[open] a way to beat the cold

[itachi_san]

Itachi was keen on experiencing the winter traditions, but after a while, the cold was starting to get to him. Ice emblems may have brought luck, but they didn't bring warmth! He wasn't as emaciated as he was when he was at his sickest point, but he was still quite thin and the cold made his joints stiff and his bones ache.

Yes, a trip to the onsen was certainly going to be in order...

Comments

[itachi_san]

Itachi's crows rarely landed on his head. So this took him by surprise. There was a fair amount of laughter to greet Renji when he arrived.

Seeing a vial at all was both exciting and anxious. The list of ingredients meant very little to Itachi. He was unfamiliar with most of them. And he couldn't get his mind past the fact that this was obviously something that had never been created before. Just like the first attempts Orochimaru had made, this could be the beginning of trial and error. It could have any number of unforseen consequences, both good and bad. It could cure just as easily as it could kill.

He finally pulled his thoughts together to notice the unusual color. The dehydrated powder was a strange shade of yellow. It would have to be reconstituted, of course, with a saline solution, and the color would likely fade.

"What's next?" He asked.

Any kind of trial run of this solution would require Itachi to stop taking his current medication and let it filter out of his system. Depending on how harsh the solution would be to his veins, Renji may need to put in a more permanent line in a larger vein. Sasori had mentioned it once or twice, but in the Akatsuki, such an obvious visual weakness, even if it would be obscured under the cloak, just couldn't be risked.

[one_without_wings]

"We cannot have you take it in right away. It would be best for you to pull off the other medications until your system has cleared them. It appears your initial one could do much all by itself." and really, in an ideal world, this could be at least stabilized enough with minor help from other solutions.

"I must say I have no experience treating something like this, as rare as it is within the village... but I wish to dedicate all the time I can to researching ways to improve your physical condition so that you can do more by yourself. It sounds as if your system has degraded for so long.."

Sasuke couldn't understand very much of all that, but it was fine to him, since he was now busying himself with feeding his crow a few berries.

[itachi_san]

A week, at least, would be needed for the medicine to completely filter out of his tissues. But Renji suggested a taper, to hopefully avoid any harmful withdrawal effects.

Over the course of a few weeks, the doses were reduced to nothing. It was rather interesting to see the change in Itachi when the medicine finally dropped below a certain threshold. With the overwhelming nausea gone, he actually felt hungry! And when he ate, it didn't come right back up!

The tradeoff, of course, would be the return of symptoms. The fatigue hadn't fully gone away, and many of the daily aches and pains seemed to be a bit worse. He was also frequently out of breath. It would take more time, though, for enough blood to accumulate in the lungs from damaged vessels to obstruct breathing. Small amounts were probably already leaking, but this seemed to be a product of a weakened heart. (A separate issue from the disease, for the most part, but something Sakumo must have been attempting to correct with his drugs as well...)

It was the increased strain on his heart that made Renji suggest they move their trial to a more adequate medical facility. Unlike the disease, which took time to take back over, this was happening far too quickly. It would need to be dealt with.

Renji had mentioned surgery in the past. There were implantable devices that could maintain a healthy rhythm, but he was concerned Itachi might not make it through a delicate operation in his current state of health. There were medicines he could use in the meantime, of course, ARBs, ACE inhibitors, long-acting nitrates, and hydralazine to reduce the stress on the heart and to prevent further muscle damage. But he was trying to solve problems, not just treat symptoms.

Clearly, this was not going to be easy.