February 2007
I didn't improve after the second course and on 4th February I ended up visiting the out of hours doctors [CamDoc]. My symptoms at this point included light sensitivity, blood and thin mucus from my nose, tiredness, pain across the bridge of my nose and in my teeth [top and bottom, most severe at the front lessening to the back]. The pain was so severe that I was unable to sleep. My entire face felt swollen.

CamDoc prescribed a stronger antibiotic. I seemed to improve slightly over the next few weeks; I was still in pain, still very tired, but I was able to continue at work [reduced hours].

March/April 2007
At the end of March I got a very bad sore throat and was diagnosed with tonsillitis, and given another course of antibiotics.

At this point I asked to be referred privately to an ENT specialist since my GPs told me repeatedly that there was a six month waiting list to see someone on the NHS.

A few days after the tonsillitis diagnoses I woke up feeling dizzy. I thought nothing of it and went about my day as usual. The next day it was so severe I couldn't walk or stand. I got trapped in the bathtub. I had to shout for Kara to come help me, but I couldn't shout very well thanks for the tonsillitis. By some miracle she heard my plaintive yells and came to my rescue. I was able to get down to the sofa and I didn't move for the rest of the day. At 3am CamDoc came to look me over and they diagnosed labyrinthitis. I spent most of April lying on the sofa feeling tremendously dizzy.

My first appointment with the ENT specialist was on 6th April so I didn't see my GP after that.

May/June 2007
May and June were the best months I had through all of this. I managed to get back to work, the gym, my life a bit. In June I had a grommet fitted in my right ear so I could hear again. The pain in my teeth went away and I improved.

July 2007
Unfortunately, the grommet plugged up during the following month - deaf again. I went on holiday a week after that appointment in fairly good spirits, confident that the grommet would unplug and I would finally be better.

While on holiday I relapsed. After I got home I saw my GP and she prescribed another course of antibiotics. She suggested I see my dentist to ensure that the pain in my teeth was not being caused by my teeth. Now my symptoms mirror those from February [except for the light sensitivity].

August 2007
I saw my dentist on 29th August and my teeth were described as strong and healthy. I had two wisdom teeth coming in on the top. The right one was removed in December 2007 and the left one is still coming in.

I'm told I have high blood pressure. I'm gob smacked because I had been taking such good care of myself before I got ill. I end up having to stop the combination contraceptive pill and switch to progesterone only which adds all kinds of girl problems to the mix. I start taking beta-blockers to help with the high blood symptoms [rapid pulse, bleeding gums].

September 2007
I finally get to see the ENT on the NHS. My nose seems to be collapsing in on itself. This is called saddle nose and the main clue that I had WG. Mine isn't too bad in the great scheme of things, front on it just looks bruised, from the side it is noticeable, but not devastating. They tell me that it can be surgically corrected no problem. I'm waiting until I'm in remission to get it fixed.

I have a biopsy taken from my nose to test for WG. I get my last 'healthy' weekend.

October 2007
I get to work on the 1st and notice that it is much harder to hear people. My right ear has been plugged almost continuously since January, but my left has been working fine. When I get up on the 2nd, I find that my left ear is plugged too. I spend the entire month deaf. The 1st was also my last day at work to present time of writing.

I get my official diagnosis of WG.

The anxiety, frustration, guilty and pain all combine to bring depression and I end up on antidepressants again. It also turns out that the high blood pressure was being caused by the anxiety. The plan as I understand it is that once the anxiety is under control, the blood pressure problem will disappear and then I can switch back to my usual contraceptive.

November 2007
The right side of my face stops working and my GP diagnoses Bell's Palsy. I see my vasculitis and ENT people two days later. The vasculitis people seem okay with how things are going. The ENTs decide that my infection is so rampant that it is the cause of my facial paralysis. So it isn't Bell's and I am admitted to hospital for four days and administered intravenous steroids and antibiotics.

The hospital was so upsetting for me because of the anxiety disorder that I take three weeks to just stop hearing the phone from the nurse's station, the beep from the blood pressure machine and get rid of the tightness in my chest.

The rest of November is heaven. I feel so much better, human almost. I convince myself I'm on my way back and start planning to return to work possibly.

December 2007
Beginning of the month is great as still enjoying the benefits of the hospital stay. Work is vetoed because of anxiety issues so I am taking another month off work. Around the middle of the month, the pain starts creeping back in and everything seems to be back sliding.

I develop a cough just before Christmas. One night it is so bad I end up vomiting. We arrange to see the vasculitis people because my methotrexate book tells me that a dry cough is one of the side effects and we need to be careful with breathing difficulties. My voice comes and goes too. So I can't talk or hear anymore - life is grand.

Boxing Day I end up going to see CamDoc again. I'm in so much pain I can't even think. I have a go on the nebuliser for the wheezing, get an inhaler to help the wheezing at home, steroids to help with the swelling/pain, more painkillers and antibiotics. The next day I ended up in another coughing/crying/vomiting cycle so Kara called our doctor and he said he would squeeze me in if we could make it up to the surgery.

I start on morphine for the pain and we arrange to see him the following Monday. On that day he advises me not to take my methotrexate that week while we try to figure out what's wrong with my breathing. He arranges for another chest x-ray and blood tests.

I also have no sense of smell or taste. Fun.

Keep reading... January 2008 to December 2008