She was in and out of her GP’s surgery before she was finally admitted to hospital, where a lumbar puncture diagnosed her condition. She tells her story here.
“I got meningitis when I was 16 years old over Christmas. It started as a cold and then I got really bad headaches, dizziness and sickness. All I wanted to do was sleep.
My mam contacted the NHS helpline, who said it was just a headache. We kept getting told this until the fifth time we went to the doctors and I was sick in the room.
This was when I got admitted into hospital, where I passed out to then find out they were doing a lumbar puncture test. It was the most painful experience I can remember.
This came back that I had five types of viral meningitis. From then on my face became swollen and I lost my eyesight in one eye although luckily it came back".
Don’t remember anything
“From this point on I don't remember anything. I was in and out of consciousness but I know I was in the high dependency unit and my family thought it was touch and go with me.
I was allowed out of hospital on Christmas day only for four hours and only because my grandparents lived close to our local hospital. I got let out of hospital fully on the 30th December.
I'm lucky I never lost any limbs all I have now is bad ears where they become swollen from time to time. However, last year I had to have surgery in March due to cysts in my head just above my eye and one at the top of my nose.
My doctor said I could have ended up with meningitis again but they were removed in time, so I'm very lucky".
