daily to monitor my condition and aid in their diagnosis . My saline and pain relief IVs were stopped late afternoon on Boxing Day as there was no instruction to continue with them . Due to the bank holiday , I didn ’ t see a doctor for two days . At times , I was delirious and couldn ’ t respond coherently . I couldn ’ t move around unaided . I managed some weak black tea and two digestive biscuits without being sick . I slept very poorly due to the pain and fever , and I couldn ’ t move my body to find a comfortable sleeping position .
SERIOUSLY ILL WITH JAUNDICE
A GP friend visited me and was shocked to see how seriously ill I was with jaundice , swollen feet , and IV drips . Alison knew I was a keen kayaker and suggested I might have Weil ’ s disease , which I had never heard of . After I read the information about Leptospirosis ( Weil ’ s disease ) - NHS ( www . nhs . uk ), I concurred .
A urology consultant friend also visited . He was shocked and concerned that no doctor had seen me for two days despite my serious condition . He rang the duty medical consultant to see me urgently .
On 27th December , the locum consultant came and examined me . He found I had a heart murmur caused by the infection and a rash on my back , abdomen and feet . I floated the suggested diagnosis of Weil ’ s disease to him , and he was receptive to the suggestion and ordered more blood tests . Blood culture results for Weil ’ s disease wouldn ’ t come back until a week later as it ’ s not a standard test , and they had to send it to Exeter Laboratory . I had antibiotics IV 10 days after the onset of my illness . I also agreed to have a catheter for them to monitor me . I was shocked to see the colour of my urine in the bag , which was the same colour as a full-bodied red wine .
BLURRED VISION
The following morning my vision was blurred . I saw the gastroenterologist involved in my care in the afternoon . With my symptoms of aching , fever , D & V , jaundice and conjunctivitis and my kayaking history , he was confident it was leptospirosis ( Weil ’ s disease ). More blood tests followed to monitor my progress , and an ultrasound scan of the abdomen on my upper organs to check for damage .
The following day I could raise my feet a tiny bit above the bed and had more movement in my legs over the following days . Liver and kidney functions were improving slightly but still abnormal .
On 30th December , two physiotherapists helped me get out of bed and sit on a chair beside my bed . Under their supervision , I was issued a walking frame to practise walking alongside my bed for the first time in 10 days .
EXHAUSTED
On New Year ’ s Eve , the same physiotherapists showed up and helped me negotiate stairs on the hospital staircase . I was discharged with antibiotics , Vitamin D , calcium , potassium and magnesium tablets , eye drops and cream to ease my itchiness and the walking frame . I was so pleased to be home , but everything I attempted exhausted me .
I received exceptional good care from the hospital staff and my GP . Physiotherapy helped strengthen my legs and improve my mobility . At an eye clinic , I was prescribed steroids drops to reduce the inflammation in the lining of my cornea and lubricant drops to reduce eye irritation .
THE UNLUCKIEST KAYAKER
I must be the unluckiest kayaker to catch leptospirosis . My GP friends commented that in their 35 years of practice , they only came across three cases in the whole practice with about 15,000 patients . Only farmers , vets and sewage workers are at high risk .
I made small improvements each day . Eight days after discharge from the hospital , I started moving around the house with a walking stick . My whole body was still very itchy because of the acute inflammation of the lining of my organs and muscles .
A week post-discharge , my blood results showed my liver and kidney functions were still abnormal , but the markers showed slight improvements . The blood test on 30th January showed my liver and kidney functions had returned to normal .
I could walk unaided after two months after contracting leptospirosis . My legs are still weak , and I must do daily exercises to strengthen them . Contracting leptospirosis hasn ’ t put me off from kayaking .
On reflection , I made poor decisions when I was very ill , and I should have gone to A & E sooner . The difficulty in recognising leptospirosis is that not all the symptoms appear simultaneously . If you are unfortunate to get these symptoms , you must tell the doctor you are a kayaker . Any delay could be fatal .
PADDLER 27