Meningitis: My Story

The title sounds all dramatic doesn't it? I guess it is in a way. There are not many times in your life when a doctor tells you that you could have died right? So, here's the story, from the beginning...

Sunday, Sept 30th - I went into work for an hour and then came home. I was tired, but when am I NOT tired? We decided to go look at some houses because we so desperately want to get out of this house. It was supposed to be a quick trip but ended up being a couple of hours. Caroline was good up until the last hour and then started getting super fussy. I just wanted to go home. I felt like crap. We got home and Caroline had a fever of 102 degrees. Again. Random fevers happen quite a bit in our house. I gave her some Motrin and then sat on the couch and started getting chills. Turns out, I had a low grade fever too. I was up all night on the couch getting the chills and then waking up soaked in sweat.

Monday, October 1st - I went into work anyway and Caroline went to daycare. Neither one of us had a fever. She was acting fine too. I, on the other hand, still felt like crap. I'm pretty sure that I had fever on and off during the day. I took some Tylenol around lunchtime and then dripped in sweat later that afternoon. My neck was hurting a bit too. Monday afternoon was my first headache. Tylenol helped. Headaches are headaches in my world. I get them A LOT. As long as the Tylenol helps, I can handle it and move on.

Tuesday, October 2nd - A day full of extreme hot flashes and headaches. There were numerous jokes about me being pregnant or in early menopause. HA! People are comedians. I still felt better than I did on Monday.

Wednesday, October 3rd - I woke up with a little headache. Popped some Tylenol and went to work. I pretty much went downhill from there. By 3pm, I was sweating, couldn't concentrate on my computer, had already had 6 Tylenol with no relief from a headache and when people talked to me, it hurt worse. I started feeling nauseaous and made several trips to the bathroom just in case. Finally, at 430, I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up and said I don't feel good, I'm going home and just left. My friend Corie had visited me around 2:30 and she says now that I just wasn't myself...I barely made it home and took more Tylenol and just crashed into bed. I buried my head in a pillow and stuck another one over my head because light was starting to bother me now too. You know how you go to the doctor and they ask you to rate your pain 1-10? This headache was probably a 9. I wouldn't say 10, but truthfully, I'd never felt any pain like this before in my life. Hands down the worst headache I have ever had. I threw up a little that night and basically felt like I wanted to die. Really. I don't know how I fell asleep. I had taken all the Tylenol I could take so John ran up to the store and got some Aleve and some Mucinex. Maybe this was a really bad sinus headache. I don't remember if we actually verbalized what we thought it was...my tumor had to be growing. What else could it be?

Thursday, October 4th - I got up and took a shower, my headache was still there. I told John he was going to have to take Caroline to daycare and I wasn't going to work. I got her dressed, but lost my patience with her. I know she sensed something was wrong. I couldn't even be around her and she just cried and cried. I threw up twice that morning. Since I hadn't really eaten anything since lunchtime on Wednesday, it was mostly stomach acid. Yuck. By 10, my headache was still there and John convinced me to go to the CareNow Clinic. I did the Web Check in and still ended up waiting over an hour in the waiting room. Did I mention I drove myself? John was at school. I saw the doctor and she said I should probably go to the ER to get an MRI or CT scan because of my history and the fact that I was calling this longer than 24 hour headache with nausea and vomiting the worst one of my life. I arranged for Laura to pick up Caroline at daycare and John met me at home to drive me to the ER. I didn't have to wait long. I was surprised. I got an IV with Morphine and some Reglan. I threw up some more. I went for a CT and it came back normal per history. The doctor decided to do a lumbar puncture. I was not thrilled. Of course, I was trying to make jokes during all of this. I did feel better, but I was pretty heavily medicated. They did the LP and came back an hour later. Meningitis. WHAT?!?!?!? That was my reaction. The doctor had to say it more than once. I had white blood cells in my spinal fluid and some protein thing that I don't remember the name of and another thing that was making them think it might be bacterial meningitis. The bad one. I was admitted to the hospital and put in isolation. No one could come near me without gloves and a mask until the tests were conclusive. My first thoughts were of course of Caroline. God, I hope she didn't get this. She's so little. John is tough. He never gets sick, but I still hope he doesn't. And how the hell did I get this??? Seriously? I have no idea still. I got more morphine and was woken up periodically throughout the night for blood pressure and temp monitoring, lots and lots of blood draws and visits from the Internal Medicine doctor and the Infectious Disease doctor.

Friday, October 5th - By morning, they had determined that I had viral meningitis and told me I would be off isolation that afternoon. I talked to family and friends throughout the day. My parents ended up taking Caroline home with them on Thursday night. They kept her until Sunday. Laura was worried (and rightly so) about her and Austin. We had not seen each other, but she was in our house and drove my car, which she dubbed the "Meningitis Mobile" to pick up Caroline. Viral meningitis is not the contagious one, so we just had to keep an eye on those closest to me for any type of virus, like an ear infection. John went to school and I just hung out in my room all day. Since I got off isolation that night, we decided to have Mom and Dad bring Caroline up to see me. It was nice to see her, but I think she was scared.

My first IV had been put in the crook of my left arm and the IV stand alarm went off almost everytime I moved, so I asked them to move it on Friday night. I was on continuous IV antibiotics and fluids. I was also getting shots in my stomach to thin my blood. After several tries and one official blown IV, they stuck another one in my right forearm.

Saturday, October 6th - Still in the hospital. John spent the whole day with me. We had high hopes that I would get to go home today. Unfortunately, the headaches that I had started getting anytime I would sit or stand up were getting worse and my neck was hurting too. One of my blood tests showed that my potassium was low, so I had to take supplements for that. I felt like crap that day. But if I laid down, all was good. So, I just laid down. All the time. My IV started hurting and in aboout an hour, it had infiltrated. My arm was swollen, red, and hot. Numerous people tried to stick me again and it was decided that I was officially unstickable. The doctor agreed to DC (get rid of) my antibiotics. Thank God, because if I still had to have them, I might have had to have a central line. Not fun. So, Saturday night, I got to sleep without being connected to anything. Woohoo!!

Sunday, October 7th - The day of Laura's baby shower. We had already spoken about this starting on Friday and I told her to go ahead with it. Thank God it was more than just me hosting it. I'm so sorry I missed it. But, I got to go home!!!! I finally got discharged around 2 and my Dad brought me home. To my own bed. To my family. I was so happy. I got home and immediately laid down because my head was pounding. My daughter wanted absolutely nothing to do with me and decided that this was the perfect time to begin her Terrible Two's Tantrums. Don't things work out well?

Monday thru today - I've been trying to stay up longer everyday and as of right now, I have been upright for 2 hours and 40 minutes with no headache. I've taken a shower and put in a load of laundry. I think I could probably go back to work tomorrow, but it is Friday. What is the point? I'll just wait until I get an official all clear from my doctor on Monday and then go in. I feel pretty good. My head still occasionally hurts, but nothing bad. I get hot flashes if I need to lay down and my LP site itches a lot. But I am good. I survived "The Meningitis."