Brain abcessscess after bacterial meningitis

Hi , I had bacteria meningitis last year from an ear infection . It infected my mastoid bone then went on to brain abscesses . I had surgery , craniotomy and mastoidectomy to remove the abscesses and I was in intensive care on life support for a week . I spent a month in hospital then 6 months later went back in to have a titanium plate fitted .All this has left me with some cognitive issues and weakness in my right arm plus fizziness. I can't seem to find much about bacterial meningitis and brain abcessscess .

[StrawberryCream]

What happened to you is very similar to my experience. I also had Bacterial Meningitis & Septiceamia, frontal lobe abscesses, cerebritis and strokes. All started from an ear infection apparently. I was in a coma for 3 weeks. Had retrograde and post traumatic amnesia. Wasn't expected to survive but did but now have an acquired frontal brain injury/dysexecutive syndrome. So sorry to hear that you have been through similar.

[Hidden in reply to StrawberryCream]

Thank you for your reply. Gosh you've been through it 😞 I can't believe how life changing this can be .

[gb93616]

Very similar experience to mine. I had an ear infection, which turned to mastoiditis. Like you intensive care, life support, coma, 3 weeks in hospital. I have some hearing loss "mastoidectomy is done to save your life not save your hearing" is what I was told, I couldn't complain about that really!

I did have speech and language therapy for some time, which I think was done because of my "stroke like event", which is all the symptoms of a stroke without actually having a stroke.

I was diagnosed with meningoencephalitis but at the time I felt they just needed a label for my illness, but what do I know.

I was actually put on anti epilepsy medication for 12 months, which left me feeling in a fog, or more like a zombie with no feelings, neither highs nor lows - I was told it was done to calm down the activity in my brain. Once I was off that medication things started to return to normal.

Every case if different of course, in my case recovery was slow and I really took it easy for 12 months. I am left with tinnitus, which although is always there only bothers me when I mention it Also, I think I fatigue easier any real stress makes me want to sleep, which is what I generally do, much to my family's amusement.

At the time (2008) I admit the only time I felt down about it all was when I started googling, which was soon replaced by a sense of how lucky I was to have survived.

10 years on, am I back to normal? I have no idea, family / friends say I am, although I'm not sure. I found it helped to talk about it, early on - I mean to keep mentioning it. I found it upset the people closest to me though, those who were with me during my initial journey - the piece I can't remember as I was too ill, they were there.

Graham

[Hidden in reply to gb93616]

Thanks for the reply, Also I find the hardest thing is because I look well everybody seems to think I'm fine but I'm still traumatised by what happened and constantly go over it in my head but don't want to keep talking about it as it upsets my husband who has been amazing . I guess this will lesson as time goes on xx

[LMains]

I am in your exclusive club- LOL! Very interested in reading your stories- my pneumonococcal bacterial meningitis also started with an ear infection (well, a strangulated polyp which became an ear infection). I have congenital cholesteatoma so I had a history of radical mastoidectomies and revised mastoidectomies prior to this new lovely event.

So- I was left profoundly deaf (the bad news) but the good news is that I did not have the abscesses that you all did. Wow. It is little wonder that we sometimes feel scared/PTSD, having first hand knowledge now of how quickly something goes from being "just an ear infection" (which millions have and recover from, just like the common cold) to "in a coma", et

I, too, am in your camp. I want to talk about it, understand it, etc. Husband who witnessed it all- nope- he just wants to move forward and not talk about it. Two years earlier, we were in reversed roles (our poor adult kids- so much trauma in their young lifes)- husband was airlifted to trauma center after a pickup truck hit and accidentally dragged him on his bicycle. Same deal then- I needed to talk about it, understand the how it happened, etc, but not him- put it behind and move on. (Miracuously, he is at 100% mentally and 98% physically even after all that).

[Hidden in reply to LMains]

So glad to hear your husband recovered so well. It's interesting to hear other people's stories.