Osmand recieved a nightmare dignosis while on a dream holiday to Europe. Photo / Supplied, Instagram; unsplash, Kylie Docherty
Osmand recieved a nightmare dignosis while on a dream holiday to Europe. Photo / Supplied, Instagram; unsplash, Kylie Docherty
It was supposed to be the holiday of a lifetime. Bouncing around the Greek Islands and cruising along the Italian coastline in the ultimate European summer adventure.
But for primary school teacher Elise Osmand, the joy of overseas travel was brought to a sudden halt when one morning, the 28-year-old woke up without most of her eye sight.
Seemingly healthy and without any other symptoms, Ms Osmand put her vision loss down to a combination of jet lag and a big night out on the town with friends.
"My vision felt like I had foundation in my eye," Ms Osmand explained to news.com.au.
"I wasn't in pain … and I could see from the bottom of my right eye. But the top half was blurred to a dark brown, so I couldn't see properly."
Osmand hopes her story will encourage others to monitor for symptoms. Photo / Supplied, Instagram via news.com.au
Ms Osmand and her travel buddies were in a rush to get to the airport, so instead of seeking immediate medical attention, she decided to continue her travels to Athens and see how she felt in 24 hours.
"When I woke up the next day … my sight was completely gone in my right eye," she said, explaining that her 20/20 vision remained in her left.
"I also felt like I had a pressure headache … so thought maybe a migraine was coming on."
Having sourced an eye specialist close to her accommodation in Athens, Ms Osmand decided to seek medical advice for her "completely black" vision.
"He said very straight up it might be a brain tumour," Ms Osmand said.
"Then the next thing he said was …'you don't have a brain tumour … but it could be cancer'. That's when things freaked me out."
Being diagnosed in a foreign country on holiday, Osmand said her "whole world came crumbling down". Photo / Supplied, Instagram via news.com.au
After further analysis, the doctor – who was the only one Ms Osmand could find that spoke fluent English – came to a final diagnosis. A diagnosis that has changed the young Australian's life forever.
"He said after further investigation that I had Multiple Sclerosis (MS) … and the only thing I knew about that was a wheelchair," she said.
"At first I got upset about it … it was a really confronting moment. It felt like my world had come crumbling down … a death sentence."
MS is a disease in which the immune system eats away at the protective covering of nerves, resulting in disrupted communication between the brain and the body.
Currently, 10 Australians are diagnosed with MS every week with majority of those diagnosed being young women around a similar age to Ms Osmand.
Elise is now an advocate for MS raising awareness for the condition. Photo / Supplied, Instagram via news.com.au
Despite the terrifying experience of temporarily losing her sight for four months, the Queensland teacher considers herself lucky to have woken up blind on holidays as this led to a fast diagnosis.
"Returning home, I was in pretty bad shape," she explained.
"I was using steroids but my body really started to give up and the jet lag just exacerbated it."
With her vision making a return four months later, Ms Osmand said she began to experience other symptoms related to the diagnosis including hypersensitivity to touch and severe fatigue.
"Since my diagnosis in 2019, this has been a huge change to my life," she explained.
"I moved to the Gold Coast to be closer to the beach [and] on a treatment that works.
"I have always been very active and would do a lot of exercise. Now, while it's still really good for me to do, it can trigger symptoms and drain me to a point I can't recover from. So I have to stay hydrated and cool.
Ms Osmand said the diagnosis hit her at a very social stage of her life, which has taken a toll on her lifestyle.
"I am a very social person … for women this really can hit you in your prime," she explained.
"I can still go out and have a great time, but going out for drinks and having fun is now just having one or two [drinks] and preparing myself for a three or four hour sleep afterwards."
Osmand says her lifestyle on the Gold Coast has changed significantly since her diagnosis. Photo / Supplied, Instagram via news.com.au
Ms Osmand said the fatigue factor has been the hardest symptom to live with, especially as it often leads to cancelling plans at the last minute.
But while she says her life will never be the same, she hopes that her early diagnosis and effective treatment plan will reduce the likelihood of more complicated symptoms down the track.
"Some days are crippling and I can't get out of bed the entire day," she explained of her symptoms.
"I have issues with leg and hypersensitivity occasionally. There's no guarantee I won't have issues with other areas, but I may not get to the wheelchair stage.
"Getting on treatment is the most important thing you can do you and early detection. You can't fix damage but you can at least prevent further ones."
Ms Osmand is part of MS Motion, an initiative built by the MS community for the MS community - with a vision of raising awareness about how early intervention and prompt treatment can improve the lives of people with MS.
