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Oz contracted Herpes simplex Encephalitis, in June 2001; he was 39 years at the time.
We decided one day that we would pack up and go to Aussie for a better future; Oz got offered a Job in the mines in Emerald. So we decided to sell everything up, Oz went over first to set up and myself and the children stayed behind. He had been over there for a year at this stage, flying back every three months to see us.
Oz was the sort of man who would help anyone in need, hard worker 12-hour shifts, good provider, loving husband and a wonderful father. The children and I were still in New Zealand trying to get a visa; the house was all set up for us. This day I was waiting for Oz's call as he rang me every night when he got home from work. I had this gut feeling something was wrong. A week before Oz got sick he was complaining of sores on his body, like boils, he was starting to forget things at work, and just a general feeling of not being very well.
Oz walked to the car after work, and the strange bit was he didn't have a shower before he left work, which was unusual as he was covered in coal soot. His mate went to get in the car and Oz started having convulsions, so he rang the ambulance. They took Oz to Emerald hospital where they tried to stop the seizures. Nothing worked they did bloods, tried to do a spinal tap, toxicology, and they suspected drug abuse.
While in there they put Oz in our railed bed he was trashing his legs against the rails, and gushed them so deep you could see the bone. At this stage they were really looking after him. (Joke the other half of the time they were scratching their heads.) They decided to send him to a bigger hospital. The best thing they had come up with was starting to have faith. Oz was put in ICU and put into a drug-induced coma so they could do the tests. OZ was having 200 seizures. 200 seizures.
They did 3 lumber punctures, MRI testing and more tests, all were normal, his temperature was 109. At this stage they told me he wouldn't last the night. I tried to get a visa to fly over, immigration turned me down, as I was a naughty girl when I was a teenager, ha ha a real threat to Aussie. So I had to sit tight and live on the phone to the hospital this was heart wrenching I couldn't be with my husband.
They flew a specialist from Brisbane, and decided to try Oz on the antibiotic they use for Encephalitis, within 24 hours Oz's seizures stopped and his temp went down. So 6 days in ICU, 2 days in a normal ward and realized. Two days later Oz was flying back to New Zealand; to this day I wonder how anyone let him fly, he was shaking and shuffling through the airport, lucky he didn't have a seizure on the plane. He had one before he got on and one when he got off. When I arrived at the airport to pick Oz up I didn't recognize him, he looked like a skeleton and was finding it very hard to walk. I asked what medication are you on? Nothing. Did they do a follow up? No. This is when Jill's rampage began. I took him to our doctor; he said he would put in a referral to the hospital to a neurologist, urgent waiting list 6 months 2 years ahhhh.
The crutch came when Oz sceamed at one of our daughters for not putting her shoes on fast enough, then he stormed out of the house. I was yelling at him to come back, he told me that was it, he was going to take his life. Well I had to ring the police to find him, they found him in a shop begging for help as he couldn't remember his last name or where he lived, but he asked them to lock him. I had already explained to the police to pick him up and be very understanding of his condition, they were very good, but they took him to the hospital and he was admitted to the mental ward ahhhh.
It took them 2 days to realize he shouldn't be there and they couldn't do anything for him. They decided he had to see the spec right away before he hurt himself or someone else. Told the spec he was seeing things on TV that were not there (well I couldn't see them) and hearing voices, having hallucinations, a shaking fit at night and during the day he would go into trances. Well the spec put his meds up and said times the healer.
We are nearly a year down the track, I have sent so many emails, cried yelled, nearly had a break down trying to cope with it all. We were living on $90,0000 a year, so I had to go and work and now we are living on $25,0000. There have been times where I wanted to run away, but I married my husband because I loved him with all my heart and this was the time in our marriage he really needed me. We have our good days and bad ones, I have made a vow to myself that I will fight and kick ass till we get the proper care we deserve. It's under the basic human rights. The day I found Encephalitis Global was the turn around for mine and Oz's sanity, there are others out there to, we are not alone, someone else understands, and someone cares, thank you again Wendy for all your support and advice.
I'm OZ'S WIFE, MOTHER, DOCTOR and NURSE. I will stand by him all the way, and I hope we can be of any help to others.
My lesson from this was to have as many people in our corner, our local hospital social worker, our B.IA. counselor, epileptic advocate, as 90% of brain injures suffer from epileptic episodes. I research every night, read the different E stories with hope that I pick up the strength to carry on and help Oz to do the same. Will keep you posted with further developments.
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Wife, Jill
New Zealand
Posted: May 17, 2002 |
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