Encephalitis Cases

Gerard           
  Hello my name is Gerard Wilson, I live In County Wexford, Ireland, and I am 20 years old. I contracted encephalitis September 1995. At first my parents thought it was a once off seizure, as my sister had epilepsy a few years before, and the doctors said anyone could have one at any time. I remember that seizure the most, I was told I started hallucinating, saying that monkeys were jumping out my bedroom window repeating the words "They're coming".

The last thing I remember was in my local hospital. After this I was rushed to Crumlin hospital for children, Dublin; this was the nearest hospital with a neurologist. The doctors were so puzzled as to what was wrong with me. The doctor said I had deteriorated so quickly that he didn't expect me to live through the week.

I was bed ridden for a couple of months, and my body lost all muscle and all my strength was drained of me. From being bed ridden I caught pneumonia 5 or six times.

They tested me for everything, but every test came back negative, there was a CJD epidemic in Ireland around this time, and the doctors, asked the leading CJD specialist to come down by private helicopter from Scotland to see if I had it..... he said it wasn't. I had many lumber punctures, cat-scans, blood test sent by courier to Dubai where a conference of international neurologist. The reason the doctors didn't find the usual clues as to my illness is because the swelling on my brain happened in the center of my brain. This is maybe why every CAT scan didn't show the telltale signs.

According to my parents, during my sickness, I did not recognize people, including my mother, I was talking at the beginning but my sentences made no sense, and slowly I lost my speech. Then 7 months later I eventually got better, I regained my speech on my brother's birthday, and I haven't looked back since.

If you want any more information don't hesitated to email me. I also go to support groups to help other people.

Gerard
County Wexford, Ireland
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Posted: May 25, 2002 		  adults cases

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