Recovery from VM

[Faith8990]

After a terrible trial of trying to convince my doctor of 12 years & his staff that i wasnt having one of my normal migraines i finally sought out other help. I literally sat in my docs office on my 6th day of that severe head crushing pain sobbing, holding my head in both hands, telling him i couldnt keep going like this and the man just told me i was having the worst migraine of my life and sent me home with a steriod pack. After multiple trips to the clinic, his office, the ER, i finally found a whole new set of caregivers. (I had found a new neuro but it would be a month before i could see him.) I sat in front of this caring man telling him about the pain, neck stiffness, sore back, exhaustion, crushing head pain, nausea and diziness, ear issues, head pressure and he looked right at me and said you are textbook Viral Meningitis. Finally! Finally an answer! He was very thorough in all his testing. Im so furious that as i was crying to my okd doctor i probably should have been in the hospital and the lack of info out there. And now i am trying to recover. Mainly now i wonder about the recovery. Standard documents say this goes away in 7-10 days and im here to call......well you know, uh in other words heck no. Im still exhausted, have a low grade fever and elevated BP. Yesterday i felt as bad as i did a week ago. Now, today i have more energy than i have in days but i have the crushing headache. Yesterday the neck stiffness and pain was bad again. How long does this come and go? And from what ive see thru posts, people that have had previous migraines now experience worse pain?!! Say it aint so! Schedule me for the lobotomy if thats the case! I already take 100mg of trokendi daily (topamax) so with all this plus that, well thank goodness im blonde and can just play it off that im ditzy? 😉 I am so sorry for all of you who have suffered so severely. It is more than likely i picked this up while out running from a mosquito. My luck. But i am just wondering, from maybe those that werent as severe, how long can i expect these good/bad/recovery days to go on? Days, weeks, months, psych ward? 😆 Thank you all for all your stories! Best wishes on your recovery!

[Lippistix]

See my daughter's story - Rosie S's recovery story on this site!

[Crichter]

Hello and thank you for sharing your story. It helps to know that we are not alone when we are strange to everyone else. From what I read mostly symptoms ease but don't fully leave. I had VM almost one year ago. It took months to get back to my now normal although I still don't feel entirely me still have issues with headaches but not like the beginning, memory and balance. They call it Aseptic Meningitis which means they never determined a cause. I have a list of 60 test results which were all negative. You mentioned you thought it was a mosquito while out running. Did you get a confirmation and what test confirmed it? I will always wonder what caused me to get THAT sick. I also was a very healthy fit person but have been unable to get back to the level I was prior. I still working on it though.

Best to you, we are here to listen and share.

[Ubmadon in reply to Crichter]

Hi how is the dizzyness now

[Ubmadon]

How are you now

[Faith8990 in reply to Ubmadon]

Ubmadon i am doing much better. I still have bouts of pain. My neck has never been the same. I still havent put away my heating pads and take all my supplements daily. Everytime i get any other kind of illness all of my old pain symptoms come back pretty hard. Its like they are flared all up again. When i had the mri done they said i had a bulging disc and arthritis in my neck. None of which ever bothered me before I had the virus. Now it is a daily battle. Cold, rainy days really bring the aches out. I still havent gotten back to all my activities but maybe the new year will be inspiring! I still wish there was more information here in the US. Thank you for asking. How are you? I hope doing well.

[Ubmadon in reply to Faith8990]

So 4 months on from this post youve typed, you can say you are better. So theres hope for my son

[Faith8990 in reply to Ubmadon]

There is always hope!!! I believe that my strain of VM may have been caused by a mosquito possibly carrying west nile. I have no proof but considering the activities i was involved in prior to my first symptoms of the terrible migraines it is very likely. My doctor also thought it to probably be transmitted from a mosquito. I say this bc all cases of VM seem to be unique. The severity will definitely play a part in his recovery. Also, how he is dealing with it now. Be it rest, supplements, healthy foods, etc. it can all have an effect on how long recovery takes. There are those here who have gone back to work three weeks later. Then others who are still suffering six months later. I definitely suggest he gets all the rest he needs and listens to his body. Dont jump back into activities or work before you are prepared bc the virus will take you back down. But there are many good resources here to refer to. For me, i take supplements of magnesium, fish oil and glucosamine to help with the bone and joint aches. I kept ice packs and heating pads ready for whichever need may have come my way (and i still use heating pads.) i also have a tens unit which stimulates the muscle thru electrodes. It has been a life saver. I wish you both the best and definitely keep fighting!