This is part two of a portion of my story. You can read part one here.
I was sure that at some point I would get assigned another program, but it wasn’t happening any too quickly.
In mid-September we were going out of town for a wedding. The wedding was on Friday night. It was a few hours from home so we left Friday morning and attended the wedding and reception that evening. We were invited to a picnic with the family of the bride on Saturday. We had rented a condo in a resort not too far from the festivities and as we were driving home from the reception on Friday night, I felt a twinge in the back of my neck. A mild pain. The beginnings of a headache. I did not drink too much at the reception and was careful to drink plenty of water, but it was late – almost midnight – and I don’t stay up that late. I wrote it off to being tired.
In the middle of the night I woke up with a fever and a horrible sore throat. I could not get warm.
When morning came, I felt better, just a nagging headache. I had no fever, so we went on to the picnic, stayed for the afternoon, but I was really tired.
We went to mass Saturday night at a church in town, stopped to get something to eat, but I really did not feel well. We went back to the condo for the night and would leave the next morning to drive home.
Sunday morning came and I was miserable. John got the car packed and we headed home.
I slept the entire way. And went straight to the couch when we got home. I slept until 3 p.m.
My headache was getting worse and I did not go to work on Monday. In fact, I told John if I was light sensitive, then I would say I had meningitis. I’d had it many years ago and that is how my head and neck hurt. But the lights were not bothering me. So, I assumed that was not the problem.
I went to the doctor Monday afternoon and he said it was a virus and could take 7-10 days to run its course.
I did not go to work on Tuesday or Wednesday. When John came home from work early on Wednesday and found me still in my pajamas and in bed at 3 p.m., we went back to the doctor.
I was immediately sent to the Emergency Room and admitted to the hospital. I did indeed have meningitis.
This head and neck pain associated with meningitis cannot be described. I don’t have words for the pain. I could not turn my head. I could not open my eyes. Every move I made hurt. Unbelievable pain.
I had viral meningitis, so there was no antibiotic that would make me better. I did receive narcotic pain medicine to help with the pain.
I remember very little of my 4 days in the hospital. I should have stayed longer, but I insisted I wanted to come home.
I wanted to be home.
I wanted to resume my normal life.
I wanted…but I would not get what I wanted.
My fall semester wasn’t going as planned. My life wasn’t going as planned.
My PLAN wasn’t going as planned!
My trust muscles were getting a work out.
I’ll be back with more of this story as time permits and my heart can write it out.
Meningitis is such a vicious thing. 🙁 I'm glad I know now that you're better! I've never had any physical illness like this to compare.
My gosh, Mary, that is truly a bummer I am so sorry you had to go through that.
A life changing illness…uh, yup. Going through one now. They think it's going to kill me, and since I'd rather not see that happen, I' doing my best to stay ahead of the symptoms. I figure a positive attitude is the best healing possible.
It would be easy to be permanently resentful – my career's gone because of this, and I'm not old…but it's a bootless exercise. For one thing, it doesn't change anything.
For another thing, it is a mental negation of the good that's happened since…one of them, Dukee (pronounced do-KAY) the Pit Bull is barking at me right now. He wants his breakfast. He had nowhere to go, and we would not have met him had I still been healthy, been working.
Bella the Miracle Dog would have died in the water-filled ditch in which we found her, broken-backed. Today she can walk a few steps, and wag her tail of her own volition.
Life's here, now. Even in illness, doing something good in each moment's still an option.
Mary, are you dealing with an illness currently? I am so sorry to read about your trials this past Fall.
Oh Mary, I am so thankful you are sharing your story. I understand life's disappointments, although I've never suffered from an illness. But I understand how it feels to have all of our well-thought out plans go the wayside. Hugs!