Worried about SO

[chocolatefudge]

Hi Ladies,

Am feeling a bit stressed tonight. My SO just came home from work complaining of a headache. This may not sound unusual to many of you but he NEVER has a headache EVER. The last time he did he ended up in hospital with viral meninigitis. Now my SO likes to maintain a stance that he is NEVER ill and so will not complain about any illness. The fact that he has told me about this headache is worrying in itself, but also the fact that he has had it for nine hours.
I know it may seem silly to be worrying that he may have meninigitis again but it was such a horrible time and I''m terrified that the same thing is happening again. Last time the symptoms were exactly the same (starting behind the eyes.)

We''re going to have something to eat in a mintute and I''ve made him drink a big glass of water. Will have to see how it goes......

 

[choro72]

I hope he gets better...Thoughts are with you.

 

[Independent Gal]

I''m not a doctor, but I''m pretty sure that you can''t get meningitis twice, or at least that that would be EXTREMELY unlikely. There is a vaccination for it, which seems to suggest that once you have it, you develop immunity.

Give him some tylenol and put him to bed. If he gets worse or develops other symptoms, then call his doctor. Lots of things can cause a bad headache, and lots of headaches start behind the eyes.

 

[Keepingthefaith21]

I understand that you are concerned and that the past events haunt you but sometimes a headache is just a headache. Sometimes it is the result of stress. Other times it’s the result of a head cold or sinus infection. A headache that lasts for an extended period of time is not completely unusual. A headache that incapacitates you is something to worry about.

Does he have a fever? Confusion? Vomiting? A stiff neck? If he has all four of those, a trip to the Dr. may be in order but keep in mind, even if he has those symptoms, a nasty bout of the flu can do all that and more. High blood pressure can also create some nasty headaches as can an absence of caffeine in an individual dependent on it.

I am a lot like your SO. I seldom get sick but when I do fall ill, I tend to get very sick very quickly and tend to have symptoms across the board. Sometimes I theorize that my body harvests assorted colds and flus until it has enough stored up to release a symphony of suffering on my immune system. If you or your SO are that concerned, go to the Dr. as soon as possible. Otherwise, de-stressing, a few Advil and a good night of sleep should help to cure the headache even if it has lasted all day long.

 

[Independent Gal]

Maybe it''s a migraine?

 

[chocolatefudge]

Aaaarrrggghhh!! Stupid internet just lost my really big message!!

I kow I''m probably being silly, it just scares me thinking about what happened before and he hasn''t had a headache since (two years!)

Independent gal, I think you''re thinking of bacterial meninigitis. There is no vaccination for the viral strain and the doctors said it could come back and you''re more likely to have it again if you have suffered with it before.

I will just see how he goes and try and stay calm Honestly, I don''t usually overreact about things, I just don''t want it to happen again.

At present it''s just a headache but last time there was no vomiting until day three when I rushed him to the hospital. Will see how things go.

 

[Independent Gal]

If they said it was MORE likely that he'd have it again after having it once (i.e., it stays in your system and periodically flares up, like malaria does) then I would DEFINITELY talk to his doctor. ASAP.

Juuuust in case.

It's still business hours, so there's no point fretting about it. Just make a quick call to his doctor and s/he will tell you what to do. It's not like it's 11pm saturday night. Just call the doctor and ask for advice. Simple as that.

 

[gwendolyn]

Yes, definitely call the doctor and ask. I hope it''s nothing.

 

[allycat0303]

well their are a lot of possible causes of viral meningitis (Ie. different bugs, so he can get it twice)

So alarming signs:

fever
stiff neck
nausea and vomiting
photophobia
general aches and pains

Of course I had a headach and fever when I was coming down with the flu (and nothing else) so for me, it''s the stiff neck that would get me really nervous.

It could just be an ordinary headache (unless he was other signs too) good luck!

 

[CNOS128]

Just what allycat said --

My parents are doctors and when I was young and I started getting sick the first thing they told me to do was bend my neck forward to see if it was meningitis.

Good luck!

BigT

 

[FrekeChild]

Well let us know how it goes!

When I was 15 I got a batch of the viral meningitis and my advice is: DON''T MESS AROUND WITH IT! I started to get a headache when I was running laps around a tennis court-every step was excruciating pain. Then I "woke up" (I was semi-conscious at best) the next day and puked. A lot. Luckily I managed to bypass the ER because my Pediatrician was still my doc and we could get in to see him right away. He put me straight into the hospital where I got a lovely spinal tap. 5 days later I got out of the hospital, but still was out of school for another week and ended up getting a D in geometry because of it all. Woo..that brought back some memories apparently...

Anyway! Take good care of him and watch out for the warning signs. It could *just* be a migraine, it could be something nasty like meningitis or it could be something entirely different that you haven''t thought of yet.