I lived in Orange County in the 1990's, working in landscaping in Long Beach. My hands were often in soil and plants without gloves. I contracted bacterial menningitis and ended up in ICU for 12 days.
First...anyone else have a really strange mindset when it was incubating? I had long lapses in time in la la land. Daydreams on steroids😳😳.
Heavy heavy antibiotics, 3 spinal taps and quite a bit of time not eating. We all know the pain. I had intense "Tron" ( a movie) like action going on in my head. My veins are small and the line ended up in my neck artery😞.
I had to get back to work pretty quick...I want to say 3 weeks after going home.
The long term effect is there...but it's in my processing of information? I can't multi task much after.
Also though...my mind was beautifully "Quiet" in the year or so after. The mental chatter was just gone! It came back, but that was nice!
It's a odd left turn in life that almost took me out but didn't. I know I didn't do myself any favors going back to work so quick but it was required to get back to work.
I didn't see any holy light or remember anything other than pain and more pain.
I remembered it recently, which brought me here. I had an accident at home recently...I was crouched down on the floor and I bumped into a bookshelf. That caused a Antique telephone sitting on the top shelf (yeah...) to come crashing down right in my lower back. Not good😱😱! Days later of couch rest, I moved and felt right where the biggest impact was...right where the lumbar punctures were😩😩. It became very real again, the memory of the whole experience. Another bad blow reminded me of the damage and life long lasting scars? of the Menningitis experience. I'm pretty sure it changed me, but there's no follow up on that. Just a odd story that becomes another stitch in the tapestry of our journeys👍🏽👍🏽☘️☘️