Thanks, guys.
I just rang W, I'm heading over there this morning. I cancelled my physio, I still haven't had my breakfast and it's almost 9.30 am. It will take about 90 minutes to get there in good traffic. difficult child 3 is staying behind, he'll either catch the afternoon boat out, or get a lift with sis-in-law or mother in law. I'm worried sis-in-law is going to throw a spanner in those works, I'm a bit cheesed off with her right now.
As for J - I'm increasingly thinking it's the pills. All my ideas are a composite of what I know of the family; what I know of tyhis country; what I know in terms of Physiology and Zoology (it's what my degree is in) and what you guys have thrown into the mix. It's been a powerful combination.
When I go over there I'm going to talk to the docs and to brother in law about what is in ANYTHING she's been taking on a daily basis for the last six months. The deterioration has been too steady and for too long, I feel, to be even a bat-borne disease.
I'm thinking this is a long-term build of and worsennig of an allergic reaction to something in those pills (possibly the bovine protein). However, like the furore over the Bindeez toys (when the wrong chemical got switched, and one less carbon atom in the chain meant the new chemical turned into GHB in the stomachs of babies who swallowed the beds and killed them - the company did not know about the substitution, it was done by the Chinese company the job had been contracted to) I do wonder if what is supposed to be in these pills, is what really IS in these pills. Again, it could be something fairly innocuous, but still allergenic. And whatever it was - she was inoculating herself with it daily.
It seems to be the only thing.
I'm hoping to talk to everybody also about transferring her to the teaching hospital. Not a lack of faith in the treatment she's been getting - I'm told the hospital has been marvellous. But I think they need more heads on their shoulders here, a bigger brains trust to get access to.
We need House.
About the bat-borne diseases - calling Australia Zoo is a good idea, but there are actually good people here in Sydney who actually advise Australia Zoo. I went to unit with one of them. She lectured when husband went to the same uni. I also have contacts from where I used to work, who could put me in touch with people. I'll start calling around on the road.
Thanks for the info so far, guys. I'm off to grab breakfast and get going. Computer now goes to difficult child 3 to (hopefully) get some schoolwork done in our absence. Fingers crossed on that, too!
Marg
