Meningitis victim warns of symptoms (From The Argus)

Meningitis victim warns of symptoms

12:47pm Tuesday 5th August 2008 in

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A woman struck down by meningitis is warning others to be aware of its signs and symptoms.

Carol West is still in agony four years after contracting the viral form of the disease.

It took months for her to regain her strength following her illness and she developed pneumonia as a result of her immune system being low.

Carol, 59, from West Chiltington, near Storrington, hopes her experience will remind others the disease can strike at any time and age.

The Meningitis Trust says the condition tends to peak during the summer months and is warning people to be on their guard.

Viral meningitis is rarely life-threatening but can take people a long time to recover.

There isn’t a vaccine to prevent it, so vigilance is the key to keeping people safe.

The trust’s services and education director, Bridie Taylor, said: “Viral meningitis usually isn’t as serious as the bacterial form of the disease.

However, while most people make a full recovery, some are left with serious and debilitating after-effects including damage to hearing, severe and recurring headaches, depression and extreme tiredness.

“We are urging people to be aware of the signs and symptoms and to act quickly if they are concerned about their health.”

Carol was flying home from Glasgow, where her husband Laurie was working, when she began to feel ill.

She said: “I had pains shooting down my sides and the most terrible headache that went right around my neck. I didn’t want to open my eyes because the light hurt them so much. I was crying in pain.

“My husband phoned to make sure I’d got home okay and insisted I call a doctor.

“The doctor took one look and got an ambulance. I always assumed meningitis was something that affected children and young people and it was the last thing I expected.”

Carol spent a week in hospital but her recovery was slow. She still has to have treatment for neck pain and suffers from severe headaches.

She said: “People really must give themselves time to recover and not try to do things too quickly. It takes a while to start feeling yourself again. It can be difficult for others to understand but you have to make sure you are okay. I was terribly weak and tired.

“I think because I was older it took me longer than most but everyone must take care. You do improve over time but you have to be patient.”

Make sure you know the facts In the initial stages, the signs of viral meningitis are the same as bacterial meningitis.

This includes fever, headache, stiff neck, dislike of bright lights, vomiting and diarrhoea, confusion and aching joints and muscles.

The symptoms can appear in any order and some may not appear at all.

Viral meningitis is not treatable with antibiotics.

It requires plenty of bed rest, painkillers and good nurse care.

It is not known how many of cases of viral meningitis occur each year, as some cases aren’t severe enough to be reported or need hospital treatment.

The Meningitis Trust believes as many as 500,000 people in Britain today have had either viral or bacterial meningitis.That means in an average size town with a population of 250,000 people, about 2,000 residents will have had some form of meningitis.

The trust produces free credit card sized “signs and symptoms” cards to keep in wallets or purses.

Call the freephone 24- hour nurse-led helpline on 0800 0281828 or visit www.meningitis-trust.org.