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| Marc |
In august 1997 my wife and I were in Kent, UK for holiday when I first became ill; I had a
fever of (39.5), a headache and lumbar pain. After a few hours I began to fall over because of the weakness in my forceps and it had become impossible to urinate. We decided to go home to Belgium. After many problems with driving our motor home, I reached our house but I could not think straight. During the night my wife brought me to the hospital because I was in a near coma-like situation.
After a CT scan and lumbar puncture the diagnosis was encephalitis and myelitis. The day after my two brothers Jean and Luc sent me to the UZ in Gent. I'll be thankful for the rest of my life for this because the neurologist in our local hospital would not give me any medication because he didn't think the reason was a virus. In Gent the neurology team decided after much research to give me antibiotics, steroids and anti-virus medication because they could not find the reason for the illness. At that time I had a tetraplgia, problems with the respiratory system a total loss of the bladder functions.
After 5 days in the hospital I awoke, but could not remember a single fact of the days
before I went to the hospital or the days I spend there. After three weeks the doctors
found the cause of my illness, it was mycoplasma pneumonia. After five weeks I left the
hospital in a wheelchair. I made it on my own because I wouldn't stay in any hospital; I
am myself a physiotherapist.
It is now September 1999, I have nearly completely recovered but I have a lot of trouble in my legs, troubles of stiffness and spasticity. I have also a strange hyperekpexie; it means a lot of involuntary movements in the head and arms. I have suffered from time to time with depressions not only for myself, but because I can not run and walk distances but also with the breast cancer of my lovely wife Ingrid who had an operation in Sept 1997 a week after I left the hospital. I also have guilty feelings because my brother in law died after 12 years MS, he died and I recovered and that very is difficult to bear.
I restarted my practice as physiotherapist but it is very difficult to work for hours
because I am very tired and also the troubles with my hyperekplexie. My only big problem
is the situation of my wife at cause of the breast cancer because I really can survive
with my situation. My medication: rivotril and antihistamines for my severe urticaria.
We travel at lot and hope to do this for a whole period of years.
Sincerely yours,
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Marc
Torhout, Belgium
Posted: October 17, 2000 |
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