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On the second day of my exchange I began to vomit, unable to hold down
anything. Even when I drank water, I would throw up bile. I attributed
this to having a long day of travelling and eating too late. Then I
began to feel tight-chested and dizzy, it would hurt when I would respire.
I thought this might be my asthma and thought to leave it a couple of days
to get better.
That night I got a pain in my arm that is similar to when you lean on it and
part of it goes dead - except this pain seeped into every part of my arm,
the skin, the bone, and it wouldn't leave when I would move my arm. I
attributed this to leaning on it whilst I was sleeping and returned to
sleep.
That night I experienced the worst physical pain I have ever felt and became
delirious from the pain, thinking that my body was in halves and that I was
wrapped in bandages. It was as if there was a person in my chest,
kicking to get out every time my heart beat. To be honest, it was pure
terror.
The next day I told my host family I was ill and they rang their doctor. He
didn't turn up. The mother of my host family saw I was getting whiter and
whiter and took me to accident and emergency. I couldn't breathe and
every time I did it hurt. There were no chairs in accident and emergency and
so I sat on the floor.
After a series of tests I was told that my intercostal muscles were bruised
from vomiting and that I could go home. One doctor said however that
it would be a good idea to run a test again, as they weren't too happy with
it the first time. I went to get a scan of my heart whilst waiting for
the results.
A part of the membrane of my heart on the left side had come loose because
there was an infection there, the infection had damaged my heart, similar to
the damage you would get after a small heart attack. I was admitted to
intensive care in Tomaselli hospital in Catania, a specialist heart
hospital, where I was diagnosed with acute myocarditis.
Within the next two days I could do nothing, couldn't get up out of bed,
couldn't go to the toilet by myself or wash myself, I was rendered immobile.
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On the anniversary
of my grandfather's death, I made a miraculous recovery. This isn't
an exaggeration of words, a nurse, prompted by my recovery, brought
my mother some blessed bread - she thought it was a miracle.
She would later tell
my mother, who flew out with my sister as soon as she found out
about me being taken ill, that she thought my mother wouldn't get
there in time and that she'd be taking me home in a coffin.
I spent eleven days
in hospital, four in intensive care and the remaining seven I spent
sat in semi-intensive care. I could do things for myself and
move around but was useless, as I couldn't speak the language of the
people around me. |
Left to Right: Filippo (Nurse),
Francesca (Alex's sister), Alex, Gaetano (Nurse) |
I was subject to a barrage of tests every day, my arms are still bruised as
I type this because of endless blood samples and I can still not stretch
them out fully.
After eleven days, the insurance company sent out an English doctor to bring
me home. As he talked with the Italian doctors we became aware of
three facts. (1) My heart is surrounded by a bit of fluid; this acts
as a constrictive sack, meaning my heart cannot beat to its full extent.
(2) My right lung had a small amount of fluid in. Because of the damage to
my heart, which is a pump; the pump wouldn't function properly, causing a
backpressure, which, in turn, pushed fluid into my lungs. (3)
Myocarditis makes up 20% of sudden death causes.
At the moment I can't really do anything to extremes, I can't be too
excited, I can't laugh too much and I can't get scared. I can't walk
for long distances of time and can't lift anything. I need to take
fifteen tablets a day to sort out my heart and the problems within it.
Yet, I cannot be more glad to be not doing all of these things as I am still
here, at home, with people I love.
My mother and sister are superstars; I can't imagine what I would have done
without them. Even with them there I became institutionalised, trapped and
caught in the routines of hospitals. My mother can speak fluent
Italian and so could tell me what was wrong with me and just translate.
Without them I have no doubt that I would have gone slightly mad.
Lynne Mary Calvert. She held the fort from home, rang and texted every day,
managed the calls and messages and most importantly looked after the cats.
She ventured into my bedroom and tidied it when I was away and bought me new
pyjamas and vest tops and ginger nuts. She did everything to make sure I
would be comfortable when I got back home and for this she is everything
herself. I love her.
Zosia is one of my heroes, without her texts I would have had nothing to
come home to. Zia and Andrew, enough said really. Anisha, you're
awesome. Eddy, Bob and Jaimie, you're legends and I love you.
Emma, I love you. Everyone who sent a message or rang, you don't know
how much you did for me.
Needless to say, I do have a lot of spare time on my hands, but that will be
spent listening to music and playing Playstation three games - I feel it is
a sound investment for a boy who has to spend four weeks in bed.
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Alex's mother's account |
