You know your body

I knew something was very wrong day one of my meningitis. Getting my GP to agree that it wasn't just a bad migraine took much longer. Left for a week on my sofa begging for help, having an ambulance cancelled on me and being misdiagnosed over the phone twice (by Dr's who refused to make a house call) I finally collapsed and fitted. Rushed to the hospital it took 25 minutes and I was diagnosed with meningitis...thank god treatment could start.

You know your body. YOU know when it's not just a usual symptom to a condition you've suffered for years. Don't be complacent...make a fuss, it's your life.

I'm lucky to be alive...thanks to the amazing staff at Southampton General hospital

[StrawberryCream]

Hi ainnemm

Your story sadly is not uncommon and meningitis is often not correctly diagnosed initially and sometimes not until adults or children start fitting or go into a coma. The difficulty I think is that in the initial stages the symptoms are similar to other illnesses like the flu, with temperature, headache, lethargy etc. So it is hard for a Doctor to know whether the early symptoms are of something more serious. I think it is also hard for Doctors to trust someone like you who knew that what you were experiencing was more serious because there are some people who over react and think that every sniffle they get is a life threatening illness. I was a nurse and I didn't even recognise that I was seriously ill and then I got to a stage where I wasn't compus mentus anymore and it was down to friends who realised something was seriously wrong and called an ambulance. By the time I got to A&E I was virtually in a coma and not an induced one! However, a lot of Doctors are not familiar with the symptoms of meningitis and do not recognise it even when it has become more obvious and again its not until coma or fitting occurs that they start investigating more thoroughly as to the cause! This can happen to children or adults. I am not sure whether with adults it sometimes isn't considered because some doctors thing it is only an illness that affects children. Time is vital though especially with Bacterial Meningitis strains as it is sudden and seriously life threatening. I am wondering what stain you had?

Best wishes

[Runnerma]

Yes you & I are blessed to be alive! I was finally diagnosed & treated when my husband transported me to the hospital after I had a seizure but with that said I was unable to communicate the severity of my symptoms & the cardinal signs. I feel that just because there is an immunization for it & symptoms are similar to many illnesses, it is not easily diagnosed, unfortunately. I found out after the fact that I was the first patient that my primary care provider had ever seen. It was a great learning opportunity for him & he will be more aware of this terrible disease. Hope you are doing better! I had steroid injection today in my ear to try & restore some of my hearing & iimprove my balance. We are crossing our fingers & praying for a good outcome.