Capturing the Single Dad’s Heart by Kate Hardy Read Free Book Online Page B

it?’
    â€˜Sometimes it’s caused by a virus,’ Erin said, ‘and you did say that you’d felt a bit fluey, so it might’ve been that. But sometimes there’s no reason for it—it just happens.’
    â€˜Will she get better?’ James asked. ‘It’s not—well...?’
    â€˜The good news is that it’s not fatal,’ Erin reassured him, guessing what he was worrying about. ‘And the even better news is that we can treat the condition. I’ll give you a five-day course of steroids, Judy, and that will reduce the inflammation and stop the pain.’
    â€˜Steroids? Aren’t they the things you hear about sportspeople taking when they cheat?’ Judy asked.
    â€˜No—those are anabolic steroids, which are a totally different type,’ Erin explained. ‘The steroids I’ll prescribe are the sort that occur naturally in the body and help to beat inflammation—actually, they’re the same kind that people take for treating asthma. They’ll reduce the pain and swelling, and if they don’t help enough we can look at a couple of other treatments as well.’
    â€˜How long will it take her to get better?’ James asked.
    â€˜It does take time and you need to be patient,’ Erin warned. ‘Usually you start recovering in a couple of months.’
    â€˜Months?’ Judy looked horrified. ‘But we were going on a swimming holiday in Greece in four weeks’ time.’
    â€˜I’m sorry—you’re not going to be well enough for that,’ Erin said gently. ‘It might be a couple of months before you’re back on your feet, and then we find that between three and six months after the episode you’ll recover more rapidly. And I do need to warn you that it can take up to a couple of years to make a full recovery.’
    â€˜A couple of years?’ James blew out a breath, looking shocked. ‘OK. Could Judy get it again?’
    â€˜Usually TM is a one-time thing,’ Erin said. ‘About a third of patients make a really good recovery, and a third find they have a slight permanent disability.’
    â€˜Which means a third don’t recover at all?’ Judy asked. ‘Do you know which one I’ll be?’
    Erin squeezed her hand. ‘I’ll be honest with you—right now, it’s too early for us to tell how you’ll respond to the treatment. But, as I said, we can start with steroids, we have some other treatments that we can try and we’ll get you some physiotherapy with a specialist in neurological cases. The exercises will help you get back on your feet and improve your condition, and it’s important that you keep doing them—but you will find that you get tired a bit more easily than usual, so you’ll need to build up to things.’
    â€˜I can’t get my head round this,’ Judy said. ‘So if this thing’s caused by a virus, does that mean James could get it as well?’
    â€˜No. TM isn’t infectious and it’s not hereditary,’ Erin said. ‘I can put you in touch with the local support group, so you can talk to other patients who’ve had the condition. They can help reassure you that this isn’t going to be the end of the world.’
    â€˜It feels like it,’ Judy said. ‘Right now, I can’t walk. We can’t go on holiday next month—and we were going to start trying for a baby after the holiday. We can’t do that now, either, can we?’
    â€˜It’s not ruled out for ever,’ Erin said, ‘but, yes, you will need to put that on hold for now.’
    A tear trickled down Judy’s cheek. ‘I feel so useless.’
    â€˜You’re not useless,’ James said immediately. ‘It’s not your fault you’re ill.’
    â€˜It’s nothing that you did wrong,’ Erin reassured her. ‘But try not to worry. My best friend’s mum always