help please

[Mzdawson]

I was hospitalized for 5 days after being diagnosed with viral meningitis....im in my second week of recovery but i still have lingering symptoms like headaches..confusion..blurred vision..nausea and fatigue. I cant go back to work beacuse of these symptoms but im told that this is normal. Im generally a life of the party type of person very outgoing and happy, but now i dont feel the same im nervous about going into public places especially alone and im depressed all of the time. When i was in the hospital the care was inhumane...i became the poster child for neglected and abused patients and even though i try to go on each day im still very affected by my experience there and am leary about seeking further medical attention. i lost the ability to care for myself as well as my family and cant seem to pick up and live in the real world. Im having to relearn sinple things that once came naturally to me. Ive looked all over for info on the emotional and psychological effects that viral meningitis can have on people but cant find much help. I need to know is this normal or do i need to do something about it. i dont want to think that ill be permenantly scarred from this ordeal but im afriad that may be the case...what can i do to get my life back to normal...to get my mind and brain back to normal for the sake of my husband and children..they need me but im not able to be there for them ... please help

[Mzdawson]

well i posted it in nurology and i posted it here because i do suffer from bipolar disorder...im afaid that the depression is going to go way beyond healthy here and i just got back on track being stabilized. I have my wits about me right now but im afraid of what might happen if i get lost in the depression...im hoping its just due to inactivity but i have to be aware of the other possiblity

uhm the swine flu doesnt seem to be as bad as it was when we first heard about it...were getting our shipments in for the vaccine but research is still being done so a lot of people are reluctant to take it. Mostly small children and elderly people are hit the hardest but healthy adults seem to get better after its run its course...i was watching the news the other day and they said that anyone who has had the flu this year most likely has had some strain of the H1N1 virus

[adel_ezz]

Hi

Strange !! I didn't know that meningitis and meningoencephalomayelitis exist in the USA. I tought diseases like these etc... rabis and poliomyelitis say, disappeared there.

anyway this forum is for Bipolar patients, you need forums of medicine or neurology. it's good that you passed through it safe because sometimes if unattended well it's deadly. I bet you have good doctors overthere because how come they diagnosed you so rapidly.

incidentally, since we are off-point here discussing other types of disease, what about swine flu, i heard that it's taken lightly in the USA, i.e. that classes continue in schools and the person who becomes ill just go home for rest. here in egypt complete panic and schools are shut 2 more weeks and we don't know if it will be shut for another few weeks. can anybody tell me the danger of swine flu because everybody is hysterically afraid from it especially we heard people died all over the world. now we are waiting for the pilgrimage period to bring further danger

[Mzdawson]

i posted it there too but no response yet

[ILADVOCATE]

Any traumatic experience will impact on people. I don't know if that's always psychiatric. You could try a support group. Viral meningitis can have after effects that are neurological and affect people mentally so if you didn't you might want to post in the neurology forum to ask about that as well.