Hello!
My husband is a healthy young adult who is recovering from what was apparently a bad bout of viral meningitis. After a week and a half of excruciating and incapacitating headaches, three days of nearly constant vomiting, and two trips to our small local ER (where he was told he had a sinus infection, stress, or a migraine), we finally spoke to a neurologist, who ordered a spinal tap to rule out subarachnoid hemorrhage. The spinal fluid was clear but showed white blood cells, so we were sent home with a viral meningitis diagnosis. That night, my husband was sent by ambulance to a large hospital in a nearby city because he was developing numbness all over his body, plus memory loss and badly slurred speech. Those symptoms subsided in several hours. The next day, he underwent an MRI, EEG, and bloodwork, all of which came back normal. He was hospitalized for a couple of days and then sent home for bed rest. The crushing headaches and some numbness continued for two more weeks, then gradually diminished. Our question is, my husband's job will require him to pass many difficult physical and mental tests before he can resume work. I have read that viral meningitis usually causes no permanent damage, but we are looking for some reassurance--the neurologist at one time suspected encephalitis, which I know can sometimes cause lasting problems. I'm sure you've seen many cases like this but this is new to us--can you give us any further information? Thanks very much!