Encephalitis Cases

Brandon           
  My bright, 8-year old son Brandon was diagnosed with viral-meningitis and cerebellitis/encephalitis in November of 2001. It all started when Brandon developed symptoms of what seemed to be a flu-virus. He had a fever, headache and was vomiting. I immediately called his doctor and was told that there was a bad virus "going around". They told me to give him Tylenol and plenty of liquids. After two days of this, my husband and I noticed that Brandon was getting weaker and very lethargic. He continuously complained about his head hurting and was still vomiting! We took him to the doctor and they did the routine check-up. They tested him for strep and appendicitis which were both negative. The doctor sent us home and told me that he wanted to examine him again the next day. He told me that he expected meningitis.

The next day, the events happened quickly. I took him back to the doctor. Only this time I had to carry him in because he couldn't walk. They immediately admitted him to Presbyterian's Children's Hospital. As soon as we got there, the doctor asked my son, "Who is the lady standing next to you?" My son looked at me and asked, "Which One?" It broke my heart to know that my son was seeing double! They immediately did a spinal tap. They were able to determine that Brandon had viral meningitis. They gave him an IV for dehydration since he still wasn't eating. After 5 days of being in the hospital, the staff was worried that Brandon was still very ill. They ran many blood tests, and called in a disease specialist. They suspected that he may have had bacterial meningitis and that they possibly preformed the spinal tap too early. They wanted to do another one! Luckily, we didn't.

My sweet, out-going son had changed into an irritable, clingy, anxious little person. The Neurologist diagnosed him with ADHD and has given him medication for anxiety. He has ataxia, short-term memory and poor small muscle coordination. He still suffers from headaches every day. Even though we have gone through so many changes, I thank God every day that I still have my little angel. We have faith that he will continue to get better. Four months after his diagnosis, Brandon is continuing to make great progress. He has been released from PT but continues OT. Brandon has also started back at school for a couple hours a day. He continues to have headaches, but he is slowly becoming his old self. We still don't know if Brandon will suffer from any long-term affects. There is still so much that we don't know or fully understand about his diagnosis. I keep waiting for answers only to find that there will always be more questions. I am so thankful to have stumbled on this web site because it has given me much encouragement, hope and support. I hope that by submitting my son's story, that we can also be supportive.

I am very thankful for the support and blessings that we have gotten from our doctors, family and friends. I am especially grateful for this web site. I hope that Brandon's story can offer someone insight, hope or comfort. Please feel free to contact us.

Monica and Brandon
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.A.
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Posted: April 24, 2002 		  adults cases

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