Going back to school after Bacterial Meningitis?

[Taylor89]

My 4 year old son was discharged 21st December after 17 days long isolated days in hospital with Cerebellum ataxia Bacterial Meningitis. He has regained his ability to walk and talk however his speech and coordination has been affected which is noticeably worse when he gets tired. He has also become very aggressive and angry which is so not like him, Ive put this down to fustration. Is this normal?

He is due back to school on 5th January and we are concerned about sending him and if he would be able to cope with being back. We have messaged his school but No re preply yet due to the christmas holidays. Any advice would be great.

Please excuse all the Questions, I wasnt given any information after leaving the Hospital with him and dont want to Google anything. Thank you In advance. x

[Keep-The-Faith]

Personally I would absolutely Not send him back this soon. Meningitis affects a person for a long time, he needs time for his body to heal & the docs absolutely don't know everything about the after effects if any. Just because they got rid of the bacteria doesn't mean he won't be affected for some time. He will probably go through all sorts of phases.Also you don't need him to get covid. You can read to him & use puzzles to help his brain. He can help you measure while cooking, all sorts of ways to help & stimulate his brain.

Have you joined a fb group to help you? I had viral real bad so I am speaking from experience. He may also get headaches & spine pain but not be able to tell you so well because he is so young. I hope he completely heals. Good clean diet helps alot & if he gets cranky he may need to rest or has pain. Make sure he gets plenty of nutrients especially magnesium in his food. If he gets check ups or tests maybe they can see if it caused any deficiencies if he seems not right. 🙏

[Hidden in reply to Keep-The-Faith]

Hi my son had bacterial meningitis, and its a very slow recovery for some people. headaches, fatigue, mood swings, exhaustion. all normal but the recovery was and needs to be very gradual. building up by small amounts every day. school would be the last place I would send him for now. they told me and the hospital its like a master reset for the brain, he may have different tolerances now, and all you can do is be patient and supportive. its hard for us too as parents, so make sure your giving yourself a break 🙂 i imagine he Will Still have a lot of follow up to come, so I would keep him off as long as you feel he should be. liase with the school and all they will need is confirmation of his illness . they could send home some home learning but just take one day at a time, some days he will be strong and confident, other days he might be grumpy and exhausted. its a huge thing hes been through, it will take time. His school need to be sympathetic of that 😊 . x

[Clarkjo]

I hope your son is doing better. The advice I would give you is to not rush. The more you allow the brain to heal the better. Lots of rest, gentle exercise, lots of fluid, low lightning and quiet environment. Be very gentle and he will recover much faster and better. Good luck