Post meningococcal meningitis with severe sepsis

[suffolkcp]

Hi I am a 48 year man and i contracted the above illness in January 2016 although seriously ill I have been very lucky and have pretty much recovered. The main problem i still have is that I get tired quicker than I think I should and I'm not as physically strong as I was pre illness. Has anybody else had this strain and can let me know if this is normal or do I need to get my self checked out with the doctor.

[RussD]

Morning,

I was 46 at the time.

Amongst other issues, fatigue and strength are still an issue for me.

Regards

[suffolkcp in reply to RussD]

OK thank you

[Hidden]

Hi Suffolkcp,

I suffered from BM in my early 30s and it took me at least 6 months to get to a stage where I could cope in everyday life and at 18 months I felt as back to normal as I was going to (although I think my resilience has increased very gradually in the years that followed) but this was only my experience and everyone's journey back is different.

I tried to get information from people on recovery rates as I chafed at being so depleted for so long. My father in law who was a GP advised me to think of the recovery as on a par with a significant heart attack, and the Meningitis Now phone line nurses wouldn't give me fixed time frames saying it varied a lot from person to person but recovery in terms of a couple of years wasn't unusual (the phone line is excellent - I can't recommend them enough if you find yourself at the end of your tether or unable to find anyone who understands).

I found thinking in 3 or 6 months chunks very helpful - and looking at how far I had come in the last 3 or 6 months and considering I could expect a similar level of improvement again in the next 3 or 6 months until I felt relatively better / normal.

I would say my new 'normal' or 'better' is different to my old normal but not necessarily inferior. I feel a bit like an elastic band that has overstretched and not quite sprung back - but have the knowledge that I didn't snap and that if I managed this then most other things in life are manageable too; and the best thing about having felt so truly awful for so long is that I can now be happy even when feeling quite awful (from time to time) as it's still so much better than it was.

That said I'd consider seeing what help or support the GP can offer - and be very careful about overdoing it at work too early - I did and it set me back (I've written about this in other posts).

Good luck.

Jos

[suffolkcp in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Jos. I'll probably pay a visit to the doctors. Reading your reply and understanding that I'm not alone in the way I feel has been a big help.

Kind regards Lee

[Hidden in reply to suffolkcp]

Great - good luck with it.