Coping With Meningitis

Two years ago, my wife rushed me to the hospital for a was very sick and it came to know that I had a bacterial meningitis. It began few days before that, I have a flu like feeling and had a partial loss of hearing. I went to see my doctor for a consultation, she thought it was just minor ear infection and given me a script for a normal antibiotic with paracetamol for my headache. I bought and took the medicine as she recommended.

Few days later I started to get worst. Not only had a terrible headache but there’s dizziness and spinning sensation. I ask a friend of mine to drive to the medical clinic for my wife was still at work. I vomit a lot and seem my stomach was empty. I tried to take something but it came out.

At the medical clinic my doctor was not around so I just asked anyone available to see me. I was seen by certain doctor and her diagnosis was I had a Vertigo I was given a script of the same antibiotic for hearing infection and again a recommend to take a paracetamol. I was very sick I thought I would die from it.

Anyway when my wife arrived home she checked my condition and found I was in terrible shape and she said I had a stiff neck. At past 1:00 A.M in the middle of winter and without a drivers license my wife drove to the nearest hospital. There at the hospital when they gave me a spinal tap and found out that had bacterial meningitis. I was unconscious few minutes after I laid myself at the examination bed. The next time I knew I was at the ICU for days with all those tubes and IV attached to my body. It looks like in sci-fi movies.

My arms are full of IVs, oxygen line and other sort of gadgets attached at my body. When I saw my brother holding a camera I made a gesture to take photo/video of me. After a week at the hospital I found out that I lost my left hearing and still have the constant headache.

Two weeks after at ICU I was moved to rehabilitation room and I found out that I have this permanent imbalance, loss of hearing and partial loss of memory. My family has given me the support. My family was just happy to be alive for they were not expecting me to be alive when they saw my condition at the ICU and unconscious.

It’s been 2 years now and still have this constant headache due to the inflammation of the lining of my brain, permanent loss of hearing of my left ear and 60% in my right ear. I still had the imbalance and problem of straight walking. I got easily tired when standing and tried to be as normal life as can be.

Age: 46, Male