I remember being thankful that I was still alive and thankful for the treatment I was receiving even though it was painful, time-consuming and tiring.
"I was a relatively fit and healthy 45-year-old – I coached Olympic style boxing at my local gym’s Boxing and Fitness Club, and I had recently run the Edinburgh Half Marathon.
“Then on the 7 February I felt ill with a shivering flu - nothing too serious that I hadn’t felt before.
“My wife Mary was worried about me and called my local GP practice. Whilst describing my symptoms over the phone she noticed a rash on my neck and when she lifted my t-shirt my torso was all red. She was instructed to call 999 and the call advisor asked if there was a defibrillator nearby as this may be required.
Started to see things
“Mary panicked telling me to lie down as an ambulance was on its way. Around the same time as the ambulance arrived at my house, the doctor arrived and started to inject me with antibiotics.
“Then, darkness. Nothing.
“I began to see strange things that could only be dreams but I didn’t recall falling asleep and was convinced that these images and scenarios were real.
In and out of consciousness
“I started to wake up again, unaware of my surroundings and just wanting to move my body but it was numb. I was drifting in and out of consciousness a lot during this time, heading back to the dream world. When I woke up for short spells, I could not tell the difference between being asleep and being awake.
“Shortly after waking up in hospital, I was put in an ambulance and taken away. I was convinced that I was a young boy being sent to some secure unit for a crime that I couldn’t recall doing. I was actually being moved to the burns unit at another hospital in West Lothian.
Induced coma
“As I started to speak to my wife and family, I realised that I was in the Intensive Care Unit in hospital. I was told by doctors and Mary that I had contracted Meningococcal septicaemia and pneumonia and had been put in an induced coma for eleven days.
“I had no idea what this meant. All I knew was that on several occasions Mary was told I wouldn’t make it through the night and she should prepare for my death.
“I was receiving high doses of medication which was why I found it difficult to know the difference between being asleep and being awake. During the next couple of days I was haunted by hallucinations, sometimes believing that the doctors speaking to me were people masquerading as doctors who were trying to kill me.
Fingers and legs turned black
“As I looked at my fingers and down at my legs, I noticed that they had turned black and asked my wife on several occasions if I’d been set on fire.
“I was informed by the surgeons and doctors that my first operation would be to fix my upper arms and back and partially amputate all eight digits on both hands. I remember noticing my fingers had gone! What would I do? How would I be able to write?
“I’ve been in recovery from alcohol misuse since 2010. I remember my sobriety date - the 23 March 2020. I’d made it…ten years without an alcoholic drink, living one day at a time. I remember thinking that this should be a time for celebration, but my legs had to get amputated below the knee and I also needed extensive skin grafting.
Body felt as if it was in tatters
“My body, which I thought was ‘in alright nick!’ was now ‘in tatters!’ I felt like I’d been chopped to pieces. I couldn’t eat properly as I had to learn how to swallow again because my body had forgotten how to whilst in a coma. And I couldn’t hold a cup or a spoon in my hand properly.
“Then lockdown came into effect and I could no longer have any in-person visits and would have to communicate with people online. The doctors at the hospital in West Lothian wanted to send me home to be cared for by Mary and my family.
Long and painful healing process
“To top everything off, I caught a hospital bug called C-DIFF and I felt terrible! So along with treating an infection I was also receiving antibiotics for this bug, coupled with a global pandemic.
“The healing process was long and painful. It took over 40 minutes to change my dressings. I would get a glimpse at my body and see that all my tattoos were ruined and I had tattoos in places I didn’t have before because of the skin grafting.
Thankful I was still alive
“During this time, I had been moved again to another hospital. I was in a room on my own, lonely without any visitors. But as soon as my wounds healed, the physio treatment started.
“They were tough, but kind. These physiotherapists put me through my paces to try and get me active again.
“Every day would be different and the exercises would be mixed up. Thinking back, I remember my mood being quite low, but I put on a brave face for the sake of my family. I remember being thankful that I was still alive and thankful for the treatment I was receiving even though it was painful, time-consuming and tiring.
Hours of practise and building strength
“I was given prosthetic legs as soon as my wounds healed. Standing up after lying down for so long was very challenging. I was given various leg liners and sockets to try and find what was most comfortable for me and that I could use daily. After hours of practise and building strength, I was able to walk small distances. These distances have grown over time.
“It's now been four years since I went into a coma, and I’ve accepted my disability. But it’s been quite difficult with some hospital stays for infections caused by bone shards left over from my amputations.
“I enjoy fundraising and have recently taken part in a box-a-thon held in a gym at Grangemouth to raise money for Meningitis Now."
If you have been impacted by meningitis and are looking for support you can contact our nurse-led Helpline by phone on 0808 80 10 388 or email helpline@meningitisnow.org.
