Viral meningitis after effects questions

I was diagnosed with Viral Meningitis in April, 2012. I'm now 60. I have been extremely healthy my entire life so this hit me like a ton of bricks. I was out of work 6 weeks and took another 4 or so to kick it...or so I thought. I developed tremors, fatigue, headaches, pains in my neck (base of neck), and dizziness. At first, I thought I might have contracted Parkinson's Disease, based on the symptoms. However, after researching the long term effects of Meningitis and reading your posts, I feel much better about not contracting Parkinson's. As I've read your posts I don't feel alone and it helps having a much better understanding.

Does anyone experience tightening at sides of neck and pulsating at sides of neck as well as base of neck? Also anyone having sharp chest pains? Seems like I'm dizzy w headache in forehead and eyes majority of my days. I'm 5 wks post diagnosis. any sililarities or coping is appreciated. And can we get back to exercising hard w these kind of headaches?? Thanks

Had viral meningitis 2008. Appeared to recover ok but now getting severe headaches. GP done tests but no reason for them. With new GP as moved house so doesn't know me or previous medical history. Could headaches be result of meningitis.

Hi all. Glad I found this website. I'm different from the other respondents since I got viral meningitis a month ago at the age of 65! I feel much better but not as good as I was. One strange thing - I've started getting migraines again. Had them since age 12 but they went away with menopause. Now back. Anyone have experience with migraines recurring? KD

My sister was diagnosed with viral meningitis last week. She was better for a few days and now is back to the way she was when rushed to er. I have read all these posts and my heart is breaking....is there anyone that has had a complete recovery with only minimal side affects.

Hi guys,
It's really interesting reading all your messages, they're all appreciated. I was diagnosed with Viral Meningitis in March 2012. My first week out of hospital I was still vacant and my speech was terrible. As I started to be able to do more, more problems arose. In all Viral Meningitis has affected all my Cognitive Skills- balance, co-ordination, propreception, fine/gross motor skills, reading & writing, mood swings, and extreme tiredness more like a rung out cloth feeling!... and there's still more, concerntration, memory and understanding.

Even up to almost a yr on I still have problems with these issues, especially when tired but I hope for all of you who are a few months of into recovery aren't worried by the thought of a yr until symptoms improve. There is a fairly steady improvement, each month there would be something that seemed better, then a month or so that would be the status quo, then another improvement, but where cognitive skills are concerned you definitely have to work at them.

I'm a 400m athlete so having problems with these skills were certainly infuriating as they had been at their best as part of my training. Prior to being ill I was training x6 per week. I'm now edging into my training again. I really nope this helps those feel better with more info, I contacted the Meningitis Trust who where a great comfort and happy to impart with info. I look forward to any responses. Take care & look after yourself xxx

Hi,

I'm 19 and on 1st October 2012 was when everything began for me... was diagnosed after I was actually treated for viral/ aseptic meningitis, though they thought I also had bits of encephalitis. I had been feeling rough a couple days prior with headaches, but then I 'woke' up (luckily my boyfriend was staying in my halls at uni) being sick, talking gibberish, confused and I barely remember any of it.

I was discharged from 2 hospitals and twice went back in an even worse state. Losing a couple days as I have no memory of it. Was in a hospital about 5/6 weeks and was the worst time of my life where I kept relapsing during treatment and when they cut down. I had all the brain scans going and they couldn't see anything. Not to mention 8 lumbar punctures and will have a 9th in Easter holidays...

I'm now on anti inflammatory pills since coming out of hospital, but suffering horrific headaches some days and feel ill most days. I have awful memory too as if i've been drinking the night before and it's all hazy as well as feeling hungover when i wake up. It's hard being away from my family when i'm still in recovery and want/ need looking after some days. But its worse that it's ruining my university experience and it's beginning to make me depressed.

I wish I could say that 'at least i'm here today' but I don't think i would have died. I hate living like this so much and I really hope it can get better soon. Only my mum and dad know exactly the ins and outs of horrible events in hospital and my friends don't know. I can joke about things now which is just my way of making me feel better about it all. But it annoys me that everyone thinks i'm ok now that i'm out of hospital.

Another thing i should add is, I never went to the doctors about anything before this and lived with anything i was feeling. This was a wake up call and people don't need to go through being in hospital and I urge my friends to go now anytime they feel ill and i;m always honest now with how i really feel.

With the pills i still get incredibly vivid dreams and i'm still scared about going to sleep here in case i don't wake up and my flat mates think i'm out or something. I hope this goes away in time.

Hi my name is nia and i was diagnosed with viral meningitis when i was 10. Im 20 now. I still experience bad headaches and get dizzy from little to heavy activity. I really do need more information on post meningitis because i dont think this is normal. Looking at some these responses i see things similar that go on with me. if any one can provide me with anymore information i would greatly appreciate it.

Hi Missy, I'm 29, I was diagnosed with Viral Meningitis mid-September this year. I'm still off sick and suffer with regular headaches, neck and back pain, dizziness and being spaced out.
If you're interested, I'm writing a blog about my experiences of VM to benefit other sufferers, amuse my family and friends and also to process everything that has happened. Have a read:
http://landskatedesign.wordpress.com

I am 15 and was diagnosed with viral meningitis. Whenever I play a sport I get really dizzy and start to get a really bad headache. Has this happened to anyone else that has had it?

Im amazed I thought it was just me. I had spinal menegitis when I was 2. My mom said 1 min I was fine then the next by spine instantly started curving back word, high fever, hulusinations everything. My spinal fluid traveled down to my knee and they had to do surgery to repair it. I spent two weeks in a comma and 3 months in the hospital. I'm 27 years old and I would say my pain is unbarrable almost everyday. My pain is in my back and neck, and gets to the point where my left leg goes numb or I get shooting pains in it. My neck is always stiff and my back always hurts. My memory has gotten extremely worse in the last 2 years, I find I get bad anxiety and depression. My energy is pretty low most of the time. I've tired talking to doctors about it but they blow you off or tell you no there's no side effects. In my life its hard to get your family on my side as well. Well after reading all the comments I'm beginning to think there wrong. It's nice to finally hear I'm not alone. ~🌸keep fighting the good fight and God will take care of us🌸

I got meningitis 3 years ago when i was 18 and I have had after-effects the same as you. I kept trying to find if anyone else had them but I couldn't find anyone with the same symptoms as me. I sometimes feel like im in a dream and I sometimes feel like I've been drinking, the same as you. This gets worse when I am tired and the next day I feel like the details of the night before are a bit hazy, as if I had been really drunk when I hadn't even had one. When I HAVE been drinking, I have terrible memory loss and I get drunk really fast so I tend not to drink much any more. When I was in hospital, I didn't go into a coma or anything but on my worst day I couldn't move my arms or legs because they were so weak and I couldn't speak - it was like baby talk that was coming out even though I knew what I wanted to say in my head but my mouth just couldn't form the words and it just came out in these funny noises. At first I was getting terrible migraines almost every day (now it's only once every week or 2) and it took me over a year to get any strength back in my muscles.

I also feel like I have quite a short temper and I feel myself getting angry or frustrated at the simplest things when the logical part of my head is telling me to stop being so silly. The drunk thing is my main after-effect though and the thing that annoys me the most, because with it comes the slight memory loss. As soon as someone reminds me then I can remember it fine but I find it hard recalling it myself. Glad to hear that apart from that you are doing ok though.

We’re sorry to hear that you’re struggling with the after effects of viral meningitis. It is a very serious illness and we do know that recovery can take quite a long time and the extent of the after effects is not always understood. You may be interested to know that we are currently funding a study in England about the longer term effects and you can read about it on our website: http://www.meningitis.org/current-projects/adult-meningitis-caused-by-29901

I was diagnoses with viral Meningitis in November last year. I have gone from a high functioning working person to stay at home tired one. I struggle with memory issues and still get horrible headaches. There seems to be a lack of fully understanding this disease in Houston by some of the treating physicians. Many are still surprised that a year later I am still dealing with this. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who also had the viral form especially in the US. CarolineG220@gmail.com

In 2006, I found out I had Meningitis..I was only 20 years old and I had no idea what that was. When my doctor explained to me what Meningitis was and what type I had...I was freaked out! Because, she warned me...if I hadn't came to the ER any sooner, I would have possibly died the next day! Ever since that day, I realized..people should find out more about themselves! The pain and agony that I went through with 1 week of Meningitis was the worst week of my life! I blew blood out of my nose for 2 weeks..it literally felt like, someone was squeezing and twisting my brain like a wash cloth..the pain in my head and back was so bad, that I can actually compare the pain to the day I saw my uncle right after he was murdered! Meningitis is FOR REAL! just to know, some horrible bacteria was living on my brain and spine is more than enough to cope with...do your research please, because it kills!