wiegie Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 So, apparently I came down with viral meningitis last week; but after three days in the hospital (including two in isolation) and another four days of recuperating at home, it appears that I will live for at least a little bit longer. (I do still have three more doctor's appointments next week, including one with an infectious disease expert, so my prognosis could change, although I am hoping it does not.) A few things came out of my experience: 1) I realized that I don't want to die yet 2) I realized that I would have been completely freaked out if I didn't have life insurance 3) I wrote a letter to my sons telling them stuff that I would want them to know in case I died that is all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egret Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Either you got a belated welcome home gift from the States or a parting gift from Europe. Scary stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Maybe that nasty hotel in New York Glad you are feeling better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Yikes. Now get better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 For Christ's sake... don't die, dumbass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeteebee Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Wow, that sucks. Which is worse, bacterial or viral? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hat Trick Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Get to feelin better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylive5 Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Dammitt! You're not tall enough to be getting stuff like that! Quit it! I'm glad you are home.... and everyone here expects you to be around here for a very long time. So no setbacks. Now I'm going to be sitting here worrying until you report back after the Dr. visits next week. Until then... do what your Dr. tells you to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted July 3, 2008 Author Share Posted July 3, 2008 Wow, that sucks. Which is worse, bacterial or viral? bacterial is the bad one (although my ER doc did say that there is a really bad type of viral meningitus but that he knew I didn't have that one because if I did, I would have been dead already--that was comforting, I suppose). The problem with bacterial vs. viral is that they can't tell which one you have until they grow cultures which takes about 48 hours to get the results back. (Also, apparently there is also a fungal meningitus as well). So they were pumping me full of heavy-duty antibiotics pretty much around the clock until they decided that I "only" had viral meningitus (which meant that they couldn't do anything for me anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted July 3, 2008 Author Share Posted July 3, 2008 Now I'm going to be sitting here worrying until you report back after the Dr. visits next week. Thanks, but I think there is no real need to worry--I feel pretty good right now (and have been feeling decent for the past two days). The doctors didn't seem too concerned when they released me from the hospital (I did have some funny white blood cell counts and liver function tests, but they think that is a side-effect of the medicines they had me on and they believe everything will be cleared up by next week). On a side note, a few hours before they released me, a resident came into my room and her first words were "When I read your chart and saw that you had meningitus, I was surprised that you weren't in the ICU." That was nice to hear. When I said that this was the first I had heard of the ICU, she quickly said "Oh, you are looking great, so I know why you aren't in the ICU... it's just that sometimes these things get really nasty." I was like "gee, thanks, now go away".) Thankfully the other doctors that saw me were better with their bedside manner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chargerz Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Thanks, but I think there is no real need to worry--I feel pretty good right now (and have been feeling decent for the past two days). The doctors didn't seem too concerned when they released me from the hospital (I did have some funny white blood cell counts and liver function tests, but they think that is a side-effect of the medicines they had me on and they believe everything will be cleared up by next week). On a side note, a few hours before they released me, a resident came into my room and her first words were "When I read your chart and saw that you had meningitus, I was surprised that you weren't in the ICU." That was nice to hear. When I said that this was the first I had heard of the ICU, she quickly said "Oh, you are looking great, so I know why you aren't in the ICU... it's just that sometimes these things get really nasty." I was like "gee, thanks, now go away".) Thankfully the other doctors that saw me were better with their bedside manner. Some resident physicians need to think before they open their yappers! I'm glad you survived and are feeling better!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylive5 Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Thanks, but I think there is no real need to worry--I feel pretty good right now (and have been feeling decent for the past two days). The doctors didn't seem too concerned when they released me from the hospital (I did have some funny white blood cell counts and liver function tests, but they think that is a side-effect of the medicines they had me on and they believe everything will be cleared up by next week). On a side note, a few hours before they released me, a resident came into my room and her first words were "When I read your chart and saw that you had meningitus, I was surprised that you weren't in the ICU." That was nice to hear. When I said that this was the first I had heard of the ICU, she quickly said "Oh, you are looking great, so I know why you aren't in the ICU... it's just that sometimes these things get really nasty." I was like "gee, thanks, now go away".) Thankfully the other doctors that saw me were better with their bedside manner. Sometimes I think that Dr's get really angry if you aren't as sick as they want you to be. And since you are a captive audience lying there in bed they can just have at you. I'm glad I don't have to worry... but I will anyway thank you. You know...you are still teaching.... you have everyone at the Huddle looking up viral menegitis on yahoo and google. :rolf: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untateve Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 For Christ's sake... don't die, dumbass. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Yikes. Glad you're feeling better, now give a rousing speech to your immune system to finish that sucker off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikesVikes Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 ...and to think that it doesn't sound like much fun to begin with. That's nothing to take lightly as you know. Rest up Wiege. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Geez, wieg, that is some scary stuff. Get better ASAP! Do they have to checkout your family? Dumb question maybe, but how did you get it? That is is it airborne? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted July 3, 2008 Author Share Posted July 3, 2008 Geez, wieg, that is some scary stuff. Get better ASAP! Do they have to checkout your family? Dumb question maybe, but how did you get it? That is is it airborne? They are still not sure exactly how I got it and they said they may never know. Apparently an otherwise routine virus can just cause meningitus sometimes if the circumstances are right. They were going to continue to run cultures, so perhaps the infectious disease guy will be able to tell me something when I see him on Tuesday. (As an academic, I was wondering if the doctors were secretly hoping that I would die, since it might lead to a research publication for them, but if they were, they kept it secret pretty well.) Since it was viral they said that I didn't really need to worry about my family. (Another true story: just after they told me that I had meningitus I asked if my family was at risk. The ER doctor basically said no... but no sooner had he finished saying this then a nurse came into my ER room and told the patient in the bed next to me "We have to move you to a different room right now." And soon after that they put a mask on me.) (Again, the main concern was that it was bacterial in which case I think a whole lot of people that I came into contact with would have had to go on antibiotics.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polksalet Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 It has been almost exactly 6 years since I moved to the hub of hell known as Lonoke, Arkansas. If you guys recall I got west nile, viral meningitis, a,d rockuy mountain spotted tick fever. They flew my wife back from Dallas with her believing I was dead. Time passes quickly after a plague. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skilly Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Damn Wiegie, talk about the "feel-good post of the year"! I agree with the above advice: don't croak yet! Still a lot of living to do. Hope you are feeling better, and get back to 100%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westvirginia Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 I was wondering where you were. Oh yeah, don't die dumbass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 That's about as fun as it sounds. Glad you are on the mend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbimm Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 Yuk. Here I thought a heart condition was a bitch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chavez Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 ... I was like "gee, thanks, now go away". Thankfully the other doctors that saw me were better with their bedside manner. You sure about that? .. my ER doc did say that there is a really bad type of viral meningitus but that he knew I didn't have that one because if I did, I would have been dead already. Is your hospital's motto "So, ya wanna get better or what?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 For Christ's sake... don't die, dumbass. +1. You could always kill off those viruses by reading them some obscure economics treatise, same as you do to your students. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 Dang i had the same thing......i also had the same dumbazs nurse that said what are ya in for and i said i think they said meningitis....she says Oh you better hope you don't have that......I vowed to hunt that lady dog down when my head wasn't split in two and backdoor her till her nose blead but i forgot....thanks for gettin me back on track It is a life changer to feel that bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.