Viral meningitis help.

Hi guys. Im 25 yo female. I was in hospital 2 weeks ago with a banging head, neck pain, sensitive to bright lights (it felt like someone was pushing my eyeballs into my skull) sickness, restlessness. They took a CT scan and that came back normal and they took my spinal fluid which confirmed the enterovirus. Ive been out of hospital about 10 days now (i discharged myself early as i felt fine just tired) i took it easy for about a week but still having achy pains in my head, pressure aches when i bend down but no where near as bad as what it was. Im very tired and feeling shaky in my arms and legs, my patience is very low and im feeling very emotional, im worried this is something more than viral meningitis. I have a 13 month old son and am petrified of dying and leaving him behind. Im sleeping but very easily disturbed and dreaming I have cancer. Im at the docs on monday but just wanted to know if this is normal? Please help x

[Anbymoul]

Hi Charly.

I'm glad to hear you are on the mend from this horrible illness.

I got viral and bacterial meningitis 2 weeks ago and am experiencing many of the post-men symptoms you have described. I did have a low pressure headache (which increases when vertical and almost disappears when laying down) but they performed a blood patch on me a few days ago which really helped.

I was previously a good sleeper but this past week I've had terrible difficulty sleeping and having awful very real dreams about my children being snatched from me, me dying and my father coming back to life - in all the dreams I truly felt the event had occurred and so I am now terrified to go to sleep.

Good to see the doctor on Monday but I can only presume that these are all normal after effects. I've heard from others on here that recovery can take a few weeks to much longer so to don't expect too much of yourself straight away and to rest rest rest.

I hope you manage some sleep tonight, thinking of you xxx

[Hidden in reply to Anbymoul]

Ahhh, thank you so much. Im glad to hear im not alone. The lumbar puncture was awful and knocked me sick so im not looking forward to a blood patch if they offer me one. I didn't realise it would knock you out so much, or even the severity of Meningitis.

I hope you're feeling better very soon, and those dreams go away. Thank you for getting back to me xx

[Jonad724]

Hi, I'm 15 years post near fatal viral meningitis so hopefully I can alleviate some of your fears. What you are describing sounds pretty normal to me at this stage of recovery.

The problem is in most cases doctors will tell you 'it's only viral' and that 'you'll be fine in a couple of weeks' when in fact viral can be much more serious than they think but is rarely life threatening. I'm guessing you discharged yourself because mentally you felt fine, just tired, but now your home, physically you're really struggling? When you've rested for a while as you did in hospital do you feel you can do things then when you try your body just says I don't think so?

Having a young child is exhausting as it is let alone recovering from VM and you're being hit from all sides so it's really no wonder you're feeling the way you are. Add cancer in to the mix and I'm amazed that those symptoms are all you're feeling.

Unfortunately rest is the only real way to recover from VM and it can take some time. The less you rest the more time it takes to get over it and if you try to 'push through' the tiredness and other symptoms then it'll bite back and you will be going backwards.

I wrote several blog posts about my recovery and after effects of VM on here. I think if you click on my profile and then posts it will take you to them. Please be assured though that what you describe sounds typical of post VM at this stage and when you see your doctor please do ask them how many people they have treated with VM if they say it'll take two weeks and you'll be better. Take it from me that's wrong and my doctor had to admit he had never treated anyone with VM before but then 'meningitis is all the same' it isn't!

I'm a volunteer community ambassador for Meningitis Now so please feel free to message me if I can support you further. Good luck and well done for keeping going through everything that's going for you.

Jonathan

[Hidden]

Hi. I'm feeling the same. I'm 30 yo and I have 2 sons, every time I get the head+neck attack the first thing I think about is them. How I'm gonna die, how i'm never getting back to be the same with them.. my patience is low and I cant play with them for more than 5 mins.

I advise you to ask your Dr for an MRI in order to calm your worries. It is frustrating lying down at 3 AM thinking "maybe I have cancer" and not knowing the whole truth. Though the CT scan should have shown if there was something bad happening...

I made an MRI a week ago and still waiting for the results (i'm sure it will be faster in your country).

good luck

[davehancock1]

Hi Charly

Your post and words really do hit a note with me as I experienced something very similar.

I contracted viral meningitis in February 2012 and in the doctors words it was the equivalent of being hit by a steam train.

I found th hospital wasn't interested in me and discharged me without any care. My doctor although caring had no idea what I was going through, mentally and physically and I found myself trying to fight the aftermath alone. Even my family couldn't understand what I was going through.

Subsequently I turned to Meningitis Now (Trust as they were then) and all of a sudden I found people who really knew what I was going through and their help over the following time was absolutely invaluable.

I came through it and helped with so much positivity with the voluntary work I did for the charity. Soon becoming a community ambassador for them.

I'm still very active in promoting the work of this charity. They really are people in the know and also can direct you to people whom have experienced what you and I have gone through and going through.

I have written posts on this site about my experience and this will go in to more detail if you would like to read them.

Please also feel free to message me if you need to talk. I also have twitter amd FB accounts and a FB page dedicated to the cause.

Please take care and so hope you begin to feel much better soon.

Dave Hancock