Thursday, June 12, 2014

Shattered dreams - 25 days to go!

It’s hard to imagine but our holiday around Oz was nearly over before it’d started. With 25 days till we head off, Leonie was struck down with a mystery illness that has seen her hospitalised for 8 days now. Even as I write this post, Leonie is still a patient in the neuroscience ward of Wollongong hospital.

What started as itchy feet, tingly skin, then pins n needles through her legs, spread up her body to a point where she was numb from the waist down.  Our GP was concerned enough to order multiple tests and a CT scan which all came back inconclusive so headed to the hospital where after an agonising few days Leonie was eventually admitted for suspected Guillain-Barre Syndrome. After waiting for further test results, which included an MRI the specialist doctor diagnosed an inflammation of the spine called Transverse Myelitis which results in the messages from the brain being scrambled and slow.

Leonie started a 5-day treatment of steroids in an attempt to improve her condition but by day 6 there was no improvement. The doctors advised us that “time” generally heals this condition but have ordered more tests to rule out anything else. As I write this Leonie has made enough improvement that the doctors are happy to release her on Monday, some 12 days after being admitted. While she’s still got a ways to go to gain full movement and feeling, we’re so happy that we can continue planning our trip.

In the trip planning department when time’s permitted we’ve been busy doing more work on the car and van. Wheel bearings have been checked and some minor electrical improvements to the van are complete, while the car has had a new set of “all-terrain” tyres and rims added which really complements the black accessorising. Other things we’ve been doing is trial clothes packing and compiling numerous lists in preparation for that pre-departure packing.

To coin a phrase “what a week” is an understatement to the roller-coaster ride that Leonie and I have ridden over the past fortnight. Our dream holiday was nearly shattered by an illness bought on by a bout of the flu.

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