In October of 2014 I became ill with what I thought was the flu. My temp was 102.9 for about 24 hrs before going to an urgent care facility. I live in the US.
While at the facility, I was taken to a room & was asked to submit a UA. Not long after a nurse came in & stated I had signs of a kidney infection though I had no symptoms. They wanted me to have an IV dose of antibiotics before sending me home on the oral Rx. I remember after the IV started I was so cold. The nurse brought me a blanket & I woke up in the ER of a hospital with a tube down my throat. I recall hearing my temp spiked to 107.6 & stopped breathing. I don't remember anything except how cold I was. Once revived, they removed the tube & that's when I noticed the headache. I was taken to ICU where a nurse never left my side. They put in a central line in my neck. I remember them telling me my kidneys were shutting down, my heart rate irrational, & bp wouldn't stabilize. I wore my sunglasses while in ICU. The headaches were monstrous, I didn't want food, my temp was 101.2 & I felt awful. I was pumped so full of stuff I swelled! Once stabilized I went to a regular hospital room & after a couple of days was told about the numerous tests & the results of them.
I was diagnosed with meningitis! Wth?!? Where did that come from?
I was given a book of paperwork for my PCP- my regular doc with an appointment. I spent a total of 5 days in the hospital. I was also told my iron level was so low my red blood cells were exploding. I took 1000mg of iron daily for a little over a month & pain medication for the headaches. I also learned my hypothyroidism was gone!
The headaches finally subsided in January.
When I get a headache now it's really bad. I've also learned that I have memories missing. This I find very disconcerting. Is that normal with meningitis? Memory loss & bad headaches are the leftovers from that experience. I also lost about 8 lbs on top of the 9 gained from all the stuff pumped in me in ICU, which I lost before leaving hospital. There isn't much information on meningitis that I found. I barely remember the spinal tap.
All I know is my doc told me I was very lucky to be alive because my viral load was off the charts. She said if I had been at home they wouldn't have revived me. It took from October to January for me to fully recover.
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