Do keto diets help meningitis damage? - Meningitis Now

Meningitis Now

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Do keto diets help meningitis damage?

Mishqueen profile image
5 Replies

Has anyone had any success with a keto diet helping their post VM symptoms?

I'm still experiencing some symptoms 15 months later, and starting to plateau in my progress.

I've heard that keto diets help epilepsy patients and sometimes impact brain injury. Wondering if anyone has had any anecdotal success with meningitis brain injury improvement on the keto diet?

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Mishqueen profile image
Mishqueen
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5 Replies
Love2hike profile image
Love2hike

Here is my two cents. I too have heard that and did a lot of research on it and other diets to help heal damage.

I was hospitalized with Viral meningitis in January for ten days on acyclovir IV. That hurts the kidneys so I was worried about my brain and my kidneys.

One of my night nurses who knew her nutrition would talk to me for an hour every few nights about the healing benefits of maintaining a non-inflammation diet after I left the hosptal. She knew the keto diet too. She also encouraged me to find out and practice intermittently fasting which helps healing of disease. I listened to some podcasts while in bed on those diets. Intermittent fasting means to fast for 15 or 16 hours a day. Or just eat over an 8 hour period. So after dinner stop eating at 7 and then don’t eat again until 10 or 11 AM. That has helped me and many others.

I had been vegan and vegetarian for a long time before i got sick. So I don’t eat meat or dairy. After much research thanks to the nurse on ketos and fasting and anti inflammation diets,I modified my diet. I added some things. I do tons of nuts and seeds, avacado, berries, garlic and onions, eggs, olive and coconut oil, kale and broccoli and cauliflower, and cabbage and now I have added sardines because she told me how much they are brain food and will help the inflammation healing.

Anyway the one thing she did suggest which I can’t do is stop or limit coffee. I love my coffee a few times a day. Hope any of this helps.

I think rest, exercise, good nutrition, being patient and gentle with ourselves, this forum, journaling, cranio sacral therapy, reiki and meditation, yoga and mindfulness help with the recovery.

I do wish there was a physical meningitis support group to attend. I’m in the US and the Meningitis Now group is based in the UK. But this forum helps a lot.

Hope any of that helps.

Mishqueen profile image
Mishqueen in reply to Love2hike

I'm also in the US. I'm super disappointed that the only advice we get here in the states is, "just rest, it will go away." Which is clearly not the case for everyone.

Claudeminh profile image
Claudeminh

It’s helped me hugely with the migraines which is what I’ve been left with after 5 years post VM. Huge massive difference with good migraine control as well as taking Botox and other prevatatives. But massive decline in neuropathic pain too after ketogenic diet plus I could exercise more. So yes yes and yes. But I do find when stress gets the better of me I eat more and eat the wrong things and after some weeks I’ll get the migraines back. It’s definately worth a go

Mishqueen profile image
Mishqueen in reply to Claudeminh

Thank you! Do you find that the neuropathic pain is a permanent improvement, or do you have to be on keto forever to feel the benefits?

haffi profile image
haffi

5 weeks into recovery a keto diet along with intermittent fasting has helped my daughter a great deal with her symptoms. When she deviates from the diet ie sugar, bread she will get the neck stiffness and headache.

I gave also found that beef broth plus all the fat helps also

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