My family went through a lifechanging ordeal recently.
My youngest was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease--Anti-NMDAReceptor Encephalitis. It started with the seizure episode and it went downhill from there. As per tagged website, symptoms are as follows:
At onset, the most distinctive features include prominent and mixed psychiatric symptoms, seizures, confusion and memory loss. The psychiatric features often include bizarre and rather disturbing behaviours with mood changes, and patients are often initially looked after in mental health hospitals. They may see things which aren’t there, develop strange beliefs or appear agitated. After this, often 10 to 20 days later, patients develop a movement disorder, variations in blood pressure, heart rate and temperature and lose awareness. The movement disorder often consists of continuous writhing and twitching of face and limbs but can also be a generalised slowing-down of movements. Most patients develop several of these features, but very rarely individual patients may experience only a few of these features.
Seeing my son go through all of these was very traumatic. I felt so helpless that I couldn't do anything to help him except rely on his doctors to help him get well.
We spent 23 days at the Asian Hospital and it was 23 days of torture. It took 2 weeks for his illness to be diagnosed and another week or so of treatments.
We were able to bring my son home but the road to recovery is long and arduous. He basically went through the whole gamut of symptoms and when we were discharged, he was on a wheelchair and could not eat or do things by himself. From the lively, active boy, he basically became an invalid who depended on us 100%.
I rely on the proven fact that recovery is imminent but we would have to be patient as it can take as long as 2 years. I've read so many testimonies of children getting better and resuming their old lives. I can't wait for that time to come as my heart breaks everytime I see my child being the way he is right now.
Now, I have to struggle with my own conundrum and make more decisions.
I've posted previously about my job which I love. However, it entails long hours and much of my energy. I'm lucky that the past two days I've returned to the office, the people I needed to talk to were away for an offsite meeting so I was able to go home earlier than usual and spend time with my sons (my eldest is also sick so I had to tend to him as well). A few months back, I was asked if I wanted to take on one of the units which my boss had problems with. But that would entail giving up my current job and moving to that team which my boss did not want me to do as he wants me to stay put. Now I'm seriously thinking of pushing it.
The new role is actually what I used to do in my previous job. The main reason why I'm seriously eyeing it now is that it's relatively light and based on what I've observed, not as heavy as my current role. Though how much I love my boss and what I do, my family comes first.
Let's see. I'll check how I am in a week's time and if this feeling persists then will push for the move.
In the meantime, please pray for the recovery of my son.
