15 weeks post Bacterial Meningitis.

[Dynomite]

Well it's been almost 15 weeks now since I got sick. Some things are definitely better then they were in my first post, some are the same and some are new. Does this EVER go away? I'm feeling better today but the last week I felt just awful and got my first bout of depression. It all stemmed from my head issues. I get frustrated, some "friends" get frustrated. I seem to hear ok but I have a real hard time sometimes processing what I'm hearing, and the harder I try the harder it becomes. My memory is the same, the harder I try to remember the harder it is. I feel like I'm always 20 feet under water, the pressure, the hearing, it's crazy but it even sounds like what you'd hear under water. Anybody else feel this way? When there's multiple sounds or people talking I can't make sense of any of it. Music (which I've always loved) is really hard to listen to. I'm still dizzy most of the time and I lose my balance a lot. This illness is so frustrating! I'm going to try out a new Doc as it is impossible to see the old one as his nurses basically run the place and as I've found out trying to get follow up appts with anyone that knows anything about meningitis is impossible!

[SilverCharm]

Dynomite, sorry to hear that your recovery is so frustrating. I am about 4 months ahead of you in my recovery from aseptic menigngitis (bacterial unknown/partially treated). I am not experiencing the same symptons you are but I am experiencing some memory problems as my wife is often vocal about. Not in a mean way but in a "frustrated way" as you put it. I was still sleeping a lot at 4 months out and it seemed to help with all symptoms.

While I am not having the under water hearing and balance issues, I have a companion headache constantly. I have posted previously that I did not think I would get that, but I have it. It hurts with the "pressure" feeling as you put it every time I sneeze or cough and I have some pretty bad allergies, so that's no fun. It also hurts every time I drive in the car for more than an hour. Fortunately, two tylenol help and I have even tried naproxen (alleve) and it seem s to help even more. I cannot bend over to pick anything up or have my head lower than my body as the pressure is really intense and I cannot take it. Its not like that everyday, some worse than others.

With my relatively mild symptoms, I feel fortunate to be here and thankful for the treatment and the recognition the ER docs gave me when I presented in the ER. Without immediate antibiotics, I might not be here today.

I see the Neurologist at the end of the month and I am anxious to ask him your questions about symptoms ever going away. As it was explained to me, we've had a very serious head injury, very similar to a concussion. So until those membranes heal, we're stuck.

[Dynomite in reply to SilverCharm]

Thank you SilverCharm, I hadn't really experienced the headaches until this week, it's not too bad kind of like a slight sinus pressure headache for me (I used to get migraines so these aren't too bad). It seems to me that while we all have similarities none of our cases are exactly alike and I've learned so much from others on this site and it helps to know "I'm not the only one"

C

[paul1224]

Hi Guys

well i seem to be a bit a head of you i am 10 years in november

from my experience i hate to be the voice of dome but i still suffer fro when i got it

i have 2% hearing in my left ear none in the right

i have no balance kidney problems all sorts the last nine years my health has been bad . when i went down with men-b i was fit active my job was taking youths out on out door activities the week i went down i had been out quad biking 3 times and getting paid for it the way i look at life is to take one day at a time and enjoy what u can do but every case is different u count my self very lucky

but the one thing about men-b every case is different

The one thing i would ask is never stopping telling as many people as you can all about it even to the point of boring them because one day they might need that bit of information you gave them to save some ones life tell people your symptoms and what the general symptoms are you never know but u may help to save some ones life

my only symptom was pains in my legs as though i had the flu coming i got up for work felt like this luckily for me my wife called 999 and they took , in to hospital about 2 am and it was 11 am when they new for certain what it was i was in a commer for 4 weeks and woke up deaf and needing carpel tunnel operations on both hands

then another 8 weeks in hospital

see what i mean about boring people sorry folks

but don't rush to be better take it one day at a time and i am sure u will get there

all the best to every one

and please spread the world

[Tucker71 in reply to paul1224]

Hi Paul, on reading ur message I was struck by our similarities on the hearing part, I to have only 2% left after bacterial meningitis caught last month, I'm so depressed I'm 43 lady, can't cope with this and tinnitus very loud too.... I had hearing test last mon, and getting massiv aids soon but I'm wanting the cochlear implants but heard u have to give the sides sometime like 3 months ? Is that right? And also could u advice me on wats the best tv listener to get, I'm disabled so stuck indoors all day, i need a tv listener , I was gotten one by meningitis now the geemarrc but I can hear volume but not understanding the words at all, iv got to tell them wat would be better for me instead but havnt got the foggiest ? Plus I'm seein an ent person Monday I'm trying desperately to think wat I can say to him for him to recommend him fast track me to get the cochlear implants ?? Any ideas would be much appreciated, thanx

Claire

[maineknitter]

I'm two years out, right now. Two years ago today, I was in the Special Care Unit at my local hospital, that's their ICU's ICU, with bacterial meningitis from an unknown cause.

My neurologist told me that the healing takes time, and lots of it. First, there's the optimal healing time, the first 6 months. Next, is a step down from there, the 6-12 month period. Next, is a further step down, 12-18 months, and this is pretty small amount of healing. After that there is hardly any further healing.

What did I know before M that has done me a load of good since getting M? Two things. One, pain is a mental event. There's the physical event, which gets relayed to the motor center and reflex gets generated, while the rest of the signal goes to the brain and the pain is interpreted in the brain. Connected to this is the idea that there is an event, I chose my response, and then I act on my response. Two, my faith in God was at an acquaintance level.

What has changed in the last two years? Well, by using the mantra, "Pain is just a mental event," I have been able to wait until the medication kicks in and stopped the pain. Without the word, "just," in there, the mantra was not as effective for me, your mileage may vary (ymmv). I also changed by coming to believe in God more fully. I have prayed that the pain be taken from me, but if not, please bring acceptance. I have also prayed that my pain stay with me if it mean those in harsh experiences have a better time of life, whether a nice fresh breath of air, or an escape from captivity or some such.

As each 6 monthiversary came and went without my getting better, I felt more and more anger and depression because this disease came at me out of the blue. I hadn't done any of the five common behaviors to get sick with bacterial meningitis. The doctors couldn't, and still can't, tell me where it came from. There's no way to know how or why I got it. I've had to come to terms with that. There are some things in life I just won't know. This is one of the things.

Anyways, I have chronic migraines, am in a migraine phase on any given day. I also have reactions to the medications. The depression and anxiety have gotten worse, as has my tendency to isolate myself. Just because this is true for me, doesn't mean it will be true for you as well.

[quaillady]

Hi. My son who is now 9 had mennocial menigitis when he was 18 months old and although he won't admit it he does remember it all he went to see mr riordan at alder hay hospital and was told he may live with a permanent headache but

[quaillady]

Sorry hadn't finished as he was so young that he just thinks it is the norm he also suffers from behavioral problems and a low attention span