My last 6 days in the hospital

[joyfulgirl]

DiGi!!

I should come in here more often. I only just now saw this. What a scary experience. I'm soooo glad you're ok. And how brilliant that you could walk into ER and tell them what you had. Thank you for educating all of us on this. Keep getting better and keep us posted.

 

[~LadyLemon~]

So glad to hear that you are recovering! I got a meningitis shot a few years back. Cost me over $100, but it was worth it!

 

[mmmBono]

alrighty...
correction to my earlier post...
DiGi...you are very lucky to be alive...please remind yourself of that fact every day.
in my last post...i mentioned there were no confirmed cases. Wrong.
there are 4 cases in my city.
all of them under 20 yrs of age (it seems to affect the young ones more)...
of these 4:
2 have made it out okay like our DiGi...they're in recovery...
1 16 year old has died this morning..
and the last one is still sort of hanging on if you can call it that...

he is now permanently blind, they had to amputate both of his legs due to extreme tissue damage from the infection, and to top that off, he's a foster child, his real parents are both psychotics so he was taken away from them when he was really young.
All at the age of 17.
one has to wonder what this kid has to live for now.

this is serious shit....everyone...if you have ANY doubts about any symptoms you may be having get your ass to a doctor!
Both the kid who died and the kid who lost his legs and went blind all got affected in much less than 24 hours.
this is serious serious shit.

 

[DiGi]

Thanks.

Since I woke up last Saturday morning, without question I have felt like the luckiest person on the entire planet. Everyday since, I have thought about the potential outcome of this had I waited another two hours or not gone to the hospital when I did. Things would have been very different. Very different.

The bacterium produces a toxin, which leads to the tissue damage. That's why you may loose a limb or all your limbs.

When we were walking out of the hospital my Mom and I went to the ER to ask if the doc and nurses who took care of me where working, I wanted to thank them. The doctor was, so he came out. Looking the person who saved your life in the eye and thanking them is a very odd feeling. Amazing really. I was pretty overcome at this point with thinking how lucky I was to walk out "normal." My Mom told the doctor "you saved my son's life last Friday," I thought I was going to break down and cry at that point.

I need to get something nice for the people in the ER and the nurses who took care of me while I was sick.

Please look into the Meningococcus vaccine, especially if you are in college/university and have not had it yet. Also, please commit these symptoms to memory, all types, including viral meningitis, present with the same symptoms and I would hate for any of you or anyone you all know and care about to not know these symptoms since this infection is so dangerous.

 

[The_Sweetest_Thing]

Ohmylord Digi. I'm so happy you knew the symptoms and had the sense to go to the hospital. And that the doctor treated you so aggressively. It's what saved you. Someone's looking out for you.
How long did you have the PICC line in? Did you end up taking a picture?

Take care, be careful and get better soon.

 

[Mrs.Clayton]

I didn't know there was a vaccination...
How long does it last?

 

[DiGi]

I still have the PICC line in. I will for at least another week as my antibiotics run through next Saturday. I should be able to have it removed the Monday after that. In case you want to see it there is a link below to the image. The line runs from this point in my arm up through my shoulder, down the superior vena cava and stops just above the right atrium of the heart.
http://www.15five.com/static/other/picc_line3.jpg

The vaccinations are good for a few years. If I am correct 2-4 range. I will find out for sure and let you all know. There are vaccinations for Streptococcus pneumoniae and some strains of Neisseria meningitidis

 

[The Absent One]

I am very impressed you knew the symptoms and all Digi. Thank god you did. As someone who knows exactly what its like i want you to know that the recovery is pretty quick. I was back playing football in a cup final a week after being released from hospital! You just need to take a few days recovery time like it sounds like you are doing.

Please everyone listen to Digi and take head of his advice. Meningitus can and does kill about 50% of people who contract it. We have been lucky but many others arent. If you have any fears that you have it get in touch with a doctor immediately. I would be dead if my GP hadnt recognised the symptoms and had the forethought to give me a penicillin injection.

Get well soon Digi

 

[melon]

I'm certainly familiar with bacterial meningitis, as I was mass vaccinated with much of Michigan State University's campus back in 1999. With such a large campus, sad to say, there are about five cases a year--and deaths are not uncommon in some years.

The vaccination is a great idea, but, for perspective, it does not cover all strains of meningitis. The irony about 1999 is that the case that sparked the vaccination was one of the strains that wasn't covered by the vaccine.

Regardless, people should keep in mind the need to keep themselves in good health and to get adequate sleep, because meningitis does mostly attack people with weakened immune systems and stress can readily contribute to that.

(BTW, if I remember right, the vaccine lasts for three years.)

Melon

 

[EPandAmerica]

 

[DiGi]

i took a walk today. Slow, but very nice.

 

[bonosloveslave]

How freaky, I'm so glad you are ok!

You made another great point that I want to emphasize - you told them in the ER what you thought you might have - something serious. Alot of people get shy when they go to the doctor or ER and downplay their symptoms because they think they are just being overly cautious. If you had just said, I feel crappy and have a headache, they probably would have thought flu and put you at the end of the line.

This is not a time to be bashful, when you are feeling pain/symptoms you have never had before, especially if it has been going on for several hours already by the time you decide to go see someone. Try to go with someone else so that they can help to act as an advocate. It can mean the difference between life and death....

 

[browneyedgirl]

Damn DiGi ...... I've been away from here for a while ....so I'm just reading this...
I'm so glad to hear you pulled through o.k.....so many people don't , it's very vicious, as everyone here has already said..thank god you knew the symptoms and did'nt hesitate to get to the E.R.
I hope you continue to feel better and get stonger everyday...take care...

 

[The_Sweetest_Thing]

...just today I read an article in the paper about meningitis going around here. It sems once a year, around this time, universities everywhere begin reporting cases.

That, plus your story Digi, have promted me to get a vaccination. This week.

 

[DiGi]

I am so tired. The smallest amount of activity is exhausting me.

 

[verte76]

Horrors! How scary! I'm so glad you knew the symptoms and now you're going to be OK. Thanks for sharing the info. Information saves lives.

 

[martha]

DiGi, take it easy! You have our permission to take a nap.