Viral Meningitis

[Walkingintheforest]

Dear all,I am from Germany but I did not find any useful forums where I can read about similar syptoms and post meningitis peoblems! I had meningitis and was brought in hospital on 16.3 with a painful headache and fever.luckily the next day a doctor said he wants to do a „puncture“ to be sure it is not meningitis.but it was.i had the standard treatment of virostatika and antibiotics for 10 days.on day 5 i had a panic attack and the days after high blood pressure and a feeling of anxiety. after 12 days i got home.but i also experienced anxiety and a feeling of not having control over my body.it is getting better after 2 months but still,when i am doing a bit too much i experience anxiety ans head pressure and try to work against it but there is nothing i can do only wait until it s „over“. Also i cannot work in the office anymore.i am self employed so it s hard for me as i am not sure if i loose my work. I feel sick after 10 minutes sitting in front of my laptop… my husband thinks i should seek psycologic help but i now it s only because of this infection! I think it takes a long time to recover and i dont understand why most doctors only tell you 2-3 weeks and you ferl better.that s not the case….and i fear some things will never go away (tinnitus,head preessure,anxiety….)

[Jonad724]

I had near fatal viral meningitis in 2002 and I had the same experience with doctors that you are going through now. The reason they tell you it's 2-3 weeks for recovery is because that's what they are taught in training and it's what the medical textbooks tell them.

Some people do recover in 2-3 weeks but not everyone and with VM it can be a lot longer. Doctors are taught that VM is never serious and it takes a lot to convince them that they are wrong.

Whilst I can't say how long it will take you to recover what I would suggest is that you rest as much as you can and I appreciate this is not easy when you're self employed (I am too) but if you try to push on through it, the chances are it will take you longer to recover. What you describe is unfortunately common for VM recovery and I wish you all the best in the recovery ahead, (I've included a translation but kept this English section to show I am meeting the community standards)

Ich hatte 2002 eine fast tödliche virale Meningitis und ich hatte die gleiche Erfahrung mit Ärzten, die Sie jetzt durchmachen. Der Grund, warum sie Ihnen sagen, dass es 2-3 Wochen für die Genesung sind, ist, dass es das ist, was ihnen in der Ausbildung beigebracht wird und was es ihnen in den medizinischen Lehrbüchern sagt.

Manche Leute erholen sich in 2-3 Wochen, aber nicht alle, und mit VM kann es viel länger dauern. Den Ärzten wird beigebracht, dass VM niemals ernst ist und es viel braucht, um sie davon zu überzeugen, dass sie falsch liegen.

Ich kann zwar nicht sagen, wie lange es dauern wird, bis Sie sich erholen, aber ich würde vorschlagen, dass Sie sich so viel wie möglich ausruhen, und ich weiß, dass dies nicht einfach ist, wenn Sie selbstständig sind (ich bin es auch), aber wenn Sie versuchen, es durchzustehen, werden Sie wahrscheinlich länger brauchen, um sich zu erholen. Was Sie beschreiben, ist leider für die VM-Wiederherstellung üblich und ich wünsche Ihnen alles Gute für die bevorstehende Wiederherstellung.

[Walkingintheforest]

thanks so much!!! I am glad though that there ARE people who understand what this means……!!

[Mounjaro]

I am sorry to hear you’re continuing to have symptoms. My son had bacterial menigitis in February of this year and he continues to have bouts of extreme fatigue and his vision hasn’t returned. This forum does provide opportunities to connect with others who have experienced similar symptoms. We live in the US and there is very limited resources available for menigitis and its after effects. We hear Germany is more advanced with treatments and I hope you can connect with resources to help you through this. Menigitis is a very serious illness. Prayers for continued healing and full recovery.

[Chri5ti]

I am a recurrent viral meningitis sufferer, seven times after latest bout this past February. I am in the USA and also found very little help from medical experts here. They say you will feel better in 7-10 days. For me it is months of horrible headaches, vertigo, brain fog and fatigue. It seems like I am finally back to myself and then I get another attack. I have had several spinal taps and still no definitive answer as to what is causing my VM.

I think most on these boards will tell you that you need to listen to your body. If you push to hard you can set back your recovery. Since you need to go into the office but are self employed, maybe you can work in blocks. Go in for 2 hours and then rest for an hour then go back etc. It can be so hard finding the balance that lets you heal while still keeping up things like work and family obligations.

I had a relative who had Covid and then was told they were suffering from Long Covid. Sounded a lot like what most of us here say happens after having VM. My hope is that maybe the medical communities will finally start to research Long Viruses in general.

Hope you recover quickly. Again, just try to listen to your body.

[Walkingintheforest in reply to Chri5ti]

Thanks so much! And yes you are right I never needed to listen to my body as it was always functionning well.now the slightest stress (that was never stress for me before!!) is causing another „attac“ which results in high blood pressure,sickness,brain fog,feeling of anxiety.yesterday i felt this again and I could not sleep until 3 am then i took one pill of „tavor“ to be able to sleep at least for a few hours…i thought it s getting bettet and it does but still there are days like this after two months being home again…i think it takes half a year or longer than I am fully recovered..and I hope I will…but hearing other people‘s stories makes me feel very sad but at the same grateful that I am at a more or less good health at least recovering..all the best to all of you suffering from this totally underestimated illness…!!!!!