Meningitis in your words

Alyssa M Coker's story

  • Location: England
  • Categories: Bacterial meningitis
  • Age: Adult 25-59
  • Relationship: Self
  • Outcome: Recovery with after effects
  • After effects: Co-ordination problems
Alyssa M Coker

I was diagnosed with meningitis about 3 weeks ago. It started out as a horrible head/neck ache. Being a sufferer of migraines my entire life I initially thought it was just a really bad migraine for the first 3 days. I went to the hospital 2 times and both times they treated me like a drug addict just trying to get pills from them.

After I was discharged the second time I came home and could not get off the couch or even hold down a tiny sip of water. My husband and I went to bed on June 7th and from this point on I do not remember a thing. My husband said when he woke up the next morning I was on the floor vomiting all over myself and having seizures every couple of minutes. He immediately called an ambulance and they arrived within minutes. When they took my temperature it was 105 and I was so out of my mind that I was fighting the paramedics until they used restraints to hold me down. By the time we got to the hospital I had worn myself out and went unconscious.

"The Dr in the ICU only gave me a 50/50 chance of living"

The Dr in the ICU only gave me a 50/50 chance of living as my temp spiked to 110 before they were able to get it down, back to 105 that lasted for 2 days. He said I had even more of a chance of waking up without major brain damage. My family was horrified, I have two young children and a husband that I could not imagine living the rest of their lives without their mother/lifelong best friend. My husband and parents did not leave my side the entire time, the longest my husband left was for 30 mins to eat and shower. They had to put me in a medically induced coma for 3 1/2 days in the ICU and kept me there for another 3 days after I had awakened from the coma.

Here I am 3 weeks later with so much head/neck/back pain I can hardly stand it. Plus the Dr had to perform a spinal tap while I was out, which I can still feel. My doctors have given me the weakest painkillers (tramadol) that do not really help with the pain. I have massive anxiety, partially due to the fact that I have nearly lost all of my short term memory. I cannot go out in the sun unless I have my darkest sunglasses on and have false sensations of what I describe as hot water in random places on my body and am very uncoordinated, another thing that is very frustrating for me as I've always had such a strong healthy body before this happened.

"I hope my story gives some helpful info on this disease."

My eyesight has also taken a blow from the meningitis. I actually have an eye exam later today. I have noticed more side effects after my stay in the hospital, mostly because I was so heavily sedated while I was there that I don't remember. Every time I see a doctor or someone who has any knowledge of meningitis they are shocked that I am alive. My doctor’s office staff all call me miss miracle now and it seems to me the nurses are more caring and understanding of my illness than the doctor! I would never even wish this illness upon anyone, even my worst enemy.

I hope my story gives some helpful info on this disease.

ALYSSA COKER

JULY 2014