To stu3463

[StrawberryCream]

Thank you for finding the courage to make a post. The picture of you and your daughter was absolutely super. Your beautiful daughter looked so happy regardless of the difficulties that the nasty bacterial meningitis has left her with. I hope you are still browsing on here so will read this. Please repost and give us time to respond because I am sure you will find you get supportive, understanding and helpful responses. Otherwise I am wondering if you have contacted the Meningitis Now helpline 0808 80 10 388 9 a.m - 10 p.m x 365 days. They have lots of helpful info they can send you, are great for off loading too/listening to your worries and concerns, have lots of helpful advice/can often signpost if required and offer other services you may like to access.

Best wishes

[Stu3463]

Thank you so much for responding, as you can appreciate it has been really tough and writing my original post brought it all back in floods I am myself currently on antidepressants surrounding this issue, so in hindsight I wasn't sure if I was actually ready to deal with the answers to the questions that I was asking . Much love to all

[StrawberryCream in reply to Stu3463]

I am so pleased to hear from you. Thank you for your response and your open honesty about how writing and reading your other post triggered overwhelming emotions for you. Although you have lived through a truely horrendous and terrifying time during which there was a real fear and possibility you could lose your beautiful precious daughter seeing things written in black and white can sometimes have a powerful effect too. As parents we have to do our best to hold it together during those days and weeks by the bedside of our critically ill child and it is not until that is passed that the impact on ourselves strikes. It's ok to be struggling and to be needing the antidepressants with all that has happened and the uncertainty of what the futures holds for your daughter. To me it is an indication of how deeply you love your daughter. I expect you have wished that it had been you rather than her who had the meningitis.

I am wondering if you have contacted the Meningitis Now helpline. I am thinking that because you feel so emotionally vulnerable and scared to read the responses and what the answers may say in this virtual forum that a visit from a community support person from Meningitis Now may be more manageable and helpful. I am sure the would be able to visit you a number of times and could answer your questions and worries at a pace you and your wife/partner can manage. They would also be able to gauge what and how much to say whereas on here we cannot see or know the impact of our responses. It is also more reassuring to speak to someone in person and hear an understanding/supportive and reassuring voice. Meningitis Now could also possibly fund some counselling session for you and your wife. Please do give them a ring. It is ok if you get upset they don't mind at all! Or you can email them.

My thoughts are with you