“I'm starting to feel things clicking into place again – small steps forward that remind me I'm healing.”
Cherralee fell ill earlier this year with a severe headache, stiff neck, extreme tiredness, confusion and slurred speech.
Viral meningitis was diagnosed and she’s taking the slow journey back towards full fitness, as the 49-year-old from Aberdeen tells us here.
“For nearly a week, I was told it was just a virus...until it wasn't.
“Back in February, I became seriously unwell – constant severe headaches, neck pain, sickness, exhaustion, confusion and major sensitivity to lights and noise.
Knew something wasn’t right
“Deep down, I knew something wasn't right and kept pushing for help until I was finally admitted to ARI hospital and diagnosed with viral meningitis.
“I had a lumbar puncture and was on morphine every two hours for the pain in my head. I spent 10 days in a bed in hospital, and months later I'm still recovering.
“My right eye has been affected, leaving me with reduced vision, and my brain still struggles – it gets easily overwhelmed and forgetful. I've had to accept that healing takes time, especially when it's your brain.
Slow journey
“I'm now partially back at work, and although it's been a slow journey, I'm starting to feel things clicking into place again – small steps forward that remind me I'm healing.
“Not being able to get back to the gym, which was part of my daily life before all this, has been really hard. But I've learned to be patient with my body.
“Life is slower than it was before and I have had to learn to slow things down until I am back to normal. The acceptance of being slower in life and my head has been hard to accept.
Live as best I can
“I am forever grateful after being so ill to still be able to carry on with life even though it’s slower and work has been difficult to do the job that I did so naturally before.
“Life is for living and I make sure I live it as best as I can and listen to my body when it needs to rest.
“Recovery isn't just physical, it's emotional too.”
