Can anyone tell me their or their child's experience of viral meningitis?

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A couple of months ago both my children 10 days apart ended up in hospital with typical symptoms of viral meningitis.

They gave one of the children a blood test which showed nothing bar raised white blood cells.

They said not VM, maybe covid? Maybe flu.

What would the blood test needed to have said for them to book further tests for viral meningitis?

I was in a similar situation but docs said the only way to be sure is a lumbar puncture but because they were confident it wasn't bacterial it wasnt worth the risk. Viral meningitis can't be treated (being viral) so no need to risk LP to confirm.

That's what I was beginning to wonder.

I didn't think they would do an LP for viral. And given that both the boys had it, I guess it would indicate viral as opposed to bacterial.

Their Abbots test just came back negative so I'm back to thinking it was VM.

I'm not convinced it was flu, not with the stiff neck, aversion to light, inability to raise knees to chest and all other typical symptoms.

I had it as a child. I started with an excruciating headache. Then next day, high fever, vomiting, light sensitivity and again excruciating headache. Then a rash. I had a lumbar puncture to diagnose it. Xx

I'm not a HCP but sounds like it. Its nasty but not much that can be done. Difficult to really get a diagnosis too, it's not on my medical records but pretty sure I had it. Hope your boys feel better soon.

I was thought to have had but not proven.

It was the worst headache of my life and fir weeks after I could feel the memory of the headache if that makes sense. I couldn't open my eyes because of the pain from light getting in and had to have painkillers in a syringe.

Last year I had VM. It started with sudden blurred vision, vomiting and the a headache that came in so suddenly, it knocked me off my feet, I had 2 LP's and a raft of MRI's etc. My LP was high for protein.

I left hospital a week,later, no treatment apart from pain relief for the headache.

A week later DS1 got it, slightly milder than me luckily the only test they did was a nasal viral swab which cultured enterovirus which is closely linked to VM, the next day DS2 got it, slightly milder again. No testing this time. We all got better with rest.

Thanks for the replies.
This makes me think they had it more than ever.

The headache was brutal. At one point my eldest couldn't even walk, totally out of it and delirious.

Very bloody scary.

The headache was the worst. My experience was 2 years ago and I still panic at the slightest sign of a headache. I thought I was having an aneurysm or something. The paramedic didn't believe how much pain I was in, and then I passed out in the ambulance.