ensuring he didn't aspirate. Eventually, we let him rest again on his back.
As we waited anxiously by the king's side, the room was filled with a heavy silence, broken only by the occasional sniffle from Mia or the queen. Each passing moment felt like an eternity as we watched for any signs of improvement in the king's condition. In the end, we can only wait and hope for the best.
The weight of the night seemed to press down on us, amplifying the tension in the room. Despite the darkness outside, the candles flickered, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Mia's hand trembled slightly as she clasped mine tightly, her eyes fixed on her father's still form. The queen sat with her head bowed, silently praying for her husband's recovery.
The exhaustion weighed heavily on me, each second feeling like an eternity as I fought to keep my eyes open. My head throbbed with fatigue, and my vision blurred as if the world around me was melting into darkness. Yet, the need to monitor the king through his critical condition kept me stubbornly awake.
My body surrendered to the relentless pull of exhaustion, and I felt myself slipping away into darkness. The world around me faded into obscurity, and I succumbed to the overwhelming urge to sleep. With a sense of weightlessness, I collapsed, my consciousness slipping away into the void.
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A.N:
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a vital technique used in emergencies where a person's breathing or heartbeat has ceased, such as during a heart attack or near drowning. The American Heart Association advises starting CPR with forceful and rapid chest compressions, a technique known as hands-only CPR, which is recommended for both untrained bystanders and trained responders.
If someone is hesitant or unsure about performing CPR, it's crucial to remember that taking action, even if imperfect, is far better than doing nothing at all. The decision to act could mean the difference between life and death.
The American Heart Association provides the following guidance:
Untrained individuals or those uncomfortable with rescue breaths should focus solely on uninterrupted chest compressions, aiming for a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute until medical help arrives.
Trained individuals who are confident in their abilities should quickly check for signs of a pulse and breathing. If absent, they should initiate CPR with 30 chest compressions followed by two rescue breaths.
Individuals who have received CPR training but feel uncertain about their skills should prioritize chest compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute.
This advice is applicable for adults, children, and infants requiring CPR, excluding newborns (up to 4 weeks old). CPR helps maintain oxygenated blood circulation to the brain and vital organs until emergency medical care can restore normal heart function. In cases of cardiac arrest, the brain begins to suffer from oxygen deprivation within minutes, highlighting the critical importance of prompt CPR intervention.
Source: Perkins GD, Travers AH, Berg RA, Castren M, Considine J, Escalante R, Gazmuri RJ, Koster RW, Lim SH, Nation KJ, Olasveengen TM, Sakamoto T, Sayre MR, Sierra A, Smyth MA, Stanton D, Vaillancourt C., Basic Life Support Chapter Collaborators. Part 3: Adult basic life support and automated external defibrillation: 2015 International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science with Treatment Recommendations. Resuscitation. 2015 Oct;95:e43-69. [PubMed]
An oral suspension of activated charcoal (AC) should merit consideration in poisonings when there is an indication for gastrointestinal decontamination of an ingested toxin, and the clinician can administer activated charcoal within 1 hour of ingestion. Careful consideration of the contraindications should occur before activated charcoal treatment. While activated charcoal has been shown to significantly reduce the absorption of many ingested toxins when given within the first-hour post-ingestion, no studies have shown patient-oriented outcome benefits such as mortality, morbidity, or length of hospital stay with the use of activated charcoal
Activated charcoal is created by heating charcoal to anywhere between 600 and 900 degrees C (about 1,100 to 1,650 degrees F) in a tank without oxygen.It is then exposed to argon and nitrogen and reheated to 1,200 degrees C (about 2,200 degrees F). During the second heating, the charcoal is exposed to oxygen and steam. The pores created in this process are what give it its medicinal use
Source: Park S, Lee HJ, Shin J, You KM, Lee SJ, Jung E. Clinical Effects of Activated Charcoal Unavailability on Treatment Outcomes for Oral Drug Poisoned Patients. Emerg Med Int. 2018;2018:4642127. [PMC free article] [PubMed]