You're a mean one, Mr. Hunt.

Ramsay Hunt, that is.  As in, the syndrome that keeps messing with my life.

(If you are unsure to what I am referring, please see That one time half my face was paralyzed..., That one time it WASN'T Bell's Palsy..., and The saga continues...)

The latest developments…

I had to go to urgent care on Saturday because my left eye was very red.   When I went to the ophthalmologist on Tuesday, he’d told me to watch for redness, inflammation, light sensitivity, and pain.  For the following few days, my eye would get red and then go back to normal and back and forth.  Finally, I decided it was red enough to see the doctor.

At urgent care, the doctor told me that it was good I had come in and then continued to explain how dangerous all this paralysis and junk is for my eye. Currently, I have superficial Keratitis due to exposure (since my eye can’t blink and I still can’t seem to tape it closed well enough at night).

At my previous appointment, I was put on a regimen of anti-bacterial eye goo 3 times daily for 5 days and eye drops every hour.  This doc. said to continue all that for how long that doc. had said, and then he also put a protective lens in my eye to cover the “important parts” (it’s like a contact lens without a prescription). He also told me to see a doctor again in 10 days, who may leave the lens in or take it out (I can keep it in for up to a month), told me it was risky to travel since I could need emergency care for any number of possible complications, and told me that if I am not better in a couple of months, I should go home, at which point, I may need eye surgery.

Great.

To be honest, out of all of that, what stuck with me most was the whole ‘travel might be a bad idea’ thing…  Why?

Have I mentioned that I had a crazy, amazing Christmas trip planned?  My friend, Emily, and I had planned a once-in-a-lifetime journey through 7 countries in 20 days.  We spent hours and hours researching, planning, buying tickets, etc.  In October, we asked our schools for an extra week off at Christmas, promising to make up the time.  They allowed it, and we set to planning.

Our amazing, yet whirlwind trip would start in Milan, Italy, to Tirano, Italy where we’d catch a scenic train tour through the Swiss Alps to Chur, Switzerland, to Zurich, a day-trip from Zurich to Lucerne, to Munich, Germany, to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle about an hour and a half from Munich (Neuschwanstein Castle), to Salzburg, Austria and the Sound of Music tour, to Vienna in time for Christmas, to Budapest, Hungary, to Bratislava, Slovakia for a day, and, finally, to Prague, Czech Republic for New Year’s.   

Did I mention that this trip was also planned in order to see the Christmas markets in each of those places?  Well, it was.  Oh, and did I mention that this trip was to start THIS FRIDAY?!

    

Top Left: Bernina Express (scenic tour through the Alps).  Top Right: Vienna Christmas Market.  Bottom Left: Prague at New Year's.  Bottom Right: Neuschwanstein Castle

         

Like I said, a whirlwind, but AWESOME!

Well, after seeing the doctor, it seems as though this trip will no longer be possible for me.  What if I’m in Munich and I need an eye doctor?  Where would I go?  How does the system work?  Could they read the info from my previous treatments seeing as it’s in Spanish?  Would I have to stay longer than a few   hours… a few days?  What about the rest of the trip?  What if there’s a complication? … and what if everything goes swimmingly and there are absolutely no issues?

Ugh.

Not a betting woman, myself, I’m inclined NOT to test the “I’m sure it’ll all be fine and nothing bad will happen” theory.  However, the optimist in me is inclined to believe that the theory is true.  I’ve had to ask myself, “Rachel, what is your gut telling you… even if you don’t want to hear it?”  Well, my gut is telling me not to go on the trip.  Stupid Keratitis.  Stupid Ramsay Hunt.  Stupid stupidness.

I am so frustrated and sad and mad!  

Now, on top of trying to work out refunds (unlikely) and what not, I have to decide whether to stay in Spain, saving money, trying not to get super homesick, and maybe travelling a bit around here, OR forking out the dough for a trip home to the U.S., seeing my family, perhaps seeing another ophthalmologist, and perhaps having a very hard time coming back to Spain (emotionally).

What would YOU do?