Meningitis symptoms and Covid Positive

[Chocolateemergency]

A relative of mine got rushed to hospital two nights ago with meningitis symptoms. She’d had a headache all week with a loss of appetite and then on Sunday she felt sick and the headache got worse. She slept all afternoon and then woke up in agony with a really stiff neck, all disoriented and with no balance.

Still waiting on the full results but her bloods are clear and her white cell count is low on her lumbar puncture, so it’s looking positive that she might not have meningitis after all but if that’s the case, why has she reacted like this to Covid?

I don’t really know why I am posting, I guess I’m just wondering if anyone else has experienced similar, if anyone has any advice on how serious this is. I think I’ve scared myself be googling it and the first article I read the person did have meningitis and died of multiple organ failure a couple of days later.

I had similar symptoms and the headache still afflicts me (on and off now) 25 days later. There are different responses to covid and the headache, dizziness, disorientation, nausea, vomit cluster is one. If they did a lumbar puncture, they have excluded meningitis so don't panic.

It is underplayed how very debilitating and horrible some of the symptoms of covid can be and so it is surprising when it hits for those who do have stronger symptoms.

You have literally described my covid symptoms. I hope your relative feels better soon, I’m 6-7 weeks on and feeling ok now but the dizziness was the worst- I never expected that at all.

That’s really reassuring, thank you!! I’m sorry you suffered too.

She was in quite a bad way, blue lighted to hospital and the docs told her step-dad (who was with her) that her mum had to get there ASAP as she was in a really bad way.

They’ve been treating her for meningitis this whole time, Covid seems to have been an after thought, more of a formality and then it came back positive.

Hopefully we’ll get the full results back today and know for sure.

Covid seems to affect so many people in different ways. Yes most people just mild cold symptoms but once it becomes more serious than that it's debilitating and horrible as piggy says.
I'm recovering from a dose which landed me in hospital. I had massive inflammation and secondary pneumonia.
25 days on and I'm still ridiculously dizzy, intensely fatigued and short of breath.
Others I met in hospital were unvaccinated and had horrible abdominal pains, headaches for which they were given morphine.

Your relative is in the right place, they will hopefully get to the bottom of it. Of course it may not be covid causing it but I wouldn't be at all surprised.

My 20 year olds single jabbed son was taken to hospital by ambulance a few weeks ago . He had been ill for over a week with flu like symptoms /symptoms of a sinus infection which then became such severe diarrhoea that he was passing blood and in agony. He was dehydrated and had been ill for ten days when admitted to hospital - he spent a week in hospital on a drip and steroids - it really does seem to affect people differently - he was so ill they thought he had inflammatory bowel disease initially

Oh, I do hope he's OK now. Sounds rough.

@Spacecadetagain how is he now? On the mend hopefully!

My relative seems to have improved significantly today, she has managed to sit up and has actually eaten half a sandwich. I’m so relieved!

@Chocolateemergency He was as weak as a water when he was discharged and very wiped out. He is a chef snd his work signed him off for another two weeks when he came home . He seems ok now (lives with ex h) but still finding he gets tired quickly .I knew he felt better just before he was discharged when he texted me telling me off for phoning the hospital 😂 (said it was embarrassing) It definitely floored him though , He wasn’t well enough to take phone calls- I remember him saying he’d never had a headache like this before either and he’s a migraine sufferer

You’re all right about it affecting people so differently, I had it a few weeks ago, had completely different symptoms to the typical ones you’re told to look out for and whilst I was bed ridden for a few days it was nothing in comparison.

My relative is still in hospital, they’ve gone to release her a couple of times but every time she sits up, she throws up. Now her heart rate has dropped. Her headaches are getting worse, so they’ve sent her for an MRI to make sure there is nothing untoward going on.

I feel so sorry for her and anyone else who has experienced this level of pain.