Viral meningitis

[1jill]

Hi I was diagnosed with viral meningitis March 2014 .It took me 6 months to get over it .last week I started having headaches which felt just the same as before made me feel sick and couldn't move for 24hours since then I had a headache can viral meningitis come back if so , do you have to rest and let it get better ?

[Jonad724]

Hi, sorry to hear this but the answer to your question is yes. There are two possibilities that I'm aware of. Firstly VM can recur within a few months of an attack especially if you try to do too much too soon. Second possibility is Mollaret's which is where the symptoms all come back, for me for 24-36 hours, but without it actually being VM. Mollaret's is still rare, so rare in fact that my doctor told me I couldn't possibly have it but after several episodes he finally admitted defeat and agreed the diagnosis. Either way, rest is the best medicine and if it recurs then it might be useful to keep a diary of what you do and eat each day until an attack happens then it's easier to identify possible triggers. It isn't always triggered by things which are identifiable but for me I found out it's caused by stress. VM can take a long time to recover from and therefore repeat episodes in the months afterwards can be quite common especially if doing too much too soon, Mollaret's was diagnosed for me 8 years after the near fatal attack of VM. Best of luck!

[1jill in reply to Jonad724]

Thank you for reply . Went to G P today she feels it's very likely VM , so I decide to just rest and hope it goes away .

[Plymouth]

Hello,

Yes it can - it is called Mollarets Meningitis when you get it more than once but it is very rare - You should do what your body wants and take it easy with plenty of rest. My experience suggests only you will know and lots of rest and peace is the only answer (along with some pain relief if needed)

I have had VM 7 times over the years and by doing what my body tells me I seem to be handling it ok - Take care and REST - plenty of it !

Kind Regards

Ray

[1jill in reply to Plymouth]

Thank you for response rest it is

[sopie in reply to Plymouth]

What year were you first diagnosed with meningitis, and then how long was it before you got the title of Mollarets

[1jill in reply to sopie]

2014 I was diagnosed with V M it lasted for approx 6 months . Since then Ive not had any systems until 3weeks ago when the head ache retuned as well as problems with bright lights .Also when I had VM I got numbness in my lower left jaw just like if you had a local injection at the dentist ,that has also retuned . I haven't been diagnosed with Mollarts just has been suggested on here . Just feel very tired and feel very lethargic , just hope it clears up soon

[sopie in reply to 1jill]

Hope this finds you much better. I understand all too well.

[sopie]

I understand these symptoms all too well. I found this info regarding Mollarets, and I will attach the website http address if you want to read. I was diagnosed with Mollarets after PCR testing. Many doctors have not heard of this, so you may want to share with you doctor.----Best wishes, and take care, keep us posted and let me know how you are doing and how your symptoms are.

I suggest, getting plenty of rest, control the pain, as when the pain gets out of control, it makes the symptoms intensify due to the stress, at least for me. Avoid the sun if possible that seems to make the headache worse.

dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clineu...

Mollaret cells, which are observed in recurrent aseptic meningitis (Mollaret meningitis), have a unique bean-shaped nucleus with nuclear clefts and are extremely fragile and difficult to detect for more than 24 h after the appearance of symptoms [1]. The presence of herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), as detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), has recently been associated with Mollaret meningitis [2,3]. We present the first report of a patient diagnosed with varicella-zoster virus (VZV) meningitis with Mollaret cells in CSF.

[1jill]

Thank you