Our Journey

[melinda1]

Hello All

Its been a year since my daughter had viral meningitis, and i thought i would let you know how she and the family are getting on.

Headaches and vomiting - It took a few months for her to recover, the headaches subsided before the vomiting. Once she stopped vomiting it took a while to regain her appetite but she did eventually put back on that vital stone she lost.

Temperature control - Initially i was concerned with her temperature control, as she was always hot this took about 3 months to settle down and become less bothersome, not to her but i did not like my girl walking around in short skirts and t shirts in the middle of Jan (not the type of dress code for the cold English weather). There are a few things that still are not 100% but these are little annoyances rather than big troubles.

Memory - She gave up sixth form and her A levels - biology, chemistry and psychology - we were expecting bad results as her memory was affected. She took this hard as she was an a grade student. The decision to quit was made after the government decided to change the curriculum yet again and demolish modular exams. One exam now taken at the end of the year, her memory isn't up to that. She still has a few issues - the largest is that she isn't as organised as she was before. This is not a bad thing really as shes become more like a normal 17 year old.

Fatigue - She has decided to go into the police force by enrolling into a uniform services course at the local college. She has no real problems with fatigue, only now and then she can sleep all day, which is good as the course has a grueling fitness regime.

Speech - Her speech still is rapid at times and she does talk continually, we have accepted this part of her and although sometimes a little annoying, it generally makes us laugh.

Temper and depression - My even tempered daughter who threw about 6 tantrums in her entire 16 yrs is finally back as well, although she does have the odd shout at her sister. In the months following VM she was bad tempered and actually depressed. We carried on with life and encouraged her to do the same, especially after her exam results. There wasn't any pressure from us, we shrugged our shoulders and reassured her that we all were expecting those results after what she had suffered. She changed direction in her career in which i worried about, but i realised that her depression could get alot worse so encouraged her and supported her. She finally came out of her depression once she accepted that life carries on and interestingly enough once she started to put weight back on.

Life after VM - All in all although we went through total rubbish with the VM we have come through it relatively unscathed. However VM returned as such exactly a year later when my other daughter complained of a severe headache and stiff neck , unable to move it completely, and photo-phobia, thanks to her sister i was able to be more assertive with the GP's and the hospital staff. She received antiviral and antibiotics for VM. the results from the lumbar puncture where normal but the drs have not dismissed VM although the GP has. She is better, the neck still sore and headaches mild after 10 days, however i think its a common virus because i now have the same symptoms. I am grateful in a way that daughter no.1 contracted it as i was move quickly for daughter no.2. There is for us life after VM but it was pretty rubbish for a while.

Thanks for reading our story - i hope this helps someone if only to reassure that things will get better. I know that i needed it in the weeks after the first diagnosis.

Mel x

[siobahn]

What a Luvly mum! (Family) Support is so needed when goin through vm because at points you do feel like your goin crazy.

I'm so pleased your daughter has moved on and now is on her path, maybe a different path but like my mum always says, everything happens for a reason.

All the very best for the future

Take care

X

[ceris]

iam so pleased that your daughter is now on the road to recovery, although i had bm a year ago the symptoms and after affects that i suffered seem very similar to vm and it is a long journey to recovery , i hope she ;enjoys the police force, my son is a dc and it was the best thing he did. i hope things go well for her. take care. xx

[chrisdunn]

Great stuff, it really is a journey. I had VM in December 2011 and it was not until June this year I felt 'well' the depression was the big 'surprise' that seems to have eased and life is easier to cope with, temper still short and short term memory is rubbish. This all of course may be the fact that I am 50!!

[Meningitis2011]

My problem is that I am sleep deprived even though I take a sleeping pill before I go to bed. I'm lucky if I get 5 hours of sleep a night. When I went to a doctor for depression after my first bout with VMware ( I was hospitalized 5 days each time and had vm 3 times in 1 1/2 years) and came home with I pic line each time, she said I should have 8 hours of sleep a night. It has never happened since my first time in 2011. I am so sleepy all day long and don't go to bed much before 12:00 am because the earlier I go to bed the earlier I get awake. I used to be able to sleep a long time. Those days are gone forever. I am 77 years old and still do a lot of volunteer work. Working helps to keep me from thinking about my problems.

[Sylkim]

I too still suffer from memory loss and fatigue 12 month post V M . I don't think I will ever return to normal. I have hot sweats at least 6 times a day and my GP is just not interested. I am so pleased your daughter is recovering well. It is good to know there is light at the end of the tunnel.