Question about Meningitis (yet again!)

[purplewitch]

So,I've had a headache for the past 4 days,on and off,not really going away with pain killers,neck hurting too. And somehow I have gotten the irritational fear of Meningitis in my head.

Anyhow,yesterday I went to the doctor to complain about my right side hurting,and she ordered up a blood test (CBC with CMP) Which came back all clear thank god. Anyway,as Meningitis is an infection,and if I had it,would it show up in my WBCs as it is an infection? Like not actually show up but would the numbers indicate I had an infection.
I'm worrying about two things at once here.

Also not really relevant but kind of:
Whenever I look at my phone screen I have to close one eye,I look at my phone screen/screens in general a LOT. Is it eye strain? Or photosensitivy to light as that is a Meningitis symptom..

Needless to say I'm still scared

[Megan99]

Eye strain cause headaches. You might want to get your eyes checked just to make sure. Won't be anything too serious I'm sure. Also meningitis progresses very very fast. The doctor would know in an instant if it was meningitis especially if you had a blood test. I know someone who has had meningitis. They got sick really fast in the same day. They couldn't even speak because of the stiff neck and jaw and they had to throw themselves on the ground to get attention so they could be taken to the hospital. I think your fine. Especially since a doc has looked at you. And yeah your white blood cell count numbers often indicate to the doctor if something is wrong or not. That's why they bother checking those numbers (: Here is what I found online "CBC shows the number of white and red blood cells, hematocrit, hemoglobin and platelets in your blood. This test helps your doctor look for signs of anemia, infection, bleeding problems or certain diseases and disorders. White blood cells fight infection and destroy bacteria and germs that enter the body."

[axolotl]

Purplewitch, with respect, and I don't say this to trigger this, but to put things in perspective.

I've had meningitis.

I woke up with the worst headache of my life, covered in a rash, feverish, and threw up green goop into the kitchen sink. An hour later I was unconscious in an ambulance. An hour after that I was in intensive care.

I did not go umming and awwwing on Internet forums, popping to the GP a day or two later and waiting for blood tests to confirm it.

Photosensitivity means you can't look at light without strong pain. It doesn't mean you have to squint a bit at your phone screen. Come on.

[venusbluejeans]

To put it bluntly if you had meningitis untreated for 4 days you would be very very very poorly if not have died......... 99.9999999999999999999999999% sure you don't have meningitis!

sorry to be blunt but there wasn't really any other way to put it

[axolotl]

To put it bluntly if you had meningitis untreated for 4 days you would be very very very poorly if not have died......... you don't have meningitis!

sorry to be blunt but there wasn't really any other way to put it

That's the crux of it, yes.

[purplewitch]

Purplewitch, with respect, and I don't say this to trigger this, but to put things in perspective.

I've had meningitis.

I woke up with the worst headache of my life, covered in a rash, feverish, and threw up green goop into the kitchen sink. An hour later I was unconscious in an ambulance. An hour after that I was in intensive care.

I did not go umming and awwwing on Internet forums, popping to the GP a day or two later and waiting for blood tests to confirm it.

Photosensitivity means you can't look at light without strong pain. It doesn't mean you have to squint a bit at your phone screen. Come on.


Thank you. Its okay if youre blunt,thats what I need at this point.
I dont know if I should ask this and its OK if you dont want to answer but,did you have any symptoms before you had it? Like before you felt like crap the annual day?
Again,if you dont want to answer thinking it will trigger me thats okay. But thank you for being blunt

---------- Post added at 20:51 ---------- Previous post was at 20:51 ----------


To put it bluntly if you had meningitis untreated for 4 days you would be very very very poorly if not have died......... 99.9999999999999999999999999% sure you don't have meningitis!

sorry to be blunt but there wasn't really any other way to put it

it helps to be blunt sometimes so its no problem :) thank you

---------- Post added at 20:52 ---------- Previous post was at 20:51 ----------


Eye strain cause headaches. You might want to get your eyes checked just to make sure. Won't be anything too serious I'm sure. Also meningitis progresses very very fast. The doctor would know in an instant if it was meningitis especially if you had a blood test. I know someone who has had meningitis. They got sick really fast in the same day. They couldn't even speak because of the stiff neck and jaw and they had to throw themselves on the ground to get attention so they could be taken to the hospital. I think your fine. Especially since a doc has looked at you. And yeah your white blood cell count numbers often indicate to the doctor if something is wrong or not. That's why they bother checking those numbers (: Here is what I found online "CBC shows the number of white and red blood cells, hematocrit, hemoglobin and platelets in your blood. This test helps your doctor look for signs of anemia, infection, bleeding problems or certain diseases and disorders. White blood cells fight infection and destroy bacteria and germs that enter the body."


Thanks,the next thing I'm going to do is get my eyes checked,maybe I just need glasses yknow!

[Megan99]

The person who had meningitis that I know of had no idea what hit him. He was on a college campus and BAM the symptoms came on out of nowhere. He started by feeling really sick and it rapidly progressed in the same day. You would totally know by now if that's what it was. Also, if you are that worried about meningitis, it would be good for you to know that in this day and age, you can make a full recovery from that illness even if you had it. The death rate nowadays, if the illness is caught early, which it most always is because the symptoms are unmistakable, is very very low.

[axolotl]

Thank you. Its okay if youre blunt,thats what I need at this point.
I dont know if I should ask this and its OK if you dont want to answer but,did you have any symptoms before you had it? Like before you felt like crap the annual day?
Again,if you dont want to answer thinking it will trigger me thats okay. But thank you for being blunt[COLOR="blue"]

I don't think it's helpful to go into any more detail on this particular forum.

The point is it's a severe and quick disease, and if you went into a Doctor's surgery showing any credible symptoms of it they'd bundle you straight in an ambulance.

EDIT - When you're feeling a bit less panicked, it may be worth talking to your doctor next time you see them about how this is a fear of yours, and get a better understanding the signs and symptoms. It's not a very common disease, but it pays to be informed, and to know enough not to panic every time you have headache or cold.