Hi

[Wigmore]

I contracted meningococcal septicaemia a month after my 50th birthday. It came as a complete shock as apart from a cold the week before I had felt fine. I was out the night before, celebrating fireworks night with friends when I apparently began acting strangely. I have no memory of this apart from being taken home because I thought my drink had been spiked. I remember going to bed but that’s all. Thankfully my daughter found me unconscious the following afternoon and I was rushed to hospital. When I awoke on a ventilator 3 weeks later I was still too confused and dazed to really understand what was happening. I had suffered a cardiac arrest, permanent kidney damage, had a tracheotomy and was on 24hr continuous haemofiltration. I didn’t think it could get much worse until I finally saw my feet and legs. They were black and I was told I needed to have both legs amputated below knee. I couldn’t talk because of the tracheotomy but I sure could cry, feeling total despair. I had my legs amputated Dec 17. Whenever possible I

now try to promote awareness of the signs and symptoms of meningitis. Sadly for me the signs didn’t reveal themselves until it was too late to prevent such life shattering after effects. But by bringing it out into the open and raising awareness I hope it may help someone else.

[ignoreit]

I'm so sorry that happened to you. I also had meningococcal septicaemia... 42 years ago. I called an ambulance because of my SEVERE leg pain. And then I dropped the phone & passed out. While in the hospital, my leg pain was so severe I couldn't tolerate even a sheet. (A wire "cage" was placed over my legs.) This EXTREME pain lasted for about 6 weeks and I was given demarol (?) via IV which helped only a little. My doctor...with apologies... would come into my room and debride (cut) dead tissue off my toes...with no pain killer. I would bite on a washcloth and violently shake for 24 hours afterwards.

When I was released from the hospital, my leg pain was still terrible...but no longer severe whereby I SCREAMED out in pain. Each year my leg pain has decreased a little. Took 20 years for me to be able to tolerate the pain of LIGHTLY touching the tips of my toes.

It's now been 42 years and I can finally tolerate a closed toe shoe 2 sizes too large...but not a heel because heels place weight on the toes area. My toes hurt (burning) 24/7 but the pain is finally tolerable.

Wigmore, are you now pain-free?

[Wigmore in reply to ignoreit]

Sounds terrible I seriously can’t imagine having that done and especially without pain relief!! It’s very odd pain that I get. I don’t have it all the time thankfully. I seriously feel like my toes are bent up inside my stumps and sometimes it feels like someone is rubbing my little and big toe with a cheese grater. At other times it’s like having a tazer prod the side or bottom of the stumps and that can take my breath away as the whole remaining leg spasms but like I say it’s not constant and I wear lidocaine pain patches at night if needed. I cope with it during the day when I wear my prosthetics so all’s good 😄

[Quiltergirl]

Oh my, you have been through a much worse ordeal then me. I got bacterial meningitis following back surgery 1 month prior to my 58th birthday. My diagnosis was delayed by 2 days, I survived with all my limbs intact, but now I have Arachnoiditis. Chronic and progressive nerve pain. Meningitis is a horrible diagnosis. I wish you well , we still have a lot of life to live.

[Wigmore in reply to Quiltergirl]

We certainly do! 😄