At the first set of follow up scans, the doctor said when my fatigue wears off I am free to travel again. That includes flying!!! It is not the flying that plays havoc on my head, but the takeoff and landing. The cabin pressure change severely affects my intracranial pressure (the pressure in your head) which could cause the onset of seizures.
To help keep my positive attitude going, I wanted to get the travels started immediately and get out there. After being confined for 5 months in recovery and sheltered from the world, I was excited to travel again and start socialising and enjoying my life again. I started my travels with local with a small trip to see friends in Edinburgh for a few days, travelling by train. That seemed to be fine, as long as I slept on the train and had regular sleeps during the day to assist fighting the fatigue. The following week, my good mate Luke moved from Brisbane, Australia, to come and live with me to provide me with support and to travel with me. He uprooted his life in Australia to come live with me, and for this I am truly grateful! The day after Luke landing on UK soil, we were off to Amsterdam for 3 nights. Cheap flights, relatively cheap accommodation through ‘Air BnB’, no plans, we were set! See more below…
We spent most days roaming the streets, visiting the sex museum, the “Iamsterdam” sign, Van Gogh’s museum, Anne Frank’s house, the Red Light District, the Heineken brewery/experience and all the other amazing sights and experiences Amsterdam has to offer. A whirlwind 3 nights and 4 days left both Luke and I exhausted!
When we got back to Manchester, the fatigue caught up with me and I was stricken to bed for the next 8 days. Unfortunately this was Lukes first week in the UK and he was stuck at home with me and the odd outing. After the 8 days in bed, the fatigue started to wear off, the doctor said I am fine to continue travelling, but to keep up the sleep and napping during the day to manage the fatigue better. What better way to travel Europe than go on a camping tour in the shoulder season by bus with Topdeck. By travelling on a bus, I could sleep on the 4-10 hour bus journeys every second day and catch up on sleep, while still ‘trying’ to keep up with the c.40 people on the group sightseeing and exploring. The Topdeck adventure starts on the next blog post…
