Risks of being near my niece with Viral Meningitis in hospital?

[Motida]

My niece was on holiday in Taunton with son of 2 and husband. She was admitted as an emergency and had a lumbar puncture which flagged up viral meningitis - this is the second day. She has a bad pains in her brain and a bad neck and waiting for anti viral medication. Sounds very poorly indeed.

She is on her own there now as husband and son had to return to Berkshire. They could not visit because kids were not allowed anyway.

I planned to go down on the train for the day to see her and the nurses and to ask if they or we can transfer her to a hospital near her home. However a retired GP friend has just warned me about going while I am on long term Pred (8.5 mg this month).

I said I would ask in our PMR community for advice. I would mask up etc of course, but what do you think?

female 80 uk

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I'm really not sure that I would risk it. Especially as you are that bit older.

Perhaps ring the hospital and ask their advice - is she on the infectious diseases ward?

[Gimme]

I really wouldn't risk it, if it were me, particularly when a doctor has already advised against it. Could you help in some other way? Like looking after the children while her husband goes to fetch her instead? Assuming that the children don't have it aswell; don't think it is all that easy to catch by a healthy person though, is it?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Gimme]

It's contagious rather than infectious but the experts say it spreads easily. It isn't usually a problem for people with normal immune systems but can be for anyone with a compromised one. Since one assumes the young lady is normally healthy - you do have to wonder why she is ill enough to be hospitalised.

[Motida in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you very much for your pieces of advice. I am not going to visit but spend time trying to see how we can get her back and into a nearby hospital. She could be brought back by her husband but we need to be sure she would be admitted again. She could discharge herself if that is permitted but not ideal as it goes on her records.

She is still in a separate room in Taunton because she has such bad pains in her brain and neck. They are trying to reduce the inflammation in the brain apparently and hope the viral medication will succeed. She is only 33 with one son of 2. She may have been infected by her son who goes to nursery or her husband who came back from working in Malta recently and then got ill. He was not diagnosed with V Men. because his symptoms were ENT centred. Anyway this is not PMR stuff, but thanks again very much.

BTW the senior GP who is looking into my breathlessness was very impressed with your advice, as was the pharmacist who works there. Lungs are clear on the X ray yesterday so now looking at heart function.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Motida]

If she is that unwell I really wouldn't want to risk a longish car journey - and even lying in an ambulance with a paramedic with her would be pretty uncomfortable. I had a transfer between hospitals for a procedure - it was bad enough feeling well one way, coming home was even less pleasant. If anything goes wrong or she feels worse, they can only divert to a nearby A&E,

[Gimme in reply to PMRpro]

I thought about it afterwards, they have had outbreaks in university halls of residence, so that would suggest that close contact is a risk.

[SheffieldJane]

I wouldn’t Motida. Zoom when she rallies perhaps. She wouldn’t want you catching it.

[Bcol]

Hi Motida. I have to agree with PMRpro on this, if your neice is as ill as it sounds, inflammation on the brain and severe pains etc then the last thing I would want to be doing is moving her away from the hospital she is in. I can totally understand why you/she would like to be nearer home but I would suggest waiting until the hospital has things under control, inflammation receding/gone and her general health improved.

[Motida in reply to Bcol]

Thank you everyone for the advice. My sister is there and hopes to see the consultant on Monday if she is lucky. No thoughts now of moving her but glad to say they called in take away food ast night which was the first she had eaten since Tuesday. She could take off the sun shades and have a little light in the room too.

I wondered why Pred could not be used to reduce the inflammation in her brain. There are obviously different kinds of inflammation apart from our PMR kind?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Motida]

They do use intravenous dexamethasone, a long acting and very powerful steroid, if there swelling of the brain but obviously like to keep that to a minimum. The treatment is supportive while waiting for the infection to burn out which can take a while.