“I have to think ahead if I will be able to do certain activities as I might not be able to hear and this causes me anxiety.”
Taylor, known as Tay, from Buxton in Derbyshire, is 24 and a carer. She fell ill in July with a headache, temperature and vomiting. It turned out to be meningococcal meningitis, which has left her partially deaf. It’s been a scary experience, as she tells us here.
“I was living my normal day-to-day life at work on Monday. I felt a bit off by the end of the day, but nothing too major.
“The next day I woke up vomiting with a really bad headache and fever. No one, including myself, thought much of it. As I’m a carer we all thought it was just some bug I had picked up.
“However, I just kept getting worse and also I couldn’t hear anything the next day. I was taken to the doctor who then told us to drive ourselves to the hospital. I was then hospitalised for two weeks.
Two hearing aids
“This had left me partially deaf, so I now have two hearing aids. I’m almost completely deaf in my right ear but not so much in my left. I also have balance issues, which I am working on with my physio. I have improved massively, but still have a long way to go.
“This experience has been really scary. I was told I was lucky to even have some hearing back, let alone as much as I do even with hearing aids. I know that some people have lost limbs or eyesight, so I am grateful I haven’t had that. However, it’s still been a scary time.
“I am still learning to be deaf and how to live my day-to-day life, as some of my favourite things to do are listen to music and watch musicals and it’s just not the same anymore. I struggle to hear the words and beat at the same time.
Everyone talking at once is overwhelming
“I also live in a pub and find it quite difficult to hear when it gets busy with everyone talking at once. This can be overwhelming and makes me want to go back upstairs to get away from the noise, which is sad as this is a big part of my social life.
“I came across Meningitis Now in my Instagram and found it really nice to see that there is support out there, as I feel people don’t really talk about meningitis anymore.
“Meningitis has had a huge impact on my life. I have to think ahead if I will be able to do certain activities or socialise as I might not be able to hear and this causes me anxiety. I always think people think I’m being rude, but I just can’t hear them.”
