“I am alive and that trumps everything!”
Pamela, from Faringdon in Oxfordshire, was 39 when she contracted what turned out to be viral meningitis in July.
Pamela's symptoms included confusion, a high temperature whilst feeling excessively cold, bright lights hurting her eyes and head, and a stiff and sore neck. She recounts her story here.
“Saturday started out as a normal, albeit busy, day.
“My partner and I were down to marshal at the local music festival, but I had been having some stomach pains for a day or so and wasn't feeling that bright. I started to get a sore neck, which I put down to sleeping awkwardly the night before due to stomach pains.
“After two hours in the blazing sun, with a quick rest stop at home to refuel and spend some time with our dog, we went back to the festival to enjoy the evening. I had made sure to drink loads and wear sunscreen, so had looked after myself.
“By 9:30pm I was feeling really weird, which I assumed was the stomach issues, and decided I wanted to go home. I was also in a lot of pain having dislocated my ankle a couple of nights before.
Began shivering
“We went home and my partner walked the dog whilst I stayed home. I began to start shivering and just could not warm up, which I assumed was just the effects of the heat, so decided to go to bed.
“When my partner came up about an hour later I kept telling him I was cold and had goosebumps. I have no recollection of this, but thankfully something in my intonation alerted him that something was seriously wrong. He called 999, presuming this was simply heat stroke.
“However, when he put the light on, I was in pain from it, and suddenly less than 45 minutes after the call the paramedics turned up; he had been told it would be nearly two hours.
I had completely forgotten Covid
“My temperature was nearly 40 degrees and I had been telling my partner I was scared of dogs, that we didn't have one, didn't recognise my house, thought I was in a job I'd not had for nearly five years and thought it was winter. I was also worried about the mystery virus from China coming over here – yep, I had completely forgotten Covid.
“I was blue lighted to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, and within the hour the doctors started the meningitis protocol.
“Once the drugs were in my system I felt so much better, but still had no idea how I had got to hospital.
Moved for lumbar puncture
“I was moved to a ward for a lumbar puncture the next day and told I would still be on the meds twice a day.
“The next morning I was moved off the ward into an isolation room, which was very scary. I have autism and with nothing being explained to me I found it very frightening, to the point I demanded to be released.
“They had already told me, as I was feeling better, that I didn't need a lumbar puncture, so I didn't see the point of staying. Thankfully when my partner arrived there was a bit more clarity given – the nurses were told I had refused the lumbar puncture, which distressed me as I hadn't.
Temperature creeping back up
“All the while this back and forth was going on, my temperature began to creep back up, and the lights began to hurt my eyes again. I was straight back on to the meds and a lumbar puncture was ordered asap. One more dose of the meds meant my temp came down and the lights were 'normal' once more, and thankfully the lumbar puncture came back as negative.
“However, they still didn't have the full blood results. On the Monday they decided to discharge me and told me that I had tested negative for all the main viruses, the contagious ones, and so they believed it was viral meningitis of an undetermined virus. They also told me later in the day that I had tested positive for campylobacter, which fits with the stomach issues I had been having, and may have been enough for my body to not be able to fight whichever virus was the cause of my meningitis.
“A week or so later and my appetite slowly returned. However, I still had the worst headache I have ever had, was exceptionally tired, and my hearing has been affected. I felt like I had headphones in my ears but I definitely didn't.
Grateful for quick actions
“It could have been worse, and I am so grateful for the consultants' quick actions to start the meningitis protocol, the consultant who decided to put me back on it, and mostly for my partner who recognised something was wrong – I have frequent health issues, so he could easily have just dismissed it as my body being its normal weird self, but he didn't. I honestly think he may have saved my life. Who knows what would have happened if he had just ignored me and gone to sleep.
“I never thought I would say I have had meningitis. To me it is something that people die from, or end up needing amputations from. I was unaware of viral meningitis. Everyone should be aware of it, as something that usually gets better on its own can need intervention if, like me, your body just cannot fight it.
“I have spent a small fortune on paracetamol and have a lot of fear around it happening again. I also no longer fit in any of my clothes as I lost 7kg in a week. I am working part-time whilst I recover from the after-effects, which is impacting my mental health as I cannot pay all of my bills."
