Meningitis? (False Alarm!!)

[Briarmom]

DH is being tested for meningitis right now. Anyone ever had this? What is recovery like?

UPDATE- DH has a bad case of strep. Thanks for all the well-wishes. Today has been frustrating!

 

[Crankyshank]

DH had viral meningitis 2 or 3 yrs ago. He presented with odd symptoms so it took a couple of days to find it (they thought he had west nile). Basically he was out of work for about 3 weeks. He was in the hospital for 2 days to get his pain managed and rehydrated. He was on very strong pain meds for about a week then it was just a matter of getting the headache to go away and gradually regaining strength and feeling better.

Good luck to your DH. Hope he feels better soon

 

[GoodFairies]

Yikes, bacterial or viral? If he is positive, everyone he's been in close contact with (like you and kids) needs to go as well for testing.

 

[kilee]

Depends on if he's being tested for bacterial or viral. Bacterial meningitis is extrememly serious and can be fatal. So to be so blunt. Viral can be serious but rarely fatal and is much more common. We had viral meningitis run rampant through DS's little loop football team a few years back, it was very scary at first. Anyhow, viral is more predominant in the fall and bacterial in the spring. However, either can happen at any time. I would get some more details if I were you about what is going on.

 

[kilee]

If it's viral they won't pretreat the family like they do if it's bacterial. At least they didn't here. I know there were a few boy's that were in the hospital for a 1-2 weeks. 1 got pretty seriously ill. I know we ended up rushing DS to the ER because he got so sick and it only got worse over a few days. This was actually before we knew what was happening and that this spread through something like 9 out of 40 boy's. It had something to do with them sharing a water bottle at a game.

 

[Kitty 34]

I had bacterial years ago. I was in the hospital for 4 days and then flat on my back for three weeks with the worse headache imagineable.

Good luck to your DH.

 

[Crankyshank]

I wasn't tested or pre-treated when DH came down with viral. I presented with no symptoms and the Dr explained it that some people are more predisposed to meningitis than others.
Oh and I agree - Viral is much more common in the fall. DH got it in October and a lot of people think they just have the flu and don't go to the Dr until they are really sick. DH couldn't move his head, walk, and was delirious when he was brought to the ER.

 

[pw2pp]

I agree with what most of the other posters here have said (Kilee pretty much covered it all)..... depends on whether it's bactierial or viral meningitis.

I hope it all turns out okay for him.

 

[luvmydogs]

Ds10 had bacterial meningitis when he was three--misdiagnosed for over a week, and was *very* ill when he was hospitalized. Drs. treated dh and I prophylactically. Chris spent two weeks in the hospital and recovery was slow after his release (he also caught rotavirus in the hospital which didn't help things), but he's now happy and healthy with no permanent residual after effects.

If dh is diagnosed bacterial (I assume he's having a spinal tap and bloodwork to check for presence/type of bacteria), please feel free to PM me if you want more info or to talk--I can tell you all about our personal experience. It was a rough time, but turned out fine in the end.

 

[Briarmom]

Looks like it is just a bad case of strep! Thanks everyone!

 

[HappyMommy2]

I hope your DH will be better soon, and that he does not have meningitis.
I agree with the others; bacterial or viral makes a huge difference. Bacterial is often fatal and many survivors will have lasting disabilities. Viral is usually mild; many people just have flulike symptoms, though some cases are more serious.
My DH had a bad case of the viral type. His headache was so crushing, and his vomiting so intense, he told me he wanted to kill himself. He also had slurred speech and amnesia at one point. He was in the hospital for 3 days for rehydration, IV pain meds, and observation. It was horrible. He was out of work for a month, flat on his back, but he made a full recovery as most viral meningitis patients do.
Every year we celebrate a family "let's appreciate our health" day on the anniversary of DH's diagnosis.
I truly hope your DH will be better very soon!

 

[HappyMommy2]

Just saw your update post--I'm glad they figured out what is wrong, and that he is going to be just fine!

 

[tiggersmom2]

Looks like it is just a bad case of strep! Thanks everyone!

Whew! That is great news.