Hy,
I am 34. I had meningitis 3 times, 5,6 and 23, both bacterial and viral.
Doctors said to me that it could happen again, there is a possibility that it is still in me and it gets activated when the immune system falls down, so they said.
Anybody with similar experience?
Tomislav
Hi. I had it at 30 then again at 46. Both prob form immune system. So now I am 8 months since last time and have given up work and changed my life to simplify so I hopefully won't get it again
Hi , yes , I have had VM Twice in 3 yrs, & yes it lays dormant In your spinal column , & stress will bring flare ups. The 2nd flare up was more intense & once again required hospitalization . I’m 62 , was always extremely healthy & have since retired , as I was a international flight attendant . I attend yoga, Palati, & Tai Chi classes, see a chiropractor, get lots of sleep now, which is imperative, & eat a very healthy diet . I also make a power smoothie which contains almond milk, bone broth protein powder, pineapple , & other fruits , tumeric, cinnamon & kale or spinachtake . In addition , I take 500 mg of valacyclovir every day. Since then , I have had no reoccurrences. One day at a time , you willl adjust to your new normal! Good luck with your healing !
Do you have Lupus or any other auto immune disorders by any chance? Did anyone give you any indication why you contracted it in the first place. I had a very bad incident of viral encephalomyelitis and it nearly killed me in the late 1980's since then I have developed Sjogrens syndrome and cutaneous Lupus which is now full SLE and have had 7 - 9 bouts of aseptic meningitis. One was attributed to Lupus. My original disease was thought to have been contracted by either a mosquito bite or a flu virus. The last bout of meningitis has left me with paraesthesia which has never resolved now in 19 months. It has killed any chance of a normal life. I have had two minor attacks in the last 19 months too but at least the didn't last as long as they usually do and I refused to go to hospital again as I am over lumbar punctures. I have had nearly 30 of them over the years but they only confirm what I already know I have. Having Valacyclovir every day seems a very invasive thing but is there any chance you would build up a resistance to this medication which is a valuable medication for the herpes virus. I have spinal shingles from time to time and I use Valacyclovir (Valtrex) when I feel the shingle tingle on my spine. I use this in that emergency only. What have you been advised? I would be very interested. Did you have any paralysis and numbness and if so did it resolve itself after your last attack of aseptic meningitis. I am looking for a link with Lupus or even Lyme. I haven't seen one doctor who has a clue in all these years. My sister died of bacterial meningitis at 18 months old and they never found the cause and that was in the 1950's. I despair that in Australia autoimmune worries are completely sidelined in favour of cancer cures and those diseases that everyone can see. We suffer the invisible illness. We don't look sick but feel wretched on the inside and people disbelieve there is anything wrong at all. It is very isolating and disheartening and cruel the way some people treat you. Thoughts anyone?
Hey Tomislav I'm sorry to hear about your ordeal. My daughter came down with suspected viral meningitis 2 years ago. She was extremely unwell for weeks. While she has periods of being well (except for constant headaches), she seems to relapse whenever she gets another bug like a cold. She is 15 now and off school again - extreme fatigue, horrid headache and neurological symptoms like getting words and letters mixed up. This is the usual pattern for her. It is an ongoing nightmare. I am so worried. I am following your post and others so as not to lose hope. I hope you will recover... Yours in health!
I had it at 1 year old and 3 years old, but not again, luckily. Not too sure if there were side effects, but I have got bad direction skills, and short term memory and concentration skills are pretty bad ha-ha... but nothing major.
I hope it doesn't stay in you? I'd like to know the answer though, also.
I had (suspected bacterial, but was already heavily medicated with IV antibiotics and steroids prior to my lumbar puncture) meningitis at 37, viral meningitis two years later, and now here I am again slowly recovering from a third bout of viral meningitis. I have about 2 years of peace between bouts. It knocks me off my feet completely for a few weeks each time, and then takes several months to fully recover. It absolutely sucks and I can’t get any answers. It’s not Mollarets apparently. Now my neurologist thinks it might actually be autoimmune meningitis together with encephalitis as there is a growing body of research. This time I didn’t bother to call the ambulance. In fact I’ve been quite stubborn because I don’t want a LP just to be told oh it’s viral here’s some pain medication. So I spoke to my neurologist who has prescribed me Tramadol, Dexamethasone, Magnesium, and Ibuprofen. And Oxycodone if I’m desperate. I take the Tram and Dex every eight hours and the Mag and burden every eight hours with four hours between the pairs. So far so good. I’m managing on my own and I figure if I can get a good treatment plan that works, as this seems to, then I will keep it in my cupboard and follow the same routine next time (in agreement with my neurologist). So my advice is; read about autoimmune meningitis/encephalitis, get a good treatment/pain control plan (for me, Tramadol and Dexamethasone are absolutely key) and then at least you might be able to ride it out with fewer hospital trips, LPs and dramas. It’s awful, but I think I might finally have found a way to manage it. But I don’t bank on ever really getting a proper diagnosis. I’ve had every test and scan going but that fact is that they just don’t know 
Viral meningitis 
Viral meningitis recovery
vital meningitis 
