Niall finds himself experiencing a collection of small niggling health problems. They irritate him but don't worry him. After all, they are just random problems, nothing serious, so he ignores them until he is forced to look at the wider issue.
***...
The medical information contained in this chapter is fact. The treatment Niall has undergone is still in the trial stages but is showing promise.
Liam and Niall both sat back, giving Paul Taylor their full attention. Paul himself, perched on the end of Niall's bed as he opened the folder he held on his lap then pulled out several sheets of paper. Niall twitched nervously and Liam stood up, sitting right next to Niall, grasping both of the little Irishman's hands in a comforting grip. Niall looked up at him and smiled fleetingly before looking back at Paul.
"Niall, I first want to go over what we've done just to make sure you completely have everything straight in your head. As you know this treatment is still completely experimental. Its given us good results in trials but I do have to remind you that there is still so much we don't know.
You've come through the chemotherapy that was needed to destroy your immune system. This had to be done as MS causes the immune system to go into attack mode rather than the defence mode that it is its correct function. Once we have rebooted the immune system to its 'default' stage, we then introduced the stem cells that we removed from your body before the chemo was started. With me so far?" Paul looked from Niall to Liam , who both nodded. "Then we have had to wait. Although you were not conscious most of the time due to various problems, you had to be kept in an Isolation Unit as your body literally had no defence system. " Niall nodded, only vaguely remembering the last few days just before he was allowed to return to his current room. He stared at Paul, hardly daring to breath as he waited for the Neurologist to continue.
"I've got the results of your scans here" Paul held up the papers then pulled what looked like strange pictures out of the folder. There seemed to be quite a few. " Have a look at these and I'll explain" He laid down a few of the pictures in front of Niall who looked down at them frowning. It looked like nothing on earth he had ever seen and he hadn't a clue what he was looking it. Liam was frowning too, totally out of his depth.
"OK, quick recap" Paul said. "MS is an auto-immune disease. In the healthy body a substance, a protein, called myelin , lines the nerve fibres in the body to protect them. When the immune system misfires, shall we say, the myelin becomes inflamed and that starts to damage the nerves.We call it demyelination. When these inflamed nerves linings are in the brain they cause lesions or plaque, if you find that easier to understand?" He looks at the two young men who both nod slowly. "This then damages the central nervous system. Different patients experience different first symptoms. For you, Niall, it affected your optic nerve" Niall's eyebrows creased together as he remembered that somewhat terrifying event.
"So what exactly did the chemo do" Liam asked
"That killed Niall's immune system and , in doing so, destroyed the plaque covering the nerves endings in his brain and any other part of the body where it had attacked. Look..".He pushed one particular picture towards them. They both studied it carefully.
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"Wow" Liam breathed. And now? For Niall, I mean?"
"Niall's scan showed that the majority of the damage has been destroyed. There is the suggestion of a very minute dot of plaque here" Paul indicated the point with the tip of his pencil. It may be nothing, it may be something. It's impossible to tell. To be honest, as I have said on numerous occasions. There is so much we don't know and may not find out for years."
"But this worked?" Niall asked, anxiety lacing his voice.
"Niall, as far as we can tell, it appears that it has "
"Do I hear a 'but' ? Liam was quick to ask and Paul sighed gently.
"You did. We know that the results for this treatment are best in young people, under 35 or so and that are also still in the earliest stages of the disease. However, we don't know if the outcome of treatment is permanent, or if the disease will return. Therefore we have no clue what the outcome is really going to be."
"But I don't have MS any more?" Niall looked hopefully at Paul.
"Technically, it would appear not Niall. However, you'll be tied to the Neurology Department for life. You'll still need regular scans and check ups.This is still going to be part of your life. And this treatment has also come at a cost. Unfortunately you now have other health issues that are not going to go away and will affect you for the rest of your life" He gave Niall a very serious look before he continued "You've more tests over the next few days then I can give you better answers when we have the results."
"Can I leave then? Go home?" Niall wanted to know. He was so done with the hospital. He'd been here for so long and all he could think of was getting away from here.
"I don't see why not" Paul smiled at Niall as he stood. "Planning on returning to Ireland?"
"Ummmh, no. I was hoping to go to the States with Liam here" Niall said cautiously looking at Paul who was frowning.
"Let's get those tests done and we'll talk. I'm not keen on you going so far. I want to make sure the correct medical backup is place". He could see the disappointment on Niall's face."First things first, OK?" Niall slumped back against his pillows and mumbled an 'OK' as Paul said his goodbyes to them.
The two men sat in silence before Liam got off the side of Niall's bed and gave him a quick hug. "It's all good, mate" he said encouragingly. "Look, I have to go. I'll call you tomorrow. Need anything before I go?"
"Yeah, can you pass me my laptop. I want to email my family. Not up to talking to them right now." Niall was quiet. Liam retrieved the laptop and passed it to Niall before running his hand gently through the fluffy regrowth of hair on Niall's small head. "See ya " he said as he left. Niall powered up his laptop then scrolled through his emails. He quickly typed out an update for Greg, deciding to c.c. to other people as he wasn't feeling like doing any more. He clicked names, going down the list of contacts...Basil, Harry, Louis, Paddy, Preston, Simon,. Two other names caught his eye as he rescanned the list. Oh well, he thought as he clicked on the first of the names.Maybe...he could hope.
