Annus horribilis?
It's very early to be making that sort of call about a year, but 2006 has been decidely on the tough side for us so far.
Maree got sick in mid-January while in Wellington for work, and she's now had more than 4 months of debilitating illness. She's been diagnosed with neuralgia - which is a rare group of conditions involving nerve pain. Trigeminal neuralgia is the best known of these (with short bursts of extreme pain), however her condition is more along the lines of atypical facial pain - unremitting intense pain. Her pain is centred on the nerve at her right ear, and our best guess is that the nerve illness damaged by an ear infection that got out of hand.
Maree is currently on a substantial drug regime (Gabapentin, Meloxicam, Tramadol, Paracetamol/Codeine) to manage the pain levels. Her most recent hospital spell was during last week and this has added yet another drug (Carbamazepine) to the mix. It's been very good to see that the new combination is working fairly well. She's had the best week in more than a month - pain levels are still high but have been more manageable. Most importantly the drugs have helped her to sleep well ... something we haven't seen for well over a month.
Despite the challenges it's not been all gloomy. It's very reassuring to have access to such excellent health services - medicos, hospital and drugs. Maree's work colleagues have been a great support - especially the Wellington staff who were just fantastic at helping her while she was seriously ill and away from home. The local support is amazing too - people from church have helped with meals, visits and ongoing child care. Our school community has been generous in support - in fact that goes for just about everyone. And I've got plenty of work colleagues who have a caring side that you don't normally get to see in project work.
It's hard to get too depressed when there are so many wonderful people around about.
Maree got sick in mid-January while in Wellington for work, and she's now had more than 4 months of debilitating illness. She's been diagnosed with neuralgia - which is a rare group of conditions involving nerve pain. Trigeminal neuralgia is the best known of these (with short bursts of extreme pain), however her condition is more along the lines of atypical facial pain - unremitting intense pain. Her pain is centred on the nerve at her right ear, and our best guess is that the nerve illness damaged by an ear infection that got out of hand.
Maree is currently on a substantial drug regime (Gabapentin, Meloxicam, Tramadol, Paracetamol/Codeine) to manage the pain levels. Her most recent hospital spell was during last week and this has added yet another drug (Carbamazepine) to the mix. It's been very good to see that the new combination is working fairly well. She's had the best week in more than a month - pain levels are still high but have been more manageable. Most importantly the drugs have helped her to sleep well ... something we haven't seen for well over a month.
Despite the challenges it's not been all gloomy. It's very reassuring to have access to such excellent health services - medicos, hospital and drugs. Maree's work colleagues have been a great support - especially the Wellington staff who were just fantastic at helping her while she was seriously ill and away from home. The local support is amazing too - people from church have helped with meals, visits and ongoing child care. Our school community has been generous in support - in fact that goes for just about everyone. And I've got plenty of work colleagues who have a caring side that you don't normally get to see in project work.
It's hard to get too depressed when there are so many wonderful people around about.
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