Fraser's Adventures in Poland...
Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2010 2:15 pm
Well here we are in Katowice, back at the hotel after the first test at the hospital in Zabrze (town close to Katowice). My husband has MS, diagnosed 8 1/2 months ago, categorized as PPMS.
It was a long road to get here. So much indecision, fear, apprehension - you name it. Of course you work hard to get an appointment and then when you get it you think "what am I doing!". We flew from Canada, with a total of 20 hrs. in the sky and waiting to make connections in 2 cities. Kind of surreal to be here, but so far things have gone very smoothly.
We were greeted at the airport by a very friendly guy holding a sign with our names on it. A very nice way to arrive in a foreign city where you don't know a soul (or the language). We were promptly driven to our hotel in Katowice - about a 45-60 min. drive from Krakow. Nothing to do until the next day at 2:00, when we were to meet in the lobby. The hotel is very comfortable, not luxurious but more than adequate. We had a nice dinner in the hotel, and to bed. At 2:00pm today we were taken to the hospital for the MRI, the first test. All went smoothly - husband said it was very easy & noisy but they provided ear plugs and he almost fell asleep. We were given 2 copies of results on the spot - printout of 4 scan images and a CD (one copy for us to take home). Back to hotel around 7:00pm. That's it for today - had a very good dinner tonight in the little mall attached to hotel.
So far the process has been painless - they've set everything up really well. All the rides to and from the hospital are provided, taking much of the stress out of the whole thing. Tomorrow is really the big day - the doppler, and if my husband is a good candidate for the procedure it will be done following the doppler. Husband is packing for a hospital stay now, but have no idea if he will be staying. Absolutely no regrets at this time - so glad we came, because if nothing else we will leave with some answers.
(Also met 2 other couples here for same procedure - so great to compare notes and chat about our experiences)
Tomorrow is D-day. To be continued....
It was a long road to get here. So much indecision, fear, apprehension - you name it. Of course you work hard to get an appointment and then when you get it you think "what am I doing!". We flew from Canada, with a total of 20 hrs. in the sky and waiting to make connections in 2 cities. Kind of surreal to be here, but so far things have gone very smoothly.
We were greeted at the airport by a very friendly guy holding a sign with our names on it. A very nice way to arrive in a foreign city where you don't know a soul (or the language). We were promptly driven to our hotel in Katowice - about a 45-60 min. drive from Krakow. Nothing to do until the next day at 2:00, when we were to meet in the lobby. The hotel is very comfortable, not luxurious but more than adequate. We had a nice dinner in the hotel, and to bed. At 2:00pm today we were taken to the hospital for the MRI, the first test. All went smoothly - husband said it was very easy & noisy but they provided ear plugs and he almost fell asleep. We were given 2 copies of results on the spot - printout of 4 scan images and a CD (one copy for us to take home). Back to hotel around 7:00pm. That's it for today - had a very good dinner tonight in the little mall attached to hotel.
So far the process has been painless - they've set everything up really well. All the rides to and from the hospital are provided, taking much of the stress out of the whole thing. Tomorrow is really the big day - the doppler, and if my husband is a good candidate for the procedure it will be done following the doppler. Husband is packing for a hospital stay now, but have no idea if he will be staying. Absolutely no regrets at this time - so glad we came, because if nothing else we will leave with some answers.
(Also met 2 other couples here for same procedure - so great to compare notes and chat about our experiences)
Tomorrow is D-day. To be continued....