Positive outcomes encephalitis elderly parent

[AnxiousAnnie1984]

Hi mumsnetters,

I know it’s Christmas and that there won’t be much traffic here, but I am hoping to read positive stories of people who have gone on to survive encephalitis and have had a good recovery.

Please- if you need to share a bad outcome place a TW as I really can’t handle those at the moment.

My father (76) was admitted to hospital yesterday with encephalitis. He went from feeling a bit flu-ish to being almost incoherent within less than 2 days. The test results about the cause will come in a couple of days but they suspect a herpes encephalitis, and they are treating it as such with Aciclovir.

He seemed a bit better today, speech greatly improved (was talking gibberish yesterday) but still some confusion and fever. He is the most intelligent person I know and was up until now super clear in communication and cognitive function. Physically he is strong and fit (goes for hrs long walks, likes mountainbiking) though has always been overweight (around a 100kg and 1.87cm I think- sorry I am in the Netherlands)
and has high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, which are well controlled wit meds.

I read a little bit about it but I would like to hear of “real people” instead of statistics. I want to know what we can expect if he beats this nasty virus, (which is a scary statistic in and of itself), and I want remain hopeful about what comes after…

Any experiences?

My GM had it, she was really unwell because they didn't realise it was encephalitis so she went downhill as wasn't been treated for it. Ended up in ICU. However, once she was treated for it she made a full recovery and was fine. She is no longer with us but totally unrelated to this. Great news if he is already starting to improve.

Thank you so much for sharing. I am sorry she is no longer with you.

It you don’t mind me asking: How long was she in hospital for and how long til she was fully recovered?
It’s a scary thing and easy to misdiagnose, they turned him away the first time I called and after calling again they (gp) booked an appointment late afternoon (it was the morning when i found out something was really wrong). So I pushed for him to be seen sooner and the gp came an hour later then after some basic testing sent him to hospital.
Lots of scans and tests later they decided to start the antiviral meds, I think around five o clock.
I really hope the meds will beat the virus, he still has a fever although not as high….

thank you again for sharing your grandmother’s experience!

She was in hospital for a few weeks - but thay was mainly them treating her for everything other than the encephalitis. Once she was treated correctly she left ICU quite quickly and then was discharged about a week later I think. She went from non verbal, aggressive and almost infantile like, back to normal within a few days really of treatment. She took some time to fully recover at home but she was back to normal within no time.

Thank you.

This gives me some hope 💕
He is not in the ICU and the treatment definitely does something.. hope it is enough!

I have seen this 2 or 3 times as a junior doctor working in neurology and ITU. All cases had a positive outcome though they were younger. I remember being amazed at how they went from slight confusion to really unwell to better again over a number of days. Obviously in the acute setting I don't know how long they took to get better in the community. Wishing him well

My DH had encephalitis but was in his 30’s. Made a full recovery. I hope he is ok ♥️

Sorry I’ve read your further posts and seen you want more detail.

it was many years ago now but my husband was struggling with a massive headache and fever for several days. The GP wasn’t concerned and it took me two days to convince him to see a medic again. This time the GP was going to call an ambulance but let me take him in.

he seemed ok on admission, no fever just tired but after about an hour I called the nurse as he was boiling but hands and feet freezing.

everything happened very quickly after that. Lots of bloods, CT scan and spinal tap. They diagnosed viral encephalitis, had him in one night only on IV medication and discharged him home with aciclovir tablets. I can’t remember how long it took for him to recover but I don’t remember it being much longer thanks to the meds.

it was a really scary time although we didn’t know the diagnosis until we saw his sick note.

Thank you!
I hope this will be the case for him. We will probably know the exact cause tomorrow or day after.
He is a very youthful 76 yr old, went on long hikes until recently and actually won a game of WordFeud from my sister the night before he got sick! So we hope his general fitness and cognitive function help his recovery chances.🤞🏼

We didn’t know the exact cause for my DH. He’d been on a drip with our child and they came home with a very bad viral rash but was otherwise fine. He wasn’t ill, until he was very ill

wow so that was a fast recovery! 💪🏼
I expect my dad will be in hospital for at least 2 weeks. Honestly I am just hoping he survives and that the damage is limited.

What does “on a drip” mean? (English isn’t my first language)

From what I understand encephalitis can be caused by different viruses or bacteria and the herpes virus is the most serious..

@AnxiousAnnie1984 it means given medication through a cannula in the hand directly to a vein.

i hope he does too 🩷

Hi MN’ers,

I thought I’d update because the support here was so lovely, and in case people who are in a similar situation need a positive story:

My dad was treated with aciclovir for 21 days in hospital. Especially the last week was incredible in terms of recovery; he was almost back to being himself which was a big difference from how he went in. The doctors planned on him having to stay in a rehabilitation centre (is that the right word?? Where you recover from an injury?) for a few months but his progress was so fast that he was able to go home after discharge!

His recovery isn’t linear, lots of ups and downs, but generally better than can be expected after such a nasty disease in an elderly man. As I am closest to him (5 mins by bicycle) so I see him often, every other day most weeks and we go for walks in the forest for about an hour.
Mentally he has good and bad days where he gets a bit confused, but can still take care of himself. Overall he tires more easily because everything takes more effort (grocery shopping is still hard for example ) but other than that he is doing so well! He manages alone with minimal help from us.

I am so happy that I hopefully get to have some more quality years with my dear father and that my kids still have their dear grandpa! ❤️

@AnxiousAnnie1984 thats fantastic news, so glad your father is better X thank you for the update x 🙏💐🥰

that's great news my daughter suffered from encephalitis at four years old after an mmr vaccination within 6 months she made a full recovery bit wasn't expected to she is now nearly 30

Wow that sounds scary in such a young child and after a vaccination! Glad to hear she is doing well!

Sorry OP I’ve just re read your thread and saw I’d written ‘on a drip’ and confused you when I meant ‘on a trip’ - silly typo! That’ll teach me for speed writing (and subsequent reading).

very happy to hear about your dad, wonderful news!

that was a funny typo because in medical context it made sense but I didn’t understand it in your message haha. Thanks again for sharing your DH’s experience. ❤️