28 April 2009

My birthday











On ANZAC Day I "celebrated" my 56th birthday. We had beautiful sunny days for the weekend. I enjoyed a birthday dinner with my family. We took some photos, including a few of me in a wheel chair. I will hopefully look back on these photos next birthday and remember this time when I couldn't walk, but I will be walking then. I am now having fortnightly IVIG treatment so look forward to having some improvement in my walking.

01 April 2009

Hospital

Last week I spent a week in hospital for treatment of my CIDP using intravenous immunoglobulin over five days. The treatment was fairly comfortable though getting the canula inserted was not a pleasant experience, but of course necessary. When not being infused with the treatment, I was on a saline drip to keep my vein open so was hooked up most of the time. With my disability, it was difficult when I wanted to go to the toilet or shower, taking the drip with me and being helped on to a toilet/shower chair on wheels by two nurses. At times they were all very busy and I was desperate but fortunately no "accidents". The staff at the hospital were very good but there are not enough of them to cope sometimes, especially in the mornings. The food was quite good. I was glad to return home because in hospital, understandably, the patient fits in with the hospital routine which doesn't always coincide with your own body routine. I will have follow up treatments as a day patient and hope to see some improvement in my condition in about a month.