Viral Meningitis Consequence of HSV

[gypsygoddess]

 

April 2018, I was starting my first day at a new job. The night before, I had a headache as well as that morning. It was a stronger headache than I was used to but like any other headache I would get, I threw back two Advils and went on about my day. Hours into my day, into my training for the new job, I could feel the discomfort creeping back up. The pain was even worse, like I pissed it off or something. Six hours I spent at work that day, barely functioning, but trying to complete my training with everything I had. As soon as I clocked out, the tears came rushing down my face as I rushed back home. When I walked into the house, I fell to the ground clenching my head from all directions and crying, screaming really. My mom, lost and confused, oblivious to what was happening, helped me to my room where I layed down. I slept with a ice pack on my head for about an hour and a half before being taken to a hospital. The Nurse Practitioner kind of immediately had her suspicions about the cause of my pain. She performed the Lumbar Puncture and confirmed that is was Meningitis. I stayed in the hospital for seven days. Without really be sure of which type of meningitis I had without running all the necessary tests, the head doctor took precaution and treated me for both. I was confused and worried. I did not know when I got meningitis, how I got it, or where I got it from. I just wanted it gone, gone FOREVER! After the seven days I was released to go home. I was given a follow up appointment and my exit papers. However, it was immediately…. as soon as I stepped through my own front doors that the real problems set in.

 

After just one day I realized that my vision was clearly impaired. I was unable to focus or concentrate. I experienced restlessness at night but was also so tired, extremely fatigued even. What seemed like the worst part was my memory, which fades in and out. Time meshes together, going by in a single blink. Days are the same, wake up, lounge, eat, repeat. I have this constant terrible feeling that I found that in the medical world they classify as “derealization” or “depersonalization”, where one feels as if  life is not real or that they are just going through the motions of life and really inserted into it and feeling as if anything they do does not matter. It’s hard wanting to be sociable but wanting my friends to know as less as possible. Anxiety continuously tearing my mind to shreds. The anxiety was so bad that I slept with my mom the first week and a half that I got back from the hospital because I would have a panic attack just lying in my own bed. I am immensely depressed every step of the way but trying so hard to be hopeful that it will get better. It has to get better, because who can live happily in this mental, emotional, and physical state?

 

I honestly felt like I could not talk to anyone, like no one understands. All I kept hearing was “maybe it is all in my head” or that I am “freaking myself out” but I am not. This is real. This is happening and I am feeling like I am losing my mind and every unique part of myself.

 

I did not find out much from my doctor other than the basic spiel about what Viral Meningitis was and the treatment for it. No one prepared me for the diminishing after effects of the infection. They left it all up to me. After days of panicking and crying, I gave in. My mom kept urging me to call someone, so I called a random Meningitis hotline, where I spoke to a woman, the secretary or something like that, who came to be the pivotal point of this whole experience. She told me things that the doctors did not. Things about the emotional and mental impact that these viruses leave on a person. She told me stories of others that made me feel actually grateful that I wasn't physically impaired or worse. She also told me something that I always try to remember when I get discouraged. She said, “What you are experiencing is like something you would experience if you were flew head first out of a car windshield, you have dead brain cells and maybe even a brain injury, and you have to treat it as such.” She expressed to me that this is MY health and MY life and despite what some doctors say I have to keep fighting for it and searching for answers. I had to find out more about what this infection was, how I got it, and ultimately what I was experiencing post viral meningitis. She inspired me to do that. So whoever you are and wherever you are, Thank you.

 

Beginning my research, I ran into all sorts of forums, discussions, success stories, and pleas for help. I was excited to see so many others experiencing the same symptoms I was and even having some of the same questions I did. However, I did not know whether to be joyful or saddened by some of the posts I read. One woman said it took her two years to even be able to function enough to reclaim her work life. With that, another woman said it only took 6+ months for her to recover. Another woman said to stay strong because she has recovered and there is “A light at the end of the tunnel” if you are patient. One person simply crushed any ounce of spirit I had by writing “Just learn to live with it and try to live life.” Well no, I refuse to just live with it. I want to be me again! I want to live my life as I once planned or thought I would. I want to be better.

 

You know, being a christian I thought alot about my sin and the way I was living my life after coming out of the hospital. I know that no one is perfect and we all make mistakes everyday, but I can not help but realize that there is so much more positive I could be doing with my life. I am not living this life that God has blessed me with to its fullest potential. What have I done to please the Lord. I am not living life to my standards or his. I realize this now. There is the sudden understanding to become more connected to God, my newfound consciousness of life and that I can not squander this second chance to redeem my existence. This sudden revelation was able to give me a bit of peace and encouragement about my situation.

 

With these new ideas and thoughts, I started my journey to find healing. Diet, exercise, cognitive and occupational therapy, psychologists, neurologists, and maybe even some medication I found are all possible routes to recovery and rebirth. However, I found that time, patience and support, were the most significant steps to rehabilitation. It may have not been what I wanted to hear at the moment, but it did restore my spirit and hope that I can will be able to live the life I had always dreamed of for myself. All I really needed was these tools, a strong support system, and God on my side.

 

A little over a month and I am still on the long journey of improvement, I really just started. In order to begin I needed to find my strength, hold on to my faith, and revive my optimism. There are resources and people to help, I just have to remain positive and want to work towards a better tomorrow. Previously, I began writing this for myself, like a reflective journal or diary of this experience to gain some sort of enlightenment, but after writing it I realized that I could inspire someone else. I am writing this to tell you, whoever you may be, although it may be difficult, try to remember who you were before the Meningitis. Although you might not completely become the person you once were, you might find that the person who comes out on the other side is even stronger and better than you ever were.

 

Edited May 15, 2018 by gypsygoddess

[Feeling Normal Again]

I saw your post on a different site and was trying hard to create an account so I could reply. But the site was difficult to navigate and wouldn't let me back to the forums after joining. But here we are. I've been searching for others with meningitis. I had meningitis. I contracted hsv2 three years ago. My first year was excruciating. I suffered from very painful headaches (mainly behind the eye, temple, and base of skull), neck stiffness and pain, fatigue, swelled and painful lymphnodes, brain fogginess, hip and low back pain, stomach discomfort and bloating, and constant outbreaks. I was depressed and angry. 

I tried several treatments and nothing seemed to work as well as I'd have liked. I finally found things that really worked for me. 

Neem capsules--two twice a day. Neem oil rubbed over any outbreak areas twice a day. Neem worked for the sores with almost immediate results, but I still had all other symptoms. 

I stumbled across Graviola tea for lymphnodes. I ordered 30 organic tea bags. Started a cup in the morning and a cup in the evening with creamer and sugar. It worked, my lymphnodes went back to normal. 

Nice side effect of the Graviola, it got rid of the headaches, the aches, the stiffness, my brain was clear, head pressure gone. All symptoms decreased significantly. And increased energy. 

I had already been taking some immune boosting supplements and teas, I kept taking them too. I would add a tea bag of echinacea or dandelion root to my morning cup of graviola tea. And also took zinc, vitamin c, olive leaf extract, and apple pectin. 

After just one week, I felt significantly better. After a couple of months, I lowered my dosages to Neem capsules and immune supplements one week on, two weeks off. Once a week before bed, I rubbed Neem oil over any areas that'd had previous outbreaks. I drank one cup of tea a week (graviola with dandelion or echinacea root, and creamer and sugar). 

For any stomach issues, I drink 4 ounces of drink called Ginger Soother (found at natural food markets), take two garlic capsules, and follow 30 minutes later with a good probiotic. I only do this "as needed" for bloating and discomfort.

Almost two years with no outbreaks, very minimal symptoms (once every couple of months, I feel a little head pressure and I increase my teas back up to daily for a few days), and increased energy! I have more of a normal life than I ever expected!!! Even met someone, engaged, full normal active life with him, and he hasn't contracted!

I hope any of this helps you! 

[gypsygoddess]

11 hours ago, Feeling Normal Again said:

I saw your post on a different site and was trying hard to create an account so I could reply. But the site was difficult to navigate and wouldn't let me back to the forums after joining. But here we are. I've been searching for others with meningitis. I had meningitis. I contracted hsv2 three years ago. My first year was excruciating. I suffered from very painful headaches (mainly behind the eye, temple, and base of skull), neck stiffness and pain, fatigue, swelled and painful lymphnodes, brain fogginess, hip and low back pain, stomach discomfort and bloating, and constant outbreaks. I was depressed and angry. 

I tried several treatments and nothing seemed to work as well as I'd have liked. I finally found things that really worked for me. 

Neem capsules--two twice a day. Neem oil rubbed over any outbreak areas twice a day. Neem worked for the sores with almost immediate results, but I still had all other symptoms. 

I stumbled across Graviola tea for lymphnodes. I ordered 30 organic tea bags. Started a cup in the morning and a cup in the evening with creamer and sugar. It worked, my lymphnodes went back to normal. 

Nice side effect of the Graviola, it got rid of the headaches, the aches, the stiffness, my brain was clear, head pressure gone. All symptoms decreased significantly. And increased energy. 

I had already been taking some immune boosting supplements and teas, I kept taking them too. I would add a tea bag of echinacea or dandelion root to my morning cup of graviola tea. And also took zinc, vitamin c, olive leaf extract, and apple pectin. 

After just one week, I felt significantly better. After a couple of months, I lowered my dosages to Neem capsules and immune supplements one week on, two weeks off. Once a week before bed, I rubbed Neem oil over any areas that'd had previous outbreaks. I drank one cup of tea a week (graviola with dandelion or echinacea root, and creamer and sugar). 

For any stomach issues, I drink 4 ounces of drink called Ginger Soother (found at natural food markets), take two garlic capsules, and follow 30 minutes later with a good probiotic. I only do this "as needed" for bloating and discomfort.

Almost two years with no outbreaks, very minimal symptoms (once every couple of months, I feel a little head pressure and I increase my teas back up to daily for a few days), and increased energy! I have more of a normal life than I ever expected!!! Even met someone, engaged, full normal active life with him, and he hasn't contracted!

I hope any of this helps you! 

Hi! I am glad we have finally met. I try to spread my story on various sites sorry. Your story is remarkable. I can not believe that the results from your trials with the supplements ad teas have been so positive and helpful. I am very happy that you have found something natural like this because honestly I hate taking to many medications! You are so amazing for sharing this! I will definitely be trying all of these treatments. I have a few questions, do you mind if I inbox you them?

[Feeling Normal Again]

Not at all, There's another girl that has the same extreme symptoms I talk to on a different site, we switched to fb because it's easier to communicate. But she started the teas I drink, and a couple of days ago told me her headache is gone, and today the head pressure was gone. She said today she felt good and had no symptoms. Im just glad I can try to help others going through what I went through.

[Feeling Normal Again]

I went ahead and sent you a pm. Hope to talk soon.

[Curious2]

On 5/14/2018 at 11:25 PM, gypsygoddess said:

 

 

April 2018, I was starting my first day at a new job. The night before, I had a headache as well as that morning. It was a stronger headache than I was used to but like any other headache I would get, I threw back two Advils and went on about my day. Hours into my day, into my training for the new job, I could feel the discomfort creeping back up. The pain was even worse, like I pissed it off or something. Six hours I spent at work that day, barely functioning, but trying to complete my training with everything I had. As soon as I clocked out, the tears came rushing down my face as I rushed back home. When I walked into the house, I fell to the ground clenching my head from all directions and crying, screaming really. My mom, lost and confused, oblivious to what was happening, helped me to my room where I layed down. I slept with a ice pack on my head for about an hour and a half before being taken to a hospital. The Nurse Practitioner kind of immediately had her suspicions about the cause of my pain. She performed the Lumbar Puncture and confirmed that is was Meningitis. I stayed in the hospital for seven days. Without really be sure of which type of meningitis I had without running all the necessary tests, the head doctor took precaution and treated me for both. I was confused and worried. I did not know when I got meningitis, how I got it, or where I got it from. I just wanted it gone, gone FOREVER! After the seven days I was released to go home. I was given a follow up appointment and my exit papers. However, it was immediately…. as soon as I stepped through my own front doors that the real problems set in.

 

After just one day I realized that my vision was clearly impaired. I was unable to focus or concentrate. I experienced restlessness at night but was also so tired, extremely fatigued even. What seemed like the worst part was my memory, which fades in and out. Time meshes together, going by in a single blink. Days are the same, wake up, lounge, eat, repeat. I have this constant terrible feeling that I found that in the medical world they classify as “derealization” or “depersonalization”, where one feels as if  life is not real or that they are just going through the motions of life and really inserted into it and feeling as if anything they do does not matter. It’s hard wanting to be sociable but wanting my friends to know as less as possible. Anxiety continuously tearing my mind to shreds. The anxiety was so bad that I slept with my mom the first week and a half that I got back from the hospital because I would have a panic attack just lying in my own bed. I am immensely depressed every step of the way but trying so hard to be hopeful that it will get better. It has to get better, because who can live happily in this mental, emotional, and physical state?

 

 

I honestly felt like I could not talk to anyone, like no one understands. All I kept hearing was “maybe it is all in my head” or that I am “freaking myself out” but I am not. This is real. This is happening and I am feeling like I am losing my mind and every unique part of myself.

 

I did not find out much from my doctor other than the basic spiel about what Viral Meningitis was and the treatment for it. No one prepared me for the diminishing after effects of the infection. They left it all up to me. After days of panicking and crying, I gave in. My mom kept urging me to call someone, so I called a random Meningitis hotline, where I spoke to a woman, the secretary or something like that, who came to be the pivotal point of this whole experience. She told me things that the doctors did not. Things about the emotional and mental impact that these viruses leave on a person. She told me stories of others that made me feel actually grateful that I wasn't physically impaired or worse. She also told me something that I always try to remember when I get discouraged. She said, “What you are experiencing is like something you would experience if you were flew head first out of a car windshield, you have dead brain cells and maybe even a brain injury, and you have to treat it as such.” She expressed to me that this is MY health and MY life and despite what some doctors say I have to keep fighting for it and searching for answers. I had to find out more about what this infection was, how I got it, and ultimately what I was experiencing post viral meningitis. She inspired me to do that. So whoever you are and wherever you are, Thank you.

 

Beginning my research, I ran into all sorts of forums, discussions, success stories, and pleas for help. I was excited to see so many others experiencing the same symptoms I was and even having some of the same questions I did. However, I did not know whether to be joyful or saddened by some of the posts I read. One woman said it took her two years to even be able to function enough to reclaim her work life. With that, another woman said it only took 6+ months for her to recover. Another woman said to stay strong because she has recovered and there is “A light at the end of the tunnel” if you are patient. One person simply crushed any ounce of spirit I had by writing “Just learn to live with it and try to live life.” Well no, I refuse to just live with it. I want to be me again! I want to live my life as I once planned or thought I would. I want to be better.

 

You know, being a christian I thought alot about my sin and the way I was living my life after coming out of the hospital. I know that no one is perfect and we all make mistakes everyday, but I can not help but realize that there is so much more positive I could be doing with my life. I am not living this life that God has blessed me with to its fullest potential. What have I done to please the Lord. I am not living life to my standards or his. I realize this now. There is the sudden understanding to become more connected to God, my newfound consciousness of life and that I can not squander this second chance to redeem my existence. This sudden revelation was able to give me a bit of peace and encouragement about my situation.

 

With these new ideas and thoughts, I started my journey to find healing. Diet, exercise, cognitive and occupational therapy, psychologists, neurologists, and maybe even some medication I found are all possible routes to recovery and rebirth. However, I found that time, patience and support, were the most significant steps to rehabilitation. It may have not been what I wanted to hear at the moment, but it did restore my spirit and hope that I can will be able to live the life I had always dreamed of for myself. All I really needed was these tools, a strong support system, and God on my side.

 

A little over a month and I am still on the long journey of improvement, I really just started. In order to begin I needed to find my strength, hold on to my faith, and revive my optimism. There are resources and people to help, I just have to remain positive and want to work towards a better tomorrow. Previously, I began writing this for myself, like a reflective journal or diary of this experience to gain some sort of enlightenment, but after writing it I realized that I could inspire someone else. I am writing this to tell you, whoever you may be, although it may be difficult, try to remember who you were before the Meningitis. Although you might not completely become the person you once were, you might find that the person who comes out on the other side is even stronger and better than you ever were.

 

 @lifeitis24 thought this might help