Meningitis, a year on.

It is hard to believe that is a year since I contracted Viral Meningitis. This changed my life and I thought it would be a help for anyone suffering from this to see what recovery is like. I thought maybe some bullet points would be the best way to show my recovery.  

• December 2011. Emergency admission and week spent in hospital.
• January 2012. Returned to work.
• April 2012. Headaches reduced and feely more 'myself'.
• October 2012. Period of depresstion as began to realise what I had gone through.
• November 2012. First time I had felt 'Me' and not frighted about contracting it again.
• December 2012. Still some short term memory and tiredness issues.

This is a very brief outline of the last year but I hope it shows that the recovery, although long is almost 100%. It should also be noted that some of the above can also be put down to age and general life fluctuations. More information can be found at these two excellent sites.

http://www.meningitis-trust.org/

http://www.meningitisuk.org/

Finally some advice on what to do if you suspect someone has Meningitis.

• Call NHS Direct/NHS 24 or your GP.
• Go to your nearest accident and emergency department.
• Dial 999 for an ambulance.
• Describe the symptoms carefully and say that you think it could be meningitis or septicaemia.
• Early diagnosis can be difficult. If you have had advice and are still worried, get medical help again.
• Trust your instincts.

Time to reflect

Looking back on some of my recent posts I can see how confused I have been. So now the hospital has confirmed the image shown on the CT scan is only left over's from the ear infection it now seems a good time to look back on what has happened to me over the last couple of months, and how I got here.This will not only help me but I hope will help one of you spot a case of meningitis as mine was.
The whole thing started back in November when I started with two colds back to back. They came and went very quickly. I was then left with blocked ears, this got progressively worse and eventually resulted in a trip to the doctor. They diagnosed an ear infection and I left with a course of antibiotics.
Things then went down hill fast. We had planned to go and visit our parents and as our car is a bit old had treated ourselves to a hire car. We picked it up on the Friday and had a couple of things to do in Bristol. I was still feeling a little rough but but it down to the infection and the effect of the antibiotics.
Saturday came and we set off to see my parents. We went out for lunch and I began to feel very ill. My vision was poor and I had a severe headache. We put this down to a possible migraine and after having some pain killers I was feeling OK again. We travelled home again without any problems. It is at this point that things get fussy and I have to rely on Fiona's account of events. Sunday arrived and we were supposed to go to Wales to see the in laws.I felt most unwell and Fiona ended up ringing the out of hours doctor and taking me to our local hospital. I had a full check up and left with very strong pain killers. Also the doctor said I was extremely dehydrated and I could either go in to hospital then and there or go home and try and drink plenty. I elected to go home. Perhaps I should have taken the first option.Most of Sunday was spent in bed trying to drink,which meant the visit to Wales was off.
Monday morning came and I felt very ill. Fiona rang our doctor at about 0900 and they said they would visit after morning surgery, about 1230. At about 1030 Fiona was extremely cornered as I was becoming delirious. She contacted the doctor who could hear me in the background. She then arranged for paramedics to attend and within an hour I was admitted to the RUH. At this point I was extremely ill and the next two days are a blur, but I had various tests which showed I had Viral Meningitis. I was filled with antibiotics and left hospital after a week, much to the relief of my family.
I have been incredibly lucky. For those that don't know  Meningitis is the inflammation of the lining around the brain and spinal cord.It therefore has the potential to kill or at worst leave you with live changing effects. During the first few weeks I had some problems with my speech and hand eye coordination and severe tiredness. Fortunately it seems I am just left with the tiredness and some problems getting words out. These hopefully will pass in time.
I am back to work next week which will make it a month since I went in to hospital I can only thank Fiona and the doctor for being on the ball. All the medical staff from the paramedics and helicopter crew to the hospital staff.
To all the people who prayed for me and  who sent good wishes in so many ways,you do not how much it meant to me. And ultimately to God for getting me through this, I have to say any doubt I had about the power of prayer has gone out the window.
Please have a look at the links on the blog, I hope I show that it is not just children that can get this frightening condition.

One year on

Today is the 17th March. This marks an important milestone for me. It is one year since I had my motorcycle accident which left me with a badly broken ankle. The last year has been a roller-coaster. This time last year I was told that I may not walk for six months and work for twelve. However I was back driving within three, maybe  the staff didn't wish to raise my hopes, or perhaps thought it would make me more determined to get well. Whichever it was the result was the same. So how is the ankle now? Not too bad but still aches in the morning and I still get days of pain, but these are minor when you consider I can now walk and drive without any problems. I now have the option of having the metal work removed. However, I think 'if it is not broken' rule applies perfectly here.