meningitis

[akhemsProjectilePeaSoup]

my 18yr old daughter has just rang me, she has a rash on her chest that looks a bit like a lovebite which doesn't fade when pressed with a glass, she's feverish, has a temp, her throat feels sore and tight and she feels generally lousy.

She rang NHS direct and they've told her it sounds like meningitis and to get herself to A&E immediately, she's refusing and waiting for her gp to open.

I'm just getting ready to leave and go to her but while Im doign that thought I'd ask you wise mners's opinions. She doesnt sound too bad on the phone and I always thought meningitis was death's door kind of situation very quickly, she spoke to nhs direct last night.. so it's been about 12 hours

With Meningitus it is alwyas better to be safe than sorry.

She should go to hospital....is she in university halls? She needs to take the advice....better safe than sorry and all that.

Personally I would much rather take the reassurances of a doctor at the hospital than a GP - any any decent GP will just send her to the hospital anyway.

she's just called me back and said she's been like this for 3-4 days
she has appointment with gp at 11.30 and I'll be with her by then

I don't understand, If she felt ill enough to phone nhs then why didn't she do as they advised?

She could have been feeling much better by now rather than still waiting to see her gp!

she does need checking, and ASAP in my opinion.

good luck.....I think she is probably scared, which with meningitis she really does not have time to be. It may be nothing, but in her age group, it is something she should not ingnore.

Dh's brother had slow onset meningitis - he'd been to the GP 3 times and was told it was flu before MIL was on the phone to DH and mentioned it - our Uni had just been through a BIG outbreak of meningitis - and he told her to make him go to A&E. He was in intensive care within 30 minutes of admission.

She should go to A&E now.

Thanks everyone, am on my way out the door now and will take her to A&E as soon as i get there

Hope it is just a false alarm.

In my experience its always better to have these type of symptoms checked out early.

Thanks everyone.. I couldn't drag her to A&E, she flat out refused to go, so we went to the gp who said that the rash is excema.. although even he said it looks like a lovebite and gave her some cream for it and that the rest of it is just a bug.

So I'm keeping an eye on her, she doesn't seem too bad but does keep getting very hot and then cold, her neck and head hurt but no sensitivity to light soo........ we'll see I guess

Also get her to sit up and ask her to put her chin on her chest - that's another sign (if she can't).

thanks jimjams.. gp was a bit cos we mentioned nhs direct and started a rant about how expensive and waste of resources they are so I don't think he really checked her out properly

oh do keep an eye on her. She's almost certainly fine, but it's just one of those 'can't be too careful' diseases isn't it?

I have had a neck/head hurting thing going on for ages though - think there is a neck aching virus going around - others have mentioned something similar on here and in RL.

Just drag her up to A&E if you get concerned. Although I'm not sure how you drag an 18 year old!

I'm keeping a beady eye.. she seems mostly ok tbh, just gets droopy and listless every couple of hours or so

reassuring to know there's a similar bug going round.. thank you for that
I can't drag her anywhere.. she towers over me, lol