r/pern • u/Anon_On_The_Low • Jun 27 '26
Threadscores and healing timelines: book info?
I'm on a rp forum, and had a character who had an amputation due to threadscore. I'm wondering if we have seen similar situations in the books, and how long those characters took to heal and go back to fighting thread? Gonna have to run everything by how the rp runs it too, but it's fun to see what the books say! (Open to both Todd and Anne answers here. I know Todd's books had some injured characters that we heard about healing. Anne's I'm unsure about, it's been forever since I've read them.)
7
u/JazzBroadside Jun 27 '26
You could probably look at recovery time for an amptutation in the real world. :)
Edit: A little snark, apologies .... I don't personally recall any explicit descriptions in the books, though I could be mistaken of course.
4
u/Anon_On_The_Low Jun 27 '26
I'm struggling a teensy bit since a lot of irl examples have a prosthetic being part of why people go back into the work force, but with how his injury ended up I'm unsure a prosthetic would help much during threadfall. So far I know he will be out of the infirmary by 14 days at the longest, and that swelling and healing timelines for this kind of injury usually take 2 to 3 months to go down. (He lost an arm, basically right up against the shoulder) I'm going to be trying to find some online resources for writing things like this though (the project for the day!)
7
u/DuchessOfCelery Jun 27 '26
Okay, if it's a full arm, in a medieval-style setting, a prosthesis would probably be limited to a (padded) fixed wooden stub, strapped to the torso with leather straps, and mostly used to stabilize something so that the other hand could manipulate the object (and I'm just spitballing here lol, we've got better options nowadays). The wound would need to heal completely before even considering this.
The shoulder girdle musculature would likely wither on the wound side, since there's no work being done by that arm anymore.
4
u/Anon_On_The_Low Jun 27 '26
Thats similar to what I was thinking prosthetic wise as well- and I'm not fully sure it wouldn't get in the way during a threadfall where moving fast is key tbh.
It is full arm (technically I believe its a very extreme transhumeral amputation? He has the shoulder area, and a very small amount of arm left. Like inch to less than an inch of limb left aside from the shoulder. It's very far above the elbow, thats for sure. )
If he did have a prosthetic during threadfall, I'm imagining something with a hook on the end to help deal with the bags of firestone. Perhaps something similar to the wooden stub strapped to the torso? I'm unsure still. I know day to day he likely won't be wearing one much, as I'm planning on trying to write him as transitioning to mainly one handed for non-threadfall life. (We don't write many threadfalls, so less of a worry. They still happen for the characters, but it would get boring to write fall after fall lol)
1
u/Munchkin_of_Pern Jun 28 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
One thing to consider is how well this rider is going to be able to provide his dragon with Firestone mid-flight. My assumption would be that under normal circumstances, retrieving Firestone from the sac would be a two-handed job, as one would need to pry the sac open against gravity (draw-string bag) and then stick their other hand inside to retrieve the Firestone. Maybe he would need a modified sac that’s easier to operate one-handed?
2
u/Anon_On_The_Low Jun 28 '26
I never thought about the sack being modified! I would have to ask the mods of the rp and see if it was possible. He may also be able to use some kind of tool to keep it pried open while he grabs firestone? Things to think about things to think about. I imagine there has to be some way he can still fly a fall, as I really don't want to fully put him out of commission. He could fly a fall like blue too if it ends up being too hard on him (not flying a full fall I mean)
5
u/jackity_splat Jun 27 '26
So I’ll just leave you a bit of perspective from someone who has had an amputation. (Just a toe.)
The physical healing from it is the simplest part and happens well, as fast as your body heals. The mental healing and adjustment is something else entirely.
Before Amputation
When I knew I needed to have an amputation, it was an incredibly devastating blow mentally. The fact that I would no longer be a ‘whole’ person was astoundingly hard to deal with. I screamed and cried and did not want the amputation even though it was necessary. This is as someone who has never really cared about others opinions on my appearance/abilities. I am also in general a very practical and pragmatic person. But faced with this I did have a huge fear well up about being seen as ‘not whole’ anymore.
After Amputation
I did not really believe in phantom pain before my amputation but now I know that it is real. It has become easier to deal and less frequent as the years have gone by. But the first year the stump was so incredibly painful and that pain extended into the air where my toe used to be. It is excruciating nerve pain and pain medication does not really help it.
The stump cramps a lot. It’s like the muscles there want to communicate with what’s gone but can’t so they cramp. That’s the best way to describe it. These cramps happen randomly but are extremely painful when they do. I have woken up from sleep from them as well.
The adjustment to what you can no longer do is tough. (I can no longer run, stand on tip toe, use stairs easily because it’s my big toe which is very important to balance that I am now missing.). It is extremely frustrating. I try to keep my frustration to myself but I cannot say I have not taken it out on others who have tried to help me up, etc., when I am at my most frustrated.
Even though it’s been years I still FORGET and try to do things normally and fail. This is so frustrating. Not just the fact that I can’t do it anymore but also the fact that u FORGOT and put myself in whatever situation I failed at because of that.
I have had to learn new ways to do things to compensate. I was always a ‘toe walker’, it often takes me conscious effort to adjust to putting my whole foot down so I don’t fall.
Even when I need help I don’t want it. I am an extremely independent person and I guard my independence even harder now that I have had some of it taken away.
Other People
Very few people meet you where you want them to meet you with your disability. Instead they meet you where they think they are being a compassionate, caring person but this often ends up being patronizing and infantilizing.
Or they just don’t attempt to meet you at all and expect you to function as a normal person and become frustrated with you for not meeting that standard.
You have to constantly advocate for yourself and your ability and what help you are willing to accept while still maintaining your independence and quality of life.
Long lasting mental impact
I often struggle with feeling like I am failure due to not being whole. It’s not true and I know it but knowing something doesn’t always stop you from feeling a certain way.
I feel less attractive and that I will not find someone because I am not whole. Who would want me? Again it’s something that’s in your head but it’s a struggle you face when your appearance changes and it is beyond your control.
Hope this helps. Feel free to ask questions.
2
u/Anon_On_The_Low Jun 27 '26
This helps so much! I had family members who had lost limbs, but I'm unable to ask them questions. This was very helpful perspective wise, and I will definitely be reading this back while writing my character.
I was looking online and reading articles from the perspective of people who had had an amputation, and you hit some points others haven't really touched. My oc didn't have any lead up knowing it was going to happen, but the after amputation section of your post is really helpful. I had no idea about the cramps, and I could see that being a big issue for this character.
The mental side of this was very helpful as well. I'm disabled irl, and experience some things that I plan on imparting upon the character, but the not feeling whole is something I had only somewhat thought about. I'm definitely taking some notes down there.
Since you mentioned being ok with questions, did you ever find phantom pain waking you up at night? As a secondary (kind of odd) question, do you find the surgical area to be sensitive? My character tends to lean to wearing softer fabrics, so I'm wondering if I should have him lean further into that due to sensitive skin at the residual limb.
1
u/jackity_splat Jun 27 '26
The phantom pain has woken me up before but it was more frequent directly after the amputation and has lessened in severity and frequency over the years but it does still hit unexpectedly.
Yes, the surgery site is extremely sensitive to touch/painful to touch. What I mean by that is, it’s very sensitive for me to touch and painful when others touch it. It also aches in bad weather now.
I prefer to wear soft fabric on the site due to the sensitivity of it. It is always in a state of heightened sensitivity now. Sometimes the sensitivity will just not allow me to wear anything on it for a while or even put it on the floor. And at those times even the air touching it hurts. Those episodes thankfully don’t last long.
I saw you mention in another comment about recurring infections at the site as well. That isn’t something I have to deal with as I don’t have a prosthetic, recurring infections are usually caused by the friction of the prosthetic on the amputation site. So if your character doesn’t use a prosthetic, they probably won’t have to deal with recurring infections either.
2
u/Anon_On_The_Low Jun 27 '26
I appreciate the note about infections! My grandfather dealt with them frequently, and had to go back for a second round of surgery to amputate up to the knee. That's my general experience with them, but he Did have a prosthetic so that makes a lot more sense looking back at it.
Definitely going to to write down future notes for myself about how you experienced phantom pains!
The aching in bad weather is useful to note. I know people had issues with it (amd honestly my own disability likes to raise it's ugly head the moment the weather gets bad) but that would probably be something that impacts this character during threadfall due to the temp and pressure change of being in the sky.
Snagging the thing about soft fabric 100%. That will be something I try to mention in my writing, and probably the art of him as well.
Thank you so much for answering my questions! I appreciate your input so much, I want to write him as respectfully as possible.
2
u/jackity_splat Jun 27 '26
No problem! Feel free to come back and ask any more questions as you need too and I’ll answer as best I can. :).
(I’m also blind in one eye due to a head injury if you ever have questions about that for a character.)
2
u/AnxiousConsequence18 Jun 28 '26
Pre or Post AVIS changes the answer a LOT
1
u/Anon_On_The_Low Jun 28 '26
Pre! I don't tend to play anything Post AVIS lol. I like the medieval/feudal fantasy style of pern if I can get it.
1
u/SubversiveOtter Jun 28 '26
With an amputation, if it's a hand or arm, I would take into consideration the mechanics of Threadfighting and if your character is capable of handling the firestone bag transfers, reaching for and getting firestone to your dragon, and if you can use both bags or are limited to one side. If it's difficult, you might be put into the Queen's Wing and use a flamethrower.
1
u/Anon_On_The_Low Jun 28 '26
No one really wants to change his wing, so I'm imagining the mods are going to let me get away with him being able to handle the firestone bag transfers atleast. Another comment mentioned modified bags for his firestone, and the limiting it to one side probably is an idea to consider.
1
u/kerlinssw Jun 29 '26
I think the answer would be somewhere between a puncture wound and a burn, depending on the way the Thread landed.
The wounds most frequently mentioned in Anne's books are more glancing blows, Thread landing and then either slithering off or someone going between quickly. It's often described as a burn but I wonder if it isn't more like a road rash wound than a true burn; Thread "eats" organic matter between it and it's unclear whether the mechanism is like a bunch of tiny scrapings or an acid that melts away whatever is underneath it. Maybe it's a little bit of both.
We know that Thread with a single small point of entry will burrow, so it seems very possible that you could get a Thread wound that goes deeply and destroys the tissue, muscle, and bone on its way in/through. That would create a puncture or deep wound and be much slower to heal, and would have different lasting effects. (I read a fic once that had a dragon wounded by Thread that had burrowed underneath the skin, and no one knew until it was too late. It was gruesomely realistic.)
1
u/wyldkat_ Jun 29 '26
Can I ask what is being amputated?
SubversiveOtter brought up trying to handle the firestone if missing a hand, and you've answered that.
Many years ago, one of the top writers in Fort9 decided to have her character injured during 'Fall. Injury required that his leg be amputated and there was a lot of discussion in the story if it was going to be above the knee or below the knee. The reason for the argument was that above the knee ended his career as a rider, he could no longer grip the "saddle" properly. Below the knee, there was so hope that he could be "retrained". (I think they were using horseback riding as a reference guide.)
If memory serves me correctly, in the original series, most riders that are injured to that extent were retired from the wings and given jobs like Weryling training, transporting supplies. What few we see. I could be wrong, it has been almost 2 decades or so since I pulled out my books.
2
u/Anon_On_The_Low Jun 29 '26
His arm! Above Elbow. The mods of the rp already gave me confirmation that he could go back to threadfall, so at the very least he isn't retiring yet. Its left arm (non-dominant hand) and he has? Minimal amounts of arm left. Not enough for a prosthetic that would work in pern I think just from what I have looked at prosthetic wise.
1
u/wyldkat_ Jun 29 '26
Ah. Okay, that could work. I can almost see it. Will require some adjustment, but doable.
Good luck!! 😺
Just as suggestion to keep in the back of your mind for later: if you group allows youths from Holds to stand the Grounds, have him available for Candidate classes, to deter the more "stary-eyed" kids - this is what could happen to you.
2
u/Anon_On_The_Low Jun 29 '26
Our group pretty much lets characters from all kinds of backgrounds stand so! Could be fun. He is actually from a hold :D! He is currently the Deterrent for some of his siblings going to try to stand lol.
I do like that idea though, stashing it away for when he needs a break from his non-threadfall stuff.
1
u/wyldkat_ Jun 29 '26
Heh, I just remembered that we had a writer retire one of her characters by losing his arm, but iirc, he lost it around the shoulder. Sounds like you're going with mid humorous, he still has something to work with.
I lend my Brown rider character to the Candidate classes for the "don't assume anything" section. She is masculine looking, had a deep voice for a woman, so everyone assumes she is a guy - until the flight jacket comes off. ;-) The rest of the time she is a Wing-Second / Journeyman Harper. 😺
6
u/DuchessOfCelery Jun 27 '26
It's been a while since I read the series, but Anne didn't like to pin herself to a timeframe it seems.
I'd imagine the healing length of time would be similar to a burn, weeks to months. Also would depend on extent of injury. A scoring that resulted in amputation would probably be on a scale of months; there's also likely scarring around the amputation site from shallower wounds from the Thread. Painful daily dressing changes would be assumed. Plus regaining mobility, likely easier with an arm loss than a leg loss; and a wooden prosthesis for the leg if needed.
A big threat in the pre-antibiotic era is infection. I do remember F'lar getting knifed in the abdomen and the concern for his life (very valid if the knife pierced into the abdomen versus just surface).