I've got meningitis??

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in CCU MICU Rapid Response.

Hey guys, just a story for you all...

Went to work Saturday and had a mild frontal HA. Little neck fullness Sunday Am. Thought maybe I might have a sore throat starting. Bigger headache Sunday afternoon and throat issues resolved. Got an on call for low census. Turned into the WORST headache of my life. Called the sup. and came in at 0330. Dilaudid and phenergan IM and home I went with the dx of migraine. (Not a migraine!)

Crawling the walls at 0830 I hurt so bad... back to ER I went. Prompt CT and lumbar puncture....AHA Meningitis. What???

Admitted and stayed 4 days and was d/c'd home yesterday following no growth on the culture plates and the dx of Viral meningitis.

I am amazed at how crappy I feel (still) and moreover, I am almost embarrassed that I, (the ICU nurse) did not catch on to what I had brewing... geesh.

Just had to share my lack of insight. LOL :imbar Amazing. ~Ivanna

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Specializes in ED, ICU, Heme/Onc.

I hope you feel better soon. And stop beating yourself up, it would be strange to think meningitis when you have a headache - even if it's the worst one of your life. I am glad that you went back to the ER.

Rest up and don't feel guilty about calling in sick!!!

Blee

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I am glad you are OK!!!

I have had severe migraines for almost 30 years. I doubt I would have thought "meningitis" if I got a really bad headache. Thanks for posting this!

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Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, Home Health, Oncology.

Hope you feel bettersoon.

Why are you feeling so bad about yourself?????? You were quite sick and being sick, I'm sure affected your assessment skills. Your critical thinking was obviously effected as well.

Give yourself some time to really get over this.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

It is harder to diagnose ourselves. Heck, at least you caught it in time. It is coincidental that you bring this up, because I was seriously thinking about taking the meningococcal vaccine myself. I just may ask one of the doctors to place an order in for me for this, now.

Please be well, soon!

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

So sorry to hear about your illness and so very very glad you're better!

I'm pretty sucky at dx'ing myself when sick too.

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Specializes in cardiac/critical care/ informatics.

My husband's aunt was dx with menengitis in July but it took them awhile to dx and they didn't tx her, i thought it rather odd they never did lumbar puncture they dx her on symptoms.

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Specializes in None.
It is harder to diagnose ourselves. Heck, at least you caught it in time. It is coincidental that you bring this up, because I was seriously thinking about taking the meningococcal vaccine myself. I just may ask one of the doctors to place an order in for me for this, now.

Please be well, soon!

Now days in college we are required to have the vaccine in order to attend, I am glad I got it, as well as the Hep A, just to be safe. Since we all know not everyone in college or the conditions are sanitary LOL

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Hey, ease up on yourself. The ED misdiagnosed as well first time through.

I'm glad you feel better.

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I had meningitis a couple of years ago. While I was not a nurse then, I still had a gut feeling that something was not right. I do not normally get headaches so I seem to have a low tolerance level for head pain. My case of meningitis started out with a nasty case of the flu virus. And just as I thought I was on the mend from the flu the headache set in. It took about 48 hours for the headache to reach excruciating. I remember thinking that if this is what a migraine feels like people have got to be shooting their heads off! I would love to hear from someone who suffers from migraines and has had meningitis. Is the pain on the same scale? Is the meningitis pain similar to what migraines feel like?

I eventually went to the emergency room, convinced that I must have some sort of brain tumor or something. So for me the diagnosis of meningitis was almost a relief. I was hospitalized for five days while the worst of it ran it's course. I think it took me a month or so to be back to myself. The intensity of the pain just really zapped me. Soon after my bout with meningitis I read about some people who have recurring or chronic meningitis and it about scared the jeepers out of me. On a few occassions over the years, I have come down with the flu or something that comes with a bad headache, and for a moment I worry that I could have meningitis again. But fortunately, I have never had another case nor a another headache that even comes close to what my head felt like with meningitis.

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One more thought... I remember that when I was being discharged from the hospital the nurse was telling me that there are varying cases of viral meningitis. She mentioned that many people don't suffer pain at the level of needing to be hospitalized. I would think that if your pain was not as severe it would be even easier to mis-diagnose or ignore the warning signs.

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Specializes in CCU MICU Rapid Response.

Nicole, I have never had a migraine that felt as bad as that. It did not respond to anything... in the least bit. I too, was relieved when they came up with a diagnosis. I did not know how I was going to manage the pain at home. I can say that they are entirely two different feelings. Cheers, Ivanna.

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