When Oleksii Barsukov woke up on the morning of April 1, 2023, he suddenly realized that he could not get out of bed. He had a severe headache and vomited when he tried to stand upright. Oleksii and his wife Oksana told us what happened that morning and how it all ended.

Oleksii:

"We immediately called an ambulance. When we got to the hospital, I had an MRI on my head. The doctors came to the only conclusion - a hypertensive crisis - and put me on an intravenous drip.

I had never been sick before this, and I don't drink alcohol at all.

We traveled to all specialized clinics in Ukraine, diagnoses were different: from herpes to hepatitis. I was treated according to all diagnoses, but it got worse and worse. We became so desperate, that we started going to herbalists and traditional healers.

By chance we came to see a professor from the Institute of Neurosurgery in Kyiv. He was the only one who, after looking at all the tests and scans (at that time it was a whole book like "War and Peace"), gave a possible diagnosis - cerebrospinal fluid leak, but noted that it was only an assumption. Such examinations are not performed in Ukraine and there is no way to confirm or deny it. After that we started to study the issue more deeply. We applied for consultations in clinics in Turkey, Israel, etc. Everyone doubted, no one gave us hope, the answers were standard: "...bring him, and we’ll see" or "...he won’t make it here...".

My wife came across the story of a woman with a similar problem on the Internet. That's how we found out about the Medical Center – University of Freiburg and of course we contacted them immediately. We were assured that this problem was being addressed and that the doctors at the clinic were very experienced in treating CSF leaks.

My wife and I left Kyiv on July 11, 2023, that day I still felt tolerable, I was lying on the back seat.

The distance from Kyiv to Freiburg was about 3000 km in our case, as we drove through Romania, Slovakia and Austria.

The only thing I vaguely remember is the first day and the first night in a hotel in Romania. On July 14, 2023, my consciousness blacked out and I basically turned into a vegetable...

Let me remind you that we were traveling without an appointment, we were not expected at the medical center, we had no experience in visiting such serious places, and time was against us."

Oksana:

"I was in constant contact with a very receptive staff member at the clinic. I was afraid that I would not be able to make it in time during working hours, and unfortunately there was a terrible downpour, a traffic jam, and my husband was out with all the consequences... I had to go out on the special lane.

I arrived, rushed to the office... But I was immediately told that this is not how it works, you need an appointment, coordination, etc. In short, give or take a week.

But seeing my desperation and the emergency situation, the staff looked for a way out, Dzmitry (a wonderful professional) joined in, and we were taken by ambulance to the emergency room. The MRI showed a cerebral hematoma (due to CSF leak), a drain was put in, we were admitted to the ward; IV, oxygen, etc. were connected. Within two days all the necessary diagnostics were done, the CSF leak was confirmed, and the operation was performed. Everything ended well, although the prognosis was sad (because of the hematoma and the lack of oxygen in the brain).

A week later, my husband was relatively healthy. We were discharged, stayed in the city for two more days for stabilization, and went home."

Oleksii:

"As of today, everything is great, I feel good, as if nothing happened.

In my personal opinion, the Medical Center - University of Freiburg is the place to go for quality treatment. German precision + years of experience = positive results. If the doctor's rounds are scheduled for 8:00 a.m., they will be at 8:00 a.m.! That says it all, and it applies to everything!

Huge thanks to our coordinators for reading the situation correctly and helping us at a critical time.

Incredible thanks to the attending physician PD Dr. R. Rölz and the surgeon PD Dr. C. Fung! Golden hands.

My best wishes for good health to you all!"

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