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Julia
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Hamilton
Apr 2002 time: 01:19
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Hope everything will be alright!
Good luck!
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Darsnan
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New Syracuse, Beta Prime
Dec 2001 time: 00:19
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quote: Originally posted by Tiamat
Good idea about our doctor's.....symptoms: high fever 103 that it takes about 3 hours to break and stays broken for about an hour and then shoots back up, back and leg aches, horrible sweeling in throat, puss all over the back of the throat, can't swallow, can't keep anything down, lymph nodes swollen horribly, lots of pain.
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My wife, who is a nurse in our local emergency room, immediately said meningitis, based on the symptoms above. Our thoughts are with you and your family at this time!
D
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- Groucho -
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Good luck, Tia.
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Dr Strangelove
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When you say they've done every test possible, does that include a spinal tap? That's the definitive test for most types of meningitis. If that's negative you can exclude the more virulent bacterial meningitidies, unless she's been partially treated with antibiotics for a period of time. Viral illnesses are another possibility. The prognosis for viral meningitis is usually better.
Ooops, didn't see the part about the spinal tap. If she's in and out of conciousness or depressed, then she's not able to give informed consent and the procedure may be done with your permission as next of kin. Sorry to lay this on you, but if there is a possibility of bacterial meningitis treatment has to begin now.
Last edited by Dr Strangelove on 10-05-2002 at 03:03
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Dr Strangelove
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An extremely stiff neck is usually a cardinal sign of meningitis. The meninges are a connective tissue envelope protecting the brain and spinal cord. Inside the meninges is a thin layer of fluid, the cerebrospinal fluid. The brain and spinal cord are literally suspended in this fluid, which also acts like a shock absorber. Bacterial infections carried to the central nervous system by blood often do not penetrate the tightly packed tissue of the brain itself, but instead multiply in the cerebrospinal fluid. There are pain nerve fibers in the outer meninges. An infection in the meninges irritates those fibers which causes a reflex contraction of the paravertebral muscles which stretch vertically along both sides of the vertebral column. This contraction is noticed as severe muscle tension, most prominent in the neck. The pain fibers of the meninges also are very sensitive to stretch when the meninges are infected, such that stretching the meninges by lifting the head of a prone patient off the bed causes extreme pain and a reflex bending of the knees in an attempt by the patient to reduce the stretch on the meninges by shifting the lumbar back.
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Dr Strangelove
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There are a number of viruses that can cause a Mono-like syndrome. Furthermore tonsils or lymph nodes swollen in response to a viral infection can become secondarily infected by oral bacteria, which might explain the blood culture and persistent fever.
Did this really come on so suddenly, or had she had some degree of sore throat or neck swelling in the preceeding days? Has she had problems with her teeth recently?
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