Is it normal to be tired and sleeping a lot after meningitis?

[worriedmom]

My son was hospitalized for pneumonia, then was discharged for one night and went back again for meningitis. He was discahrged yesterday but am worried as he is tired, sleeps a lot and doesn't want to move. Is this normal? will he go back to normal or does that mean that something was affected

[Blim]

If you are worried I would always suggest going to the doctor. The menigitis helpline are also great. When I came out of hospital I slept on and off most of the day. Now, nearly 9 months on I still sleep for a couple of hours in the afternoon if I can, although its not possible on the 2 days I work. If I get over tired or do too much I get blindnig headaches so I think I need the sleep rather than being plain lazy! However, I am an adult. You don't say how old your son is and children may be very different. I was also left with a variety of side effects but they are different for everyone. For me it is tiredness, and getting tired easily, headaches, problems walking and memory/word finding - all of which are worse when I'm tired. Othe peopel are left with no side effects and others so much worse.

Not sure if t his helps but I hope your son is feeling better soon and that you have a good Christmas.

[worriedmom in reply to Blim]

Thank you for your reply, my son is 12 and a half. The past two days, he's waking up every two hours, stay awake for 2-3 hours. but then sleeps again. Nothing hurts him, he's just lazy and tired.

His three doctors assured us that the results of the MRI were normal, and nothing was affected. But seeing him like this now, gets me worried

[msflem in reply to Blim]

I am having a lot of the same side effects as Blim. Especially the walking part. I am very clumsy. Also I have numbing in my legs which is very uncomfortable.

I was released from the hospital December 22, 2013. And was in a coma for 5 days.

That is what I'm struggling with most. Have you done any cognitive therapy or thought about it.

Thanks,

Msflem41

[paul1224]

Hi All

i don't know your sons age which meningitis he has had and i don't want any one to worry but i had BM 9 years ago and i still find i sleep in afternoon , i get tired very easily

but every one is different

I agree if worried speak to your GP ant the trust hot line they will help u a lot more

i no it s hard for a mom not to worry i was 48 and my mom did a lot of it

but tr to relax and enjoy Christmas and my heart goes out t all who are missing some one at this time of year

all the best wishes to all

[worriedmom in reply to paul1224]

Thanks Paul. My son is 12.5, he had pneumonia followed by Meningitis as a complication of pneumonia. They told us its a Mycoplasma that made all of this. the fluid from the lumbar puncture was clear and they said it means its viral. He took antibiotic before even confirming the meningitis. None of the doctors gave us a clear answer about when will he be back to normal.

But Paul, what after effects did you have right after being discharged?

[Jonad724]

Hi, I had viral meningitis 10 1/2 years ago and so I hope I can speak with some experience. VM is usually not as serious as other forms of meningitis but it can take longer to get over. When I was discharged from hospital I was in bed for about 4 weeks with the first two just spent sleeping mostly. It sounds like his body has been under an enormous strain and its reaction is to get rest, VM is funny like that, even if you want to keep going and ignore the tiredness it has a habit of making you so tired that you just have to sleep. My VM was very serious and it was touch and go for a while and I was discharged from hospital too early only to be rushed back in two days later and I'm still here! In fact I completed my first half ironman triathlon in the summer so I'm proof positive that it isn't a life limiter. Your son is young and has age on his side and so rest is probably what he needs but as others have said if you you're worried then see your GP.

You might want to take the MT leaflet on viral meningitis with you as most GP's haven't a clue about VM since they will probably never see a case in their career. You can get the leaflet here: meningitis-trust.org/mening... also the helpline is staffed 24/7 by trained nurses who really do know what they're talking about so there is help out there.

The reason though why nobody will give you a clear answer is though is because everyone is different and some people recover from VM quickly and for others like me it takes time. As I say most medical practitioners won't even see a case of VM so getting information about it is difficult if you're using them as a source. The link I have enclosed above gives lots of detail about VM and what to expect. I think they key though is treat each day as it comes and our best wishes for his full recovery. Jonathan

[worriedmom in reply to Jonad724]

Thank you so much for your helpful reply. I know it is going to be stressful as we"re waiting for him to recover

[Jonad724 in reply to worriedmom]

Not a problem, I do understand how difficult a time it must be for you at the moment. Just remember keeping things 'normal' even if that means changing routines for a bit is quite useful. He will be tired but if you can build a routine around that it makes it easier to cope with and less stressful as a result. I have to thank my wife and family for this advice as I don't actually remember the first three months after I left hospital. At least now I can blame my age for that!

[worriedmom]

Yesterday and today, my son has been waking up more than sleeping during the day. He doesn't sleep like before during the day. He is moving around the house, using the stairs and asking for food.

Hope that these are signs of recovery and will get even better and become a trend

[paul1224]

HI again

worried mom please stop worrying

i a sure your son will be ok and have a full life I can only speak about how it affected me but i do have a small insight to what you are going through

My son had vm when he was 19 and he has made a full and total recovery He works full time and his hobby is white water kayaking which he is at the top of his sport infarct a level 5 paddler u cant get any higher and they paddle the roughest water in the country and i am sure your son will go on to great things

You asked me what problems i had after MB well i will not waste your time listing them as there was and still is a great deal MB knocked my immune system to shreds but please dont worry about what i have and just take it one day at a time and always r ember the trust and every one who has been touched by it will always be there to support u what ever problems there may be but i am sure eve thing will be ok and you all will have a great xmass

i know i will

[worriedmom in reply to paul1224]

Thanks Paul! I will try not to worry too much, but at the end this is my baby. I just want to make sure that I what I see today will stay and even improve

[paul1224]

thats natural all moms are the same way

i know when i had my bm my mom was the same and i was 48

so it will never leave you. H, that has taken 9 yearsow long was your son in hospital i had 1 month in icu and 2 months on a ward the physios told me they did not think i would walk again but i have pushed and pushed and i am now on crutches and still fall down lol it has taken 9 years to get to that far but i feel very lucky . there is a little girl who does not live far away who lost her hands and feej she is back at a normal school doing well thats where i feel lucky every time i feel down

keep in touch

please and let us know how youe son gets on

thank you

[worriedmom in reply to paul1224]

My son spent 4 days in the hospital for pneumonia, then was discharged for one day, and then he started vomiting, headache and high fever. So he was admitted again to the hospital for 7 days for meningitis. He is moving around the house normally but gets tired easily.

He is up and down, one day he is feeling great, then next days, he is tired and sleepy

[Canada3]

Hi to you worried mum. I too had viral meningitis 3.5 years ago and would reiterate that it does leave you very tired indeed. In fact its the sort of tiredness that you have to respond to... you just need to go to sleep, wherever and whenever and its always best to listen to your body, it has a way of biting you on the bum otherwise! Until fairly recently I slept every day for an hour at least, now less so, but I need lots of fresh air and gentle exercise, good food and not too much activity to stay on course Over stimjlation seems to be also very tiring, i.e. computer stuff, games etc Iguess its the concentration. Even being in a crowd which would have been fine for my former self, seem to be so stressful and tiring. I am sure your son will eventually recover, he is young and presumably health pre meningitis. It is areally dreadful thing and GPs seem to know so little about it and the after effects in particular I saw a neurologist at 9 months post VM who suggested I go back to work (I was a physiotheraist in a very busy hospital). I did and what a mistake that was... I slept every hour I wasnt working and even had to catch sleeps at lunch breaks, I am sure it held me back from my recovery. On the bright side, and reading stuff from Jonad who is an inspiration to us all, give him time and listen to him if he says he is tired, he is probably not being even slightly lazy, but his brain needs to switch off and try to recover from the horrid onslaught meningitis causes. One day at a time is the motto, I am sure you will, get there and you all of this community hoping and praying for you too. Please get in touch with the trust they are magnificent and I am sure you will find many of the answers you are searching for.

[worriedmom in reply to Canada3]

Thanks Canada. My son (12.5) is now at home, nit going to school. I am not worried about this at all. I just wish I would know when will he back to normal and full recovery. I also hope that we already passed the dangerous period, I mean nothing wrong will happen now more than being tired.

[DottieDoodle1]

Hi,

Speaking from experience myself, I had BM 15 years ago and I remember sleeping a lot when I got home from hospital. It takes a lot out of you and takes a while to recover. It's only natural for you to worry, my mum watched me like a hawk for months afterwards but also, if it wasn't for her quick reactions I wouldn't be here today.

Your son will recover, it may just take a bit of time that's all.

[worriedmom in reply to DottieDoodle1]

Thanks. It's good to hear that you have recovered completely. It's been a week now since we discharged from the hospital. We took him today to a neurologist and cardiologist. Both assured us that nothing has been affected (Thanks God!). He is excited and can't wait to go back to school. So we might send him back to school for a short day. I thank god everyday that he is recovering well. This has been a nightmare

[DottieDoodle1 in reply to worriedmom]

That's why the Trust and places like this are so great, it keeps people in contact with each others experiences as after effects are so varied.

It's great that he has no long term affects from this.

I went back to work after a month and my parents thought it was too soon but I needed to get back to normal. I only worked half days for 3 days a week to start with and built up gradually.

[worriedmom in reply to DottieDoodle1]

I'm glad to say that my son went back to school today, a week after discharge from the hospital. He spent half a day there and was so happy to go back to see his friends

[DottieDoodle1 in reply to worriedmom]

That's great news. I wish him all the best for his recovery, he sounds like he wants things to be as normal as possible?

[NMC70 in reply to worriedmom]

Great news. Hope he continues to improve. I am in my late 30's, but FYI I was feeling about 50% normal after 6 months and about 90% after 1 year. Your son is younger and hopefully bounces back much faster than me, but suggest you make him take it easy as he probably looks normal on the outside, but inside he's been through a big ordeal which might take some time to get past.

[iaveadream22]

Yes perfectly natuaral . Ive had meningitis menincocal bacterial 4 times in my life time believe it or not and tghe latest was 18 montsh ago., Im still constantly tired and also head aches continue which is draining . Im my experience alot of the effects may not be visual to others , but are very disabling , eh head aches , Balance issues , memory, Tiredness , and not to forget hearing .

Wish your son well.

Keith

[worriedmom in reply to iaveadream22]

That's scary Keith. Do you know the reason why you got it 4 times? I thought that if you get it once, you become immune

[iaveadream22]

No can get it more then once , Yes i nearly died on at least a few occasions and last year was in a coma for a short periods, i have a immunity deficiency and take anti biotics all my life , but there are no guarntees, i gotta be happy as im still alive , but left with balance issues , memory issues and alos tiredness , and occasional strong head cahes in the brain .

Ant other questions feel free to chat

[worriedmom in reply to iaveadream22]

was it bacterial or viral? did the doctor tell you how to protect yourself from it?

[iaveadream22]

Meningcocal Bacterial Meningitis and yes the way I protect my self is talking life long penecillin , due to the fact i have a medical immunity deficeiency, which is the cause to the 4 attacks and possible future attacks , but i dont think i would survive another case,

Keep Positive.....

[mrsilcox]

I caught VM in April of this year.for the first 3 weeks i was lucky to get 2 hrs a day awake. the worst bit was i didn't know i was doing it. i would just be found sat upright with my chin on my chest.9 months on i still have major dips through out the day (concentration just goes). ive tried all sorts but i know just to let my body dip down and i'm back within the hour.. it's a heck of an illness and i would have never have believed it if i hadn't experanced it myself.