7 Months after BM

[MikeGreville]

Contracted Bac Meningitis in March 17. Was extremely lucky. Have not had hearing issues nor headaches but I do notice I can get lethargic especially after climbing stairs. Was always fit and wonder if I'll ever get my cardio levels again. Waking up at night again with sweats. Am I going backwards in my recovery ?

[sdjohnson231]

Mike, you've only been in a recovery mode for 6 months. I don't believe you are going backwards in your recovery at all. Rather, your body is still adjusting to what it's been through. Your brain is still adjusting. I had just gone back to work 6 months following my diagnosis, so you are doing excellent! The best advice I can give you is to sleep and rest when you feel tired. Sleep is the best thing possible for your brain and body to heal. My docs told me it can take a full two years for you to discover your "new normal". During that time, you may encounter new and different "after effects" or "side effects" that you must learn to cope with. You are a survivor! Take each day as it comes. If new and unusual symptoms appear, don't hesitate to make an appointment with a neurologist. If muscle weakness continues, or doesn't improve, seek out a physical therapist. These are all specialists we have used to try to get back to our old selves.

[MikeGreville in reply to sdjohnson231]

Thanks I'm just reflecting on the fact that I survived and I need to focus on slowing down. It's great that so many folks are sharing their experiences and this really helps.

[Sarahlbt]

I had BM in earlier this month and the thought of it taking so long to recover is really scary. I'm young and in general good health. Pre hospital I would train Olympic weightlifting 4 times a week. I'm going to start with one exercise 3 times a week next week and start work in 6 weeks. I'm worried I'm pushing myself too quickly but I've never been good at relaxing! Sorry mike no advice from me but I want to follow this thread.

[MikeGreville in reply to Sarahlbt]

Sarah. I was in the gym 3 -4 times a week before BM hit me. As everyone on here says - You need rest. I doubt if hitting the gym so soon will aid your recovery. I tried it and was knackered after 10 mins. I now go walking to keep fit and this has been a godsend. I plan my exercise time so that I know I can have a sleep thereafter. Also keep hydrated. Keep your in up. Mike

[gb93616]

The thing with meningitis is that it's not like having the Flu. It can (will?) take a long time to recover and even then not everyone makes a full recovery. It depends how serious the illness was. My own "recovery" took about 12 months and the first 5 of that I was pretty much doing nothing. The medical advice I got was "rest" ; I had medically recovered i.e. there was no need for medication (except anti epilepsy tablets which were just precautionary for 12 months).

So, when I was tired I slept, it became a running joke in my house "Dad's asleep again". I would just sit down and fall asleep straight away (10 years on I still do sometimes). It wasn't overly inconvenient, I was just listening to my body, which is what my doctor told me to do! "Yes but you don't have to follow his advice to the letter" my wife would say, jokingly. The thing is, it's a serious illness, I was in a coma for over a week, in intensive care with tubes and pipes everywhere, at one point my family were told that I had 24 hours and if things didn't improve in that time it was curtains for me.

I only say this as an indication of how serious can be and as soon as you leave hospital you're not recovered. You should listen to your body and not try to attempt getting back to normal life too soon, get other people to help you if possible. Everyone's different of course and we all develop different coping strategies. I'm somewhat of a coward, so I just listened to the doctor and did what he said - telling me I was lucky to be alive was both encouraging and scary I'm good at following orders...

Graham