|
|
| Merle |
|
My name is Merle Roehr, I contracted Western Equine Encephalitis in the summer of 1964 at the age of about six. We were living in the lower Texas Panhandle in the town of Plainview . I am told that it came about very suddenly and my folks were unable to wake me. There was never a mention of a coma, but I was asleep most of the time and remember very little about it. I spent about a month and a half in the hospital and another month at home in bed. During my time in the hospital, the first five days or so I had a 105 temperature and was told that I run from 105 to 107 points of pressure on the brain, I do not know what this means or by what index they were using. I have been told sense that both are extreme. I was for those days giver alcohol rub downs and ice baths to help with the temp. I was also administered three spinal taps, I am told to slowly relieve the pressure on the brain. Sometime in the first few days I was given a complete blood transfusion. I have never known the name of the man who gave me blood, but know that he dropped everything and flew into that little airport, he had once had the same strain sometime earlier in life. He had either herd the plea over the radio or through word of mouth of many churches. My folks have grown old and there memory is not as good, I have sense been told that I might have been as young as 3 years so that would make it in 1960. I believe the first date is correct. My greatest concern is the things that are starting to happen forty years later. I have not been able to get any records of the event because of old hospitals and old doctors. Doctors would like as much information as possible.
Before I was released from the hospital I was given an EEG twice, there was no brain damage showing. It was also said that there might be things show up in life later. I do not remember having problems with my speech, I do however remember having difficulty eating and it was necessary to learn the art of walking once again. I have very few memories of anything before the disease and have sense at times thought I was crazy. The older I become the more emotional I become. I have fought depression to the point of thinking of committing suicide. It is by God's help that I have worked past that point, I do however still fight depression a great deal of the time, but have learned ways of working through it. I have times when it is difficult to tell others what is going on , the best way I have been able to describe it is that my mind aches. I have had a great deal of hearing loss in bands and am told that the fever and possibly the brain pressure, are what have caused it, it is almost identical in both ears. I d not deal with directions very well and sometimes have much difficulty changing the way I do things for others. I do not handle numbers in any form such as in math but even to the point of phone numbers, they just do not stick in my mind. I can become confused at the drop of a hat for no apparent reason there are times I will stop in mid-sentence and lose my total train of thought. I carry a notebook all of the time to keep my thoughts together. I sometimes can see a red light but cannot transfer the thought of red to stop. I have always seemed to have the help at those times to be told. It appear that stress increases most of the problems and I seem to stress easier, it is even thought that the arthritis I have can be contributed to the illness in part. One other way I seem to be affected is that in sickness If my temperature reaches 101 I pass out and go into convulsions, seems to scare my wife. It is as if stresses are exaggerated along with many other things. I have never experienced anything that could be identified as censures but in recent times I have felt as if I were passing out and did not. It was as if I were looking at myself and knowing what was happening and not being able to do anything about it. I have in recent years taken up photography and have had a book published, things that say that there are gifts that I have that I enjoy and are an escape. Who is to say, they may also be a result of the illness.
There have been times that wondered if there were others who are experiencing some of the same things in there life. It is not to say that I have not been blessed with a full life, I have and I have enjoyed it. It does not however relieve the things that happen in ones body which others do not understand or accept. I am so glad to find this particular sight, thanks.
|
Merle Roehr
Texas, U.S.A.
Posted: July 28, 2005 |
|
|
