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VIDEO CLIPS |
Helen Liley
I was a Fresher at Bristol University I'd only been there for two weeks. I
went out for a night on the town throughout the evening I got heavily tired
and my shoulders and the backs of my ankles really started to hurt. So I stopped
drinking at around 9 o'clock thinking that I really should be sober when I got
in so that I could have some paracetamol.
In the morning I woke up with incredibly painful joints, knees and elbows. I
had a rash all over my body, but just a very light pinprick rash and I noticed
a septicaemic bruise on my chest. I remembered in Freshers' week being given,
by our doctor from the Health Service, a meningitis symptoms card. I looked
at it a realised I had six of the eight symptoms. I was also aware that after
having the vaccination for 'C' I was still susceptible for getting strain 'B'.
I knew how quickly I had to act so I just took myself down to casualty. I went
in and said, "I think I've got meningitis, I think I need to be treated".
I was not taken seriously for quiet a long time and I started to get a bit frustrated.
It once I showed her the card and said about the joint pain and by then I really
couldn't walk very well that she started to a take me seriously.
I was taken into another cubicle and had three consultants come down from the
intensive care unit. I was taken in to resusse, I had a chest x-ray and they
inserted a central line from my right shoulder through to my heart. They said
to me that the next 12 to 24 hours were crucial to see how I was going to do.
I came off the following Sunday, I went in a Sunday and came out the following
week so altogether it was quite quick. They were pleased with my recovery but
it was because they said I caught if fast. By reading the meningitis card I
really, really do believe that it actually saved my life.
