how long do the side effects last

[pennywiseclown]

i had it when i was seven.and all my life ive had mood swings and behaviour problems.i am not 32.behaviour wise ive grown up.but still have my days.when im against anyone and everyone.but my moods can change from one moment to the next.i am a very positive person.so its not like me.well it is.its been like that since i can remember.but i know its not normal.and what do i do about it??? can it be hepled or do i just have to deal with it.its not like i dont know how.but reading on here its made a light go on in my head

[MNClaireD Partner Meningitis Now]

Hello

Meningitis can cause a wide range of after-effects including behavioural difficulties and mood swings. In some people, after-effects can improve with time, in others they are life-long. There are ways in which these problems can be helped and I have sent you a private message.

Perhaps other forum members have experienced similar problems and can also offer some suggestions?

Claire

[Jonad724]

I suffered viral meningitis in 2002 which was so serious the hospital didn't think I was going to get through my first night of admission and I have been left with a wide variety of side effects (See my post Oh No It's Angry Dad for more) and for me it is pretty certain they are life long.

What I have had to do is work out if there any things which particularly trigger or make the after effects worse and learn to live with the limitations they place upon me. This has largely been the result of 5 or 6 years of trial and error so I know that if I get tired then the headache I always have will get worse and as a result I will be like a bear with a sore head and unbearable to my friends and family.

I suppose like a typical bloke I tried to ignore them and the limitations they placed on my life but that just made it worse and I felt they were in control and i felt helpless to live my life without them interfering. Learning to work around them and learning what makes them worse has stopped a lot of the despair I used to feel as I can spot the early signs of when things are going to get worse (I kept a diary of symptoms so I could spot patterns and episodes).

Now I live with limitations but this hasn't stopped me from racing triathlons and I'm planning to complete a half ironman this year, I just work my training around the after effects, and for me this is a victory. Sticking two fingers up to meningitis is probably the best way I can describe it!

I hope this has helped, Jonathan

[LisaT]

Hi Jonathan and Penny

I am still recovering from Viral Meningitus ( I got it in July 2011 ) so its been six months, Im suffer from a dull ache of head pain most days but my really bad days are when I just feel exhausted and a severe pain in my head, light sensitivity which makes me irratble. Its been a journey, I also write daily notes so I can work out patterns and I have come a long way, the good days are more than the bad days now.

My questions to jonathan is regarding excercise, Im desperate to get fit again ( I used to run a lot ) I started Cycling and walking in October ( probably a bit too soon but it really helped me cope with my low days ) I can walk up to an hour and half now and cycle for about an hour on a flat surface ...I tryed a run this week and within 5 mins I had my cricket bat head ( Ie I felted like I been wacked ) it lasted a few days afterwards, I know everyones advice is to listen to the body ..but how did you get back into excercise and doing your triathlons...I love excercise and feel like I can cope so much better with it all, so any advice much appreciated

[katy-g]

hi my son got ecoli meniigitis when he was 5 months old.. he went thru a behaviour prob when he was 4 but calmed down he is now 10 and over the past couple of years i have noticed various things so has school .. his behaviour he has been tested for dyslexia and results came back he had some dyslexic problems he also has ocd .. i have had him referred back to the specialist and still going thru the process to see if this is down to menigigitis after effects .. shall keep ppl posted i have just joined here so goin to get used to it and see about doing a blog as i think this will help others and myself

[hannahg]

Hi

I suffered re-occuring meningitis from 5 I am now 23, my behaviour was badly affected aswell as my moods.

There is a few things that I found really helped, councelling- talking about the experience of meningitis and how you felt, at 1st I didn't think it would help but mom insisted it would and the meningitis trust provided me with the councellor I noticed things did imprive, my anger reduced towards others, and I became more positive.

Relaxations-everyone finds different things relaxing, it maybe a massage, reflexolagy, relaxation tapes, going for a walk, having a long relaxing bubble bath, with nice aromatherapy treatment, try to do two of these a week.

Doing something that you find difficult- puzzles used to drive me mad and would increase my temper when the couldn't work them out, with doing these I learnt how to control my temper something which after my bouts of meningitis I struggled with, I found this really useful as I realised I could work out again not to get easily frustrated and how was my best ways of controlling it

These things I found helped me a lot but I didn't stop once I found my mood improved and temper increased, I continue with my relaxation and I talk to people about my experience, I have learnt well to control my temper now and I am not as snappy and don't have change in my moods as dramatically

[Tiga]

i found zinc and B6 helped a lot with moods, and changed my diet, little walks, also find a scent that relaxes you, i use vanilla, hope this may help you x