On going illness

Post by **TOONGA** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 2:45 pm

as the title says I'm still sick and I'm fed up with feeling like this.

What happened :-

Most of Saturday of the Queens birthday long weekend I thought I had a cold, Sunday night I got a headache (knife behind eye) and took enough codeine to make House question my drug taking. Monday morning I got up made a coffee had half a mouthful and only just made it to the toilet where I proceeded to vomit nothing for a good minute. (truely once the coffee was gone I was afraid I was going to bring up intestines)

Once things calmed down enough for me to dry swallow some more codeine I spent the rest of the day under blankets getting very sick.

Tuesday morning wifey pours me into the car and off we go to the doctor, by this point I was sure my brain (what’s left) was being forced out my left eye.
My GP tells me off and writes me a letter for the nice doctors at the emergency ward.

I get to the emergency ward and after about ten minutes I’m in a bed with a drip in my arm and blood being draw from my other arm. after about 30 minutes of questions I’m given some pain killers and I’m in and out of consciousness for the next 5 hours. (Lots of blood tests and a spinal tap were preformed during those 5 hours)

In the early evening when the oxynormal (synthetic morphine) had taken the edge off of everything the doctors informed me that I had viral meningitis.

Later I woke up in a room right next to the nurses station. (99% of the time where the really bad cases are put) 48 hours later, lots more testing and drugs I was informed that I didn't have viral meningitis and was free to go home.

It has been nearly 2 weeks since this happened and I'm still experiencing headaches, no where near as bad but enough to be really annoying and make it hard for me to do anything but light work duties.

my question is... has anyone else suffered a similar illness recently?

TOONGA

velocityboy · Post by **velocityboy** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 3:25 pm

That sounds really horrorble Toonga. Do you work around chemicals, like painting, pesticides, cabinetmaking etc. Don't want to sound dramatic but health is a fragile thing, you don't realise how much you take it for granted untill you loose it. Take it seriously mate and keep on your doctors back untill you know what is going on.

coupe · Post by **coupe** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 5:38 pm

Hey Julian
Hows the neck?
Did they do a MRI or a cat scan?
Sorry you are suffering mate
Cheers Pete

Post by **TOONGA** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 8:39 pm

Being an art teacher, a jeweller and all of my other work using chemicals it wouldn't surprise me if it was to do with that but the ruled toxins out in the first barrage of blood work.

My whole spine is basically degenerating from 30+ years of surfing, skateboarding and sport in general. I've had headaches associated with my spinal damage before and it was nothing like this.

they did a cat scan and found that I still had a brain but no lesions, tumours or other fun stuff associated with extreme pain.

TOONGA

D3V1L · Post by **D3V1L** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 8:42 pm

not good jules

i know how u feel!

davo

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 9:49 pm

I have noticed a positive change in your signatures - must be due to the spare quiet time.
And from Dr Jonno, no, not another case of wife allergy !!

I've been through diagnostic poo mill before and is no fun. Just the level of stuff you have been through would not expect you to be righted in days. Hell, just a pooey old cold takes two weeks plus to clear. There are doctors and there are physicians, and specialists and then there is the alternative 'medicine' world - all of whom have a place. Doctor google, scholar google,

Maybe time to express concerns shared here with same chastising GP to ask to push it further with physician or other specialists. If no referal you can still see most specialists just no medicare rebate on the fee.

Hope you start to get some positives going your way on this , here's a few for starters

+ + > +

KEEP A DIARY of symptoms, how and when, so when you are asked unexpected questions and can't remember coz too flagged your wife can refer to it to assist.

Rate each day based on 100%. You can look back and see there is an improvement, or there is not. Then there are backwards forwards days

1111giles · Post by **1111giles** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 8:26 am

Hey Jules ! Feel for you mate ! Had no idea you were ill. Hope you get clear of this and quick too. Didnt like the sounds of it when I read through your description of what you had gone through, It can be the most frustrating of times and makes your mind go into overdrive as what if and maybe etc etc.
I am sure you will clear it soon.
Keep in touch & get well soon.
Best
Giles.

ScubyRoo · Post by **ScubyRoo** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 9:02 am

Good advice there Steptoe, particularly on the dairy - most GPs would go gaga over something like that.

Jules I had glandular fever 2 years ago - I started fluey like you then within 2 days I was in ecu after being admitted with a temperature of 43.5 degrees! It's called 'more-phinie' for a reason!

I was in hospital for 4 days, where they thought I had viral meningitis as well, before changing their minds after the spinal tap (not fun eh?) to glandular fever. I had 2 weeks of hard core antibiodics (which I don't like, but finished anyway 'cause GF is nasty shit).

I then went to our family's naturopath (spl?) who confirmed GF. Given that GF can worsen into chronic fatigue syndrome I was keen to do whatever I could to get rid of it - at 22 and working in the outdoors I was not goign to get CFS! I was on some herbal foul tasting thing but within 6 months I was close to normal with no traces of GF level in my blood stream, and by 8 months back to 100%.

As steptoe said, GPs and specialists have their place, as do naturopaths (some of which are shit) and TCM (traditional chinese medicine). TCM is particularly good - they've been doing their thing for 2000+ years compared to our western medicine of what, 500 at most? If you're open to the way they work it can be very effective.

I found when getting over GF that slowly getting back into exercise and trying to really up my levels of fruit, veg, water and SLEEP to be super important.

Good luck with the recovery mate!

Cheers,
Owen.

T'subaru · Post by **T'subaru** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 11:00 am

The talk going around on my side of the world is the rabbit died;)
seriously though I hope your felling better real quick.....I think we all miss your awesome posts and siggy's:)

Silverbullet · Post by **Silverbullet** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 1:19 pm

Sounds absolutely awful toonga

Migraines are the worst, especially when they last for days. I had migraines for a long time, normal headache tablets did nothing at all. Noticing the migraine was there it was already too late, just had to go to bed in a dark room and hope for the best.

I'm hoping this is nothing major or ongoing for you and you're all better soon!

Post by **TOONGA** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 5:21 pm

Thanks guys Im just taking it easy at the moment and trying to get back into the swing of things

TOONGA

zgreeny · Post by **zgreeny** » Mon Jun 20, 2011 8:57 pm

Hope you feel better soon. My little sister had bad headaches, then vomit, then went to Dr. for MRI/CatScan/PETScan, and discovered she had malignant tumour about the size of cricket ball... and at 12 yrs old. She lived until 13 then passed away. I saw that you had a scan... but get a second opinion and as many brain scans as they will give you. If you catch it early and it's not malignant, you will be fine.
Sincerely hope you get better soon,
Greeny

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 6:29 pm

It is report writing "season" isn't it??

It's not good either way Toonga. What Owen said was a pretty extreme case of Glandular Fever. I had it in year 12 - apparently I'll now always be a carrier. The Doctor told me to stop the antibiotics as it doesn't help with GF, I was on them for tonsillitis until the blood test came back positive for GF. It knocked me for six for a long time and even now if I over do things I can slip back into GF or even worse hit the dreaded Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which takes a larger toll on you...

I seriously hope these doctors get their shit sorted and work out what's going on with your health.

Get well soon!

Bennie

Corax · Post by **Corax** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 11:46 pm

Hey Toonga,

How goes it dude, things getting better at all? Hope so. Any more test results come in at all or any other developments?
Can you think of anything that you need for your brumby? I am going down south tomorrow to collect that tub lining that I won on ebay and am going to have a scrounge over this guys brumby that he is wrecking to see if there is anything worth salvaging.
Let me know.

Cheers,
Corax.

Post by **TOONGA** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:25 pm

Corax I wish I had some money to spend on brumby parts but food and bills come first.

As for the mystery illness it has vacated and my daughters daycare cold has taken its place Im soooooooooooo lucky

TOONGA

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 8:11 pm

TOONGA wrote:As for the mystery illness it has vacated

Isn't report writing time over now?! All that pent up stress must be releasing through whatever you had... Look out for the same at the end of the year and 2 weeks before this time next year

Glad to hear its moved on though - hopefully it doesn't come back anytime soon, even during report writing times.

Hope you shake that other illness soon!

And food and bills before other things sucks!

Cheers

Bennie

Post by **TOONGA** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 9:16 pm

El_Freddo wrote:Isn't report writing time over now?!

Bennie

Bennie no report writing for me I'm in a school doing the ITC.

but it is funny just how many teachers get sick at this time of year just as reports are due. I myself have always used a generic comments bank, that I started building after my first set of reports for 120 students.

TOONGA

taza · Post by **taza** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 10:56 pm

TOONGA wrote:Bennie no report writing for me I'm in a school doing the ITC.

but it is funny just how many teachers get sick at this time of year just as reports are due. I myself have always used a generic comments bank, that I started building after my first set of reports for 120 students.

TOONGA

I work in school too up here in Geraldton, except im a tech and help look after our network of over 1200 computers. I work in a team with 3 other guys. Report time is stressful for us even not being teachers due to them always having endless computer problems....

do you work in a Public or Private school?

Glad your over the mystery illness mate.

Taza

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Sun Jun 26, 2011 5:04 am

TOONGA wrote:Bennie no report writing for me I'm in a school doing the ITC.

Yeah I know you don't do report writing anymore - what I meant was that the built up stress of that time of year is now being released at the same time of year in the form of this mystery illness

Hope that makes better sense!

And Taza - I wonder how the computers would handle if they were all macs

Cheers

Bennie

taza · Post by **taza** » Sun Jun 26, 2011 12:49 pm

El_Freddo wrote:And Taza - I wonder how the computers would handle if they were all macs

We have a mix of both. Windows Servers though. About a million dollars worth of equipment in our Server room

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On going illness

On going illness

Sorry mate