Dale Manalo's story

Hi my name is Dale, I’m 36 years old and was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis in December 2016. I was in a coma for five days in the intensive care unit (ICU), and when I woke up I was not able to recall anything.

My memory came back bits and pieces as the days go by. I stayed at the hospital for 16 days, then doctors advised me to go home and continue medication. Last thing I remember the day it happened was I had intense headache and pain in the nape area, fever of 39 degrees and vomiting.

In the ICU

My wife rushed me to the hospital, and by the moment we arrived in the ER, I passed out and woke up in the ICU afterwards. On the days that I was in the ICU, doctors could not tell what happened to me.

My sister took videos of me in the ICU (secretly). I could not even believe what I was watching. I was strapped down in bed, hands, arms, legs, shoulders (my whole body) as I was moving constantly and trying to get out of bed. My eyes are a bit open and bulgy, as if I was looking at something afar; breathing heavily; seizures; and my mouth was also foaming like I had rabies (I never had an incident of animal bite or scratch my whole life). I had no memory of this happening to me until I saw the video.

When I woke up, I was not able to talk nor open my mouth.

I was also thinking, why I was strapped down? There were a lot of IVs (five of them) and instruments connected to me. I tried to take them off, but the nurse strapped me down again. I remembered people’s faces but not their names.

After-effects

When I was released from the ICU, I was given huge amounts of antibiotics (injected in the IV, three full doses in one) three times a day, and five oral meds – Keltican (once a day) and Piracetam (twice a day), and two tablets for the heart and blood pressure (twice a day), but I forgot the names. They depended on my blood pressure – if it was less than 110/70, I was not to take it the tablet. There was one other capsule before breakfast – I forgot the name but it was for the stomach. Oral meds continued until the present, except for the three meds which I forgot the names.

Differences that I noticed in my body after getting out of the ICU

• Double vision with both eyes opened, but I can see normally with one eye alternatively. Sensitivity to light and sometimes blurry.
• Hearing loss totally in the right ear, minimal hearing in the left ear – probably in a scale of 1-10, it’s a 4.
• Headache, 6 out of 10.
• Difficulty in turning my head from left to right as if I had a stiff neck. Vision messes up doing this as well, like I’m having a two-second delay.
• Difficulty standing up, balancing and walking, like I was a one-year-old child learning to walk again.
• Hand and eye coordination was messed up.
• I was able to talk normally on the second day being out of the ICU, and could recall people’s names and events that happened slightly.

Things I did when I was released from the hospital

• Proper diet; fruits and vegetables, less on meat products. Water intake: two litres daily.
• Doctors prescribed home medication of Keltican (one) and Piracetam (two).
• Slight exercise – a combination of stretching and jogging, 15-20 minutes a day every morning.
• Multivitamins and a fish oil capsule once a day.
• Chewing gum once a day (to exercise the jaw and tongue).

Things that improved 35 days after release to date

• Vision improved a lot – 8 out of 10 restored.
• Hearing restored in left ear 8 out of 10; right ear is 5 out of 10.
• Still experiencing balancing issues while walking, but it has improved a lot compared to previously. Unable to drive due to safety reasons.
• Headache is gone but I have difficulty getting some sleep. If I ever get one, it can only last for three to four hours.
• Stiff neck and nape pain has diminished.
• Slight memory loss.
• Muscle cramps (left leg and lower back).
• Dizziness after hours of walking.

My three doctors said I was lucky to recover and have survived this, as they never expected me getting out of bed as if nothing happened due to the fatality of the sickness. Although lab tests showed normal results, I am still puzzled why I was diagnosed with such. Hope this will help others be aware and recover from meningitis like I have.

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