Encephalitis Cases
Jim
Brisbane, Australia
Posted: July 8, 2000
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Encephalitis Cases
Jim
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We live in Brisbane Australia. Our son Jim developed encephalitis at the
end of February 1999. He had had a cold for about a month previous and had
seen doctors 4 times who just said that it was a virus. About 3 days be-fore
his fit he complained of a constant headache to us. Paracetamol was the
treatment of choice of the GP we took him to. Our regular doctor wasn't
available.
One night I noticed that Jim had lots of sweat on his forehead.
I had also noticed that he wanted to walk much more slowly than normal.
On the Monday morning at about 10 a.m. he was sitting quietly with my wife
Marilyn on the sofa and said "look at that" and Jim just started to fit.
My wife called out to the neighbor and phoned the ambulance. I was at work
and had a feeling that I should phone home. The neighbour told me what was
happening and I went to the hospital they were taking Jim.
In the A & E ward Jim was just coming out of uncon-sciousness
and he could remember his name but not his address. He was put to one side
to rest . I noticed that he moved his bottom jaw from side to side once
slowly and then just fitted massively. There were then about 6 doctors looking
at him! They gave him lots of injections of Valium and something to paralyze
him, ventilated him and gave him a brain scan. The fitting must have lasted
40 minutes. there was nothing abnormal on the brain scan but they couldn't
use a marker to show up areas of inflammation as it sets off asthma.
Jim was in intensive care after an hour or so and they had him
on iv antiviral and antibiotics as they thought it was meningitis. They
did a lumbar puncture and isolated an enterovirus in the spinal fluid. As
the acyclovir was specific for only herpes they discontinued that and dis-continued
the antibiotic soon after. Jim had no short term memory in the hospital
which was fortunate as they were pretty Rough house with him with needles
and blood tests and lumbar punctures. They released Jim from hospital 4
days after admission saying that physically he was OK and that in 2 to 6
weeks he would be back to normal.
They have revised the diagnosis to encephalitis with probably
some meningitis too. Jim has short term memory problems and severe anxiety
problems too still and the latest is that perhaps in a year or two he will
be back to normal! Its so inexact. At the moment he has a cold again and
we are so concerned for another seizure.
He wanted to return to school immediately. Indeed his biggest
worry was about missing schoolwork. we started him on half days and then
full days depending on how he felt. He copes with the classroom work but
I wonder how well he will cope with learning type exams. For about the first
month I slept in his bedroom as he was having disturbing dreams. He was
very vocal and I could follow what was happening in the dreams. I once saw
a UK tv programme where researchers showed that you could make suggestions
to people in their sleep and the suggestions would be incorporated into
the dreams. When Jim was in problematic situations with his dreams I suggested
ways out for him and he calmed down and returned to good sleep again.
Jim still has problems in bed at night as he fidgets a lot and
tosses and turns. I am able to calm him down by getting him
to imagine that there is a big pool of white peaceful gas in
front of his face and when he breathes in he sucks in the gas
and when he breathes out he sends it down to around his bellybutton.
When he has sent 4 or 5 lung full's of this white gas down to
his belly it then seeps down to fill up his legs and then it
fills up his chest and flows out to fill his fingers and arms.
Finally he fills his head with the peaceful gas and he is asleep
by this time. It may be that my monotonous boring voice telling
him to breathe in and out actually bores him to sleep! but it
has worked a few times on him, although he has used the phrase
'Tree hugging hippie " to me!
Reading our stories, I know how so many of you feel ,sufferers
and carers. and It is so difficult, isn't it? Life is just turned
upside down. I worry for the future for our son and hope that
medical science progresses for us.
Norm Reynolds Brisbane, Australia
Posted: July 8, 2000 |
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