Helicopter Evacuation Sunday, February 17, 2008

JUSTINE IN HER HOSPITAL 'GLAMOUR GOWN' AS THE NURSE CALLED IT.
We're both fine ( don't worry mum!), but yesterday Justine was helicoptered out of Port Craig to Invercargil hopsital, with Barry coming for support. This is Justine writing and I've been feeling really low on energy, with a very sore back and getting fevery. I've been struggling to eat and often feeling sick. On our 2nd night in the old school house at Port Craig I woke up at 3am freezing and I just couldn't get warm, even with layers of clothes and Barry's sleeping bag aswell as my own. I was so cold I was shivering uncontrolably which put my sore back into spasm. A hot chocolate with extra sugar and honey sorted me out but over the next couple of days I'd constantly swing from being really cold to really hot and sweaty. Walking a hundred metres would wipe me out. There was obviously something serious wrong so we phoned Dr Bob Mark, a UK doctor ( and seakayaker) who agreed to be on the end of a phone for us if we had a medical problem in a remote place. After chatting to him about all my symptoms he diagnosed me to start taking antibiotics ( which we had with us courtesy of another doctor seakayaking friend Suzanna Gaynor). I immediately started taking these but 24 hours later I was feeling even worse, my breathing was really heavy and laboured and I was really week. Barry went to fetch Faye, a nurse staying a the nextdoor hut and she recommended that I get taken to hospital as she was worried that my laboured breathing meant there might be something else wrong aswell. so an hour later we were on a helicopter with a nurse and a paramedic and 20 mins later we landed at the helipad outside Invercargil hospital. The hospital staff were great and after various tests and measurements they diagnosed that I 'just' had a bad infection, I was on the right anti-biotics and I should start to feel better within 24 to 48 hours. They discharged me about 11pm and Tim Anderson, who we stayed with before in Riverton, kindly picked us up from the hospital and brought us back to his house again to recover in more luxury. It's the next afternoon now and I'm feeling much better - still a bit weak but I am starting to want to get back on the water and continue our trip. Our kayaks and kit is still at Port Craig which is a 17km hike from the nearest road, so our next adventure will be getting back there! The earliest we might paddle is Tuesday, we'll see how it goes.

THE LONGEST WOODEN VIADUCT IN THE WORLD, SEEN FROM OUR FIRST HELICOPTER RIDE!