Viral Meningitis After Effects

[jimmyca69]

Friday 12th Sept i was taken into hospital after waking with pins and needles all over my body which then developed into a very bad fever. At hospital the docs performed a chest x-ray and head scan which both came back ok. They then performed a lumbar puncture and some blood tests.

Next day i was a lot better  and they told me they had found traces of infection in my blood and eventually they also found white blood cells in the lumbar puncture. They kept me in for 6 days on a anti-viral drip and also anti-bacterial stuff as well. They said they had grown the CSF and that was ok, and that it was a form of viral meningitus and to go home and rest with painkillers. My blood was now clear and that my body would fight off the infection.

The last night before i left hospital i woke in night with a numb left arm and left hand side of face. It worried me as it reminded me of the symptoms prior to being brought in - this time though it wasnt all over my body and around an hour later it had passed and fell back asleep. I mentioned this to the doc before i left and he advised me that the nerves etc in my body had been through a lot and that i would get these feelings during recovery.

During my first night home (thurs 18th) i had the numbness with some pins and needles in my left arm (even though laying on right when i woke up) but it soon passed. I had another mild case of it the next night in my arm but from the Sat 20th Sept my sleep was uninterrupted. This was until Tues 23rd when it returned only in arm but nevertheless woke me up. Last night - Wed - i slept again right through but now tonight (5am local time) i was woken again. This time the neck, arm and i can feel it slightly numb in my bottom left of face.

I am starting to get worried by these tingles - i know the doc said to expect this but the randomness is confusing me. At first i thought it was the way i was sleeping but as its always left hand side i go to sleep on my right hand side but still wake up with it.

A friend mentioned Guillain-Barré syndrome? I read up on it but wouldnt the doctors have picked up this in the CSF?

Could it be stress? After the infection i am on edge about symptoms returning especially the pins and needles which i found so worrying.

Is it something else? i dont want to wake up with my left hand side paralysed one day. I also found out a friends girlfriend had a serious case of viral meningitis last year and was partially paralysed for 5 weeks

[VM_2]

I believe I suffered from viral meningitis. The symptoms in comparison to the average person is exactly the same, except mine seemed to go on for about 6 months. My GP refused to recommend me for a spinal tap, he concluded it was a virus and I experienced migraines at the same time. When I further explained to Dr's about the unsteady gait, brain fog, uncontrollable brain fluid leaks from my nose, pressure in my brain beyond belief.. they surmised it was sinuses and treated with me with antibiotics - which obviously did not make any difference whatsoever. After a few weeks of the initial symptoms, I also began experiencing numbness throughout several parts of my body. It began with severe burning sensations (like hot steam) and then the glove effect took over on these areas. Dr's were so focused on it being MS, that over the months that followed, I had been only tested for MS related tests and scans. I even had a nerve test where about a 20cm needle is poked through the areas of numbness to track the nerve's reaction  - so there's nothing to hide. They found little to no reaction. After several months of tests, I wasn't given any treatment. Was prescribed paracetamol and co-codemol, and was basically told if incontinence occurred or I got worse, I should come back to hospital immediately.

Because of being off work for several weeks at a time without a proper diagnosis, I lost my job. I have a first class degree, but have never felt more incompetent with all of the symptoms I experienced during this time. As for the pain during the initial months, it was the worse thing I could possibly imagine. The after-effects went on for another year were I experienced various other things...seemed like I had chicken pox - I had this when I was young, so Dr's felt it couldn't be it...and then had internal bleeding for a couple weeks. Their investigations covered bowel cancer or something related.

After about 2 years since it began, most things have gone back to normal except for the numbness. Those areas in my body remain numb, and I also experience tingling and tinnitus intermittently. I feel my memory is effected too. Sometimes certain words are harder to recall...I've lost all confidence to work in my field again and I haven't been in a long-term job ever since then.

[jimmyca69]

Just to add i went to my GP today - he did some tests (reflexes, grip, checked behind eyes etc) but couldnt really pick up on anything. He said it wouldnt be GBS as that starts in legs and makes it way up and mine was too random for that.

To add to the problems above today has been a bad day, i only had 3 hrs sleep and when i have tried to go back to sleep today i will immediately seem to get the tingling sensation around my neck and also my mouth. My tongue at one point even had it. This is worrying me as i dont like the idea of waking up with my mouth numb and struggling to breathe?

The GP is contacting the hospital that i attended for me to have a follow up check as an out patient but he said that could take a week. What can i do in the meantime?

[jimmyca69]

Sorry forgot to add that im a 28 y/o healthy male who before this hasnt suffered from any major illness and was not on any medication prior to this. Im not allergic to anything and am a non-smoker who exercises regularly.