My Experiences about Meningitis,
Asthma, Hypertensions,etc,,,,,
Human body is an abode of all types
of sickness and after undergoing the ordeals of such diseases we learn certain
things from our experience…It
becomes a matter of advice for others to get guidance in taking steps for avoiding occurrence of such ailments….
It was in 1979 I had come home from
Bihar on leave I was with my wife and son one year old whom I had seen him after one year of his
birth on account Official pre occupation being the Manager of a Branch of Bank
of India at Majhgaon Singhbhum Dist Bihar. It was not possible to
get leave sanctioned and come home and see the child who was born in Aug 1978...even
the news of his birth sent to me by post by my father in law from Theni Tamailnadu reached me after one week.
Leave apart the difficulties faced as above I come to know the cause and faced the dreadful disease Meningitis.... on my getting
an attack of Pneumococci Pyogenic Meningitis on 24th Aug, 1979. We had gone to
various places like Ernakulam, Palghat, Trichur , Pattambi etc with
the child and returned to Bangalore
where my elder brother was staying with his family. My father was with my
eldest brother at Madras…In Bangalore
after we reached from Trichur the incident happened. It was raining heavily in
Shoranur or Trichur where I had gone to meet my colleague Mr. K.B.Anujan who had earlier met
with a scooter accident in Jamshedpur a few months back. Perhaps the heavy
rains without much shelter of covering drenching us and me lead to cold ,
flue, high fever and that particular evening
it started with continuous cough, some feeling of lightning coming through
eyes, uninterrupted cough and high
fever, confusion,with stiff neck, feeling like seizure
, mental and physical unrest,etc, I was later told that my little son was sitting on me and playing and I was not aware
of it while I was lying almost unconscious .. In the course of facing the agony. .attack...affecting Brain... …the ordeal continued for the whole night. Meantime three of my sisters
were in Bangalore the elder Lakshmi who had come home for Ganapathi Pooja at Palace Guttahalli temple or
so got me some Crocin tablets
etc gave me, telling it will reduce the fever, But it did not work. In the early morning
probably I was unconscious unable to get up or know anything taking place,, I was taken to Dr Nichani just next door in groundfloor to our
house at Anneyappa Block,Seshadripuram,Bangalore, who advised that I may be taken to
Arpitha Clinic…Sedhadripuram as he could not diagnose and treat me based on symptoms… Hence ,my brother Sundaram took me in an autorikshaw immediately to the
nearest clinic at Seshadripuram near my
school , Arpitha clinic manned by Dr Selvaraj. , Doctors at the clinic suspected it to be meningitis,,
possibly…or I do not know what happened..,called their surgeon Dr Renuka Arya by afternoon
had the lumbar puncture done etc…assisted by his Assistant Surgeon Dr Kurse ..For a
few days such procedures etc were done and I do not remember much except every 10 minutes
some intravenous antibiotic injection or so was given for a few days.While at clinic undergoing all treatment I used to get head ache or pain unable to explain. I used to call Dr Selvaraj who used to tell the nurse assistants to give some Duadin tablet or so. don't remember the names exactly..Bottles fluids of Dextrose and Sodium chloride (saline)along with Multivitamin were also found used entering my body through veins in arms using needles attached identified at specific positions, fluid bottles /bags. (Intravenous solution or I V )found hanging and attached to the hospital bed.It used to cause unavoidable pain and was unable to tilt it or move hands and if moved the nurses used to set it right .Dr Kurse the Surgeon checked me,tested my memory loss if any, damage to hearing,other organs,etc..etc and prescribed Librium 20. Tablets for emergency relief from all head related problems along wuth injection of some antibiotics daily for some days.I continued taking Lubrium 20 a prescription drug for a number of months avoiding overdose, etc.which used to give temporary relief to the phenomenon or ache in the head ...at which point unable to know..
This is the beginning… I thought I
would recollect from memory certain things which would be useful to the readers…
I shall state on account of timely
action taken by my brother in taking me to the clinic and the proper treatment
given by the Doctors and the help rendered by many of my relatives in
Bangalore I was cured..My father aged 78 who was in Madras came by night mail to Bangalore from Madras along with Anna and Manni…and all these added
to accelerate my recovery… I was told they had boarded the train Bsngalore Mail about to leave Madras Central Station.My younger brother Dr Narayan was
in UK and younger sister Sobhana was at Madras
and all of them prayed for my recovery. Above all the God Almighty came
to my rescue and saved my life….I shall write further next day…….
Today 20th October,2015....
I continue.This has occurred 36 years back. My memory is not damaged to recollect and reproduce the events here.....I am ok now.But I must say I had been subjected to medication,care,some heaviness of head,headache,feeling uneasy inside the brain or cerebrum,cerebellum, cranium, medulla oblongata,skull,etc and unable to feel, compare ,explain the feeling within the head or brain. Probably I had medications like Alprozolms, Diazepam,etc,,like Valium 10,Librium 20, etc taken for some months....I was the Manager of the Branch of Bank of India in Bihar which was in front of my residence...I used to get severe headache on forehead/head/skull...my wife used to tie the forehead with a cloth for some time and pacify. the relief used to be there...Perhaps I should not have continued using Diazepam tablets,etc and instead resorted to Pranayama,yoga, etc and got cure earlier. Once or twice I had written a letter to one of my relatives in Madras who sent me some powder which I took..seeing temporary relief...Ofcourse application of pain balms, etc on forehead had no action or result reducing the headache. Possibly it was one of the post meningitis possibilities,of course not a matter to worry. ,These are just narrated for information..for any person who might choose the right course of remedy... Ofcourse as a natural urge and desire I used to meet all types of Doctors,,Homeo, Ayurvedic, Allopathic ...expalin the situation but none of them being familiar with meningitis and post meningitis period with no other symptoms could suggest any medicine.It may have been perhaps due to the swelling or inflammation of the portions in brain and continuous dosage of antibiotics which might have caused the state of headaches or pain on forehead to me..I say now there is no symptom of it....However the said type of headache subsidised after taking some powder or tablets from a Homeopathic Doctor at Chaiabasa. Bihar and I stopped taking Allopathic muscle relaxants, tranquillisers,etc.But I must say the moments of such headache experienced..I am unable to explain...and had no other problems...like loss of memory, eetc .. Ofcourse I had appetite and all other functions of the body working well..except occasional attack of Bronchial asthma during winter season which I was able to mange using Steroid tablets like Betnesol, or other salbutamol,, deriphyllin, tablets,,etc,,etc,,etc,,Ofcourse this asthma had no influence on the meningitis, although the headache existed and I fought it.Of course I would have forgotten the difficulties or headache/pain faced and fought by me.. Now there appears to be vaccination or some immunization medicine available preventing its occurrence. I pray God the computer geniuses or Software persons... speed up and succeed their research and attempts using the intelligence of brain in inventing of programmes with thinking powers of infinite capacity and devise machines which can diagnose, presscribe remedy and monitor any person for all known and unknown diseases in the universe. ..Ofcourse the advanced dvelopment of medicine has incresed the longevity of humans in the world through medical treatments., pre care, etc... Meningitis..it is heard to occur more for children ...Neo Natal Meningits happening within 28 days after the birth... and the percentage of survival minimum if immediate diagnosis,removal of infected cerebrospinal fluid inside the brain or surroundings or spinal cord called inflammation of the meninges of brain and spinal cord...are removed by Lumbar puncture . It involves ...piercing needles inside spinal canal under pressure by qualified Surgeons through the backbone,spine,etc....and injecting medicines like in chemotherapy in some non infectious type cases. The other forms of meningitis caused through viral,bacterial or mosquitoes bites are also equally stated to be dreadful and fatal if antibiotic injections of required dosage are not given followed by Lumbar puncture Again Meningitis is contagious....the bacteria can pass thourgh coughs, sneezes, contact from the affected person also by sharing toothbrushes,etc, as such the required precaution in not meeting in contact with an affecetd person till cured is suggested ...Being a layman my opinions are not to be taken as of a medical man but as the experiences shared by a survivor or one who had an attack of Brain Fever or Infection.... It was informed me a case of meningitis similar to Japanese Encephalatis ..which was caused by bite of mosquitos after eating the waste of pigs ( or excretia, night soil or dung of pigs)infected with a disease biting humans,etc I recollect and analyse there used to be pigs in large numbers in the area Majhgaon Bihar where I was working and residing alone as my wife was with child were born just a year back at Theni Tamilnadu .The female mother pigs with a large were found moving around in dirty stagnant waters,etc and travelling fast to all surroundings... with the family and a number of small ones or micropigs I donot know the technical term... with all mosquitoes around sitting on the stagnant water and the back of pigs,etc,,an unhealthy unbearable sight for any humans..Perhaps the suroundings experienced a bad pungent smell..all indication for us to avoid such routes..In India it is common unavoidable but in countries like USA you may not see such things as the Government takes much care for the health and welfare of its citizen. It may happen India ...as eradication of Malaria and small pox being made,Governments may take steps eradicating such other dreadful diseases..like Meningitis, Dengue Fever,etc,,...Might be it could have caused the disease as some mosquities might have bitten me.and we cannot find out which mosquitoe bit and caused any infection.... The attack happened after my coming from there on leave to Bangalore.So one advice to all is... we should be careful about surroundings especially be away from pigs,dogs,etc ...and stagnant , poluuted dirty water with insects, mosquitoes,germs, worms, etc floating on it or living happily...and breeding too .We donot know the process and cannot see the growth process of the mosquitoes through naked eyes..I think....Again the other causes of Meningitis reported are from relapse of Typhoid,Tuberculosis,etc and mine was not either of these.of course as I wrote early ,we were drenched in heavy rains in Kerala and the next day we reached Bangalore when the incidents followed.on the previous,day we were at our Athan's pathumuri Agraharam ( Manu athan late T S Easwaran .. my father's sister's son who retired as Court Master in Bombay High Court and came back to ancestral house...Pathu muri..ten rooms name ...built by his father... at Ravipuram Road, near Valanjambalam Sivan Koil...Ernakulam) in one of the houses at Ernakulam after returning drenched.In the night I had continuous cough/headache with expectoration and it was unabated despite my taking some expectorants like Vicks Formula 44,or Glycodine or Benadryl, as I remember....with no effect...that is,what is to be noted..All non prescription medicnes will not have any effect of remedy if you have an attack meningitis,..On the day of occurrence of Meningitis , I must have suffered or undergone untold problems,with high temperatures,over 104 degrees Fahrenheit .. ,stiffness of neck, vomiting sensation, feeling of lightning striking inside the brain,etc. it is difficult to recollect and remember...My Physician Doctor Nichani practising just near our house in Bangalore used to call me and enquire all the symptoms, feelings etc faced by me before the attack etc as he was the person who recommended me to the clinic for immediate action and he wanted to know for his professional guidance and knowledge. I thank Dr Nichahni It appears,all these must have been cause of Bronchitis then Pneumonia,leading to so called Brain infection through my body. I read somewhere post meningitis you may lose memory,etc, and get angry at all things.,etc,,..the second portion may be true as I was much short tempered and strict with my juniors in my Office and used to get angry more frequently...the anger part I have slowly controlled and reduced as it was my hereditary asset...and developed by me..but I donot know if the attack has affected me. in any other way...I shall think over and write further after a day as these information should be useful to others,who may face similar situations of a disease considered a life threatening medical emergency... very serious requiring urgent medical attention.My terminology and use of improper words may please be treated unintentional and a few terminological inexactitudes might have crept in. Give me some time to recollect past....
I WOULD LIKE TO ADD......
After fighting the after effects of Meningitis, I used to get some feeling of discomfort inside the head over the skull as well as through forehead...for a number of years and however didnot affect me in my physical, mental and other activities. It was in 2001 or so when I went to my Physician Dr Sivaraman at Mandevalli , Madras and mentioned him about my discomfort he gave a referance slip to some clinic im Luz. Mylapore to take MRI or CT Scan. .I donot remember what it was ... My duaghter Chitra who was studying MBBS at Perundurai Medical College was in Chennai with me at that time who took me to the Scan Centre and told me ""Appa donot worry it is only a diagnosis used by Physicians to to daignose and treat medical conditions. Let us see.There is medicine for any sickness or conditions.""With passage of time I donot remember whether it was MRI or CTscan.. that was taken.She was with me and accompanied me home after the scanning or whatever they call it. ..The scanning done and the report I collected after 2 days showed no reason of any condition affecting the brain. Instead my Family Physician after seeing the the report said ""you are OK.. have no problem."".and thus I continued...and perhaps the said headache etc disappeared slowly later.
It may be noted here....
MRI is Magentic Resonance Imaging which physicians use where the magentic field and pulses of radio active energy are present to make pictures of structures and organs of human body including those of the brain and the central nervous system.MRI gives a different information about structures of body seen through X rays, Ultrasound or Computed Tomography ( CT) Scan. MRI uses a powerful magentic field.
A CT Scan is called X Ray computed tomography (X -RAY CT )...uses computer processed combinations of many X ray images taken from different angles...producing cross sectional images of specific areas of scanned object....
An ultrasound Scan ..known as Sonogram or ultrasonography..... a device which ..uses high frequency sound waves to create some image of parts of inside body such as stomach,heart,liver,muscles, joints of blood vessels etc...
There may be more such advanced dignosing techniques and reporting systems through scanning images....of parts of human body....
28th Oct, 2015,,,,
I continue....as you would have found I might have forgotten many things, episodes that occurred but would try to recollect a few and also add some information gained about the type of Meningitis I had...
It was a case of Pneumococci Pyogenic Meningitis....caused through Bacterial infection...It is also to be noted that meningitis is the infection and inflammation of the meninges. I am unable to show a picture of brain and the spinal cord. However the infection is found to pass on through the body and affect or infect the liquid or cerebrospinal fluid found in the brain and spinal cord.. It is found that Pneumococci Meningitis is a serious disease and can be fatal if proper treatment is not given immediately It is also found if antibiotics donot work the meningits end up fatal.
The meningits is caused by bacteria called streptococcus.pnemoniae,The said bacteria can cause other illness like bacteremia ( a blood infection),ear infections,pnemonia and sinus infection.
The said meningitis is transmitted from person to person through bacteria in tiny droplets from the mouth ,throat or nose.of an infected person.....If someone having disease coughs, sneezes near you , you may contact the disease.Also the disease can be infected from anothr person by sharing a cup, fork, straw , cigarette,etc, So it is advisable to take proper care of all these when we are in crowd of people likely to be affcetd with such contageous disesae.
I donot remember many of the syptoms I had except the ones I have written above...but it is found that most common symptoms are...
Chest Pain,
Chills,
Confusion,
Cough,
Headache,
High fever
Vomiting,
Weakness,
agitation,stiff neck,rapid breathing etc...'
I would have had most of these symptoms....
So these are guidelines for others the relatives or firends who are nearby to guess about possible sickness of an affected person and move the patient to a Clinic or Hospital having a Physician well qualified who can diagnose and start treatment immediately followed by Lumbar Puncture and other procedure, to be done by Surgeons and giving repetitive doses of injections of antibiotics,,,etc...to the patient...
Some of the antibiotics found prescribed for immedaite shots are...
Ampicillin,
Benzylpencillin.
Chloramphenicol and
Penicillin
I donot remember the names of antibiotics which were given to me...but was given for a perios of 3 months or 6 months after the attack.....even after returning to my place of work at Mjhgaon Bihar after completing my leave period of 3 months at Bangalore.....My Doctor Dr Nichani used to admnister the injections regularly ...initially he came home later I used to go to his clinic...
After the attck treatment etc I was instructed not to strain, walk ,etc, for some days..a month... in spite of that on account of the emotional bond between siblings, I went to the house of my eldest sister Parvathi who was staying nearby by walk and climbed their home with difficulty. and felt happy seeeing her ..telling her so any things.....But we should follow what Physicians advise and should not strain immediately..
I shall try to recollect...the othr points and write later.... a picture is pasted here to show the meninges....
The after effects of meningitis may be many....including damage to brain, spread of infection to other areas etc...However for a few percetnge of meningitis victims only these long term disabilities or difficulties in feeling will occur. Most of the cases headache due to irritationof brain meninges will be there ..for a few weeks or months not years...
Severe headache I had during menigitis caused due to irritation of the meninges and possibly due to inflammation of nerves nearby and also due to increased pressure within head.
It is understood the headaches after meningitis go away after sometime although infection is cured ...say for a few months. I had similar headaches etc for a few years. not continuously.....but have not felt them extremely problematic or irritating as I was busy with my work, care of children ,etc and also enagaged in activities.But those who get headaches regularly might feel frightened as if the illness has occurred again, But it does no thappen...
Ofcourse after so nay years of the attack , and cure I donot feel or remember the severeness of headaches or the frequency of their occurrences but feel am away from the effets threof, It can thus be noted headaches or memory loss etc are not permanent factors ,,as I have found...It is informed that you can become allright after a short period of the infection disappearing by using antibiotics and very rare cases of having any after effects,. But apart from any Medical evidence it is possible that the element of anger...or short term temper tantrums, mood swings, minor depression, joint soreness, bad taste feeling in tongue, metallic taste, etc may occur...Some of these when you actually feel and experience another person may not be actually understand it.....Perhaps if you take some food having spicy taste or coffee containing good flavour, it may disappear ....but if you take some paracetamol tablets or other tablets it maynot work... Some of these and others I have experienced...but have not affected me in anyway.... Donot be discouraged if your Physician says he doesnot know what it is.. as it is impossible for anyone to imagine the real nature of headache...etc experienced by a victim after meningitis....but these are minor things as would have after attack of any other illness will subside slowly and allow us survive....may occur to any person who would have been a victim of such illness...which can be rectified by proper food,activities, exercise, belief in God , support from your family members , and friends ,etc.
About Lumbar puncture done at the Clinic...Arpitha Clinic, Seshadripuram, Bangalore 560020
I donot remember the dates..time...procedure..etc. when the lumbar punctures were done...but immediately after admission to the clinic...However I have vague re collection. .I was made to sit or lay down facing the ground...some anaesthetic injections given at the back .....Dr Renuka Arya assisted by Dr Kurse...must have immersed under pressure some needles at the back ..mostly spinal cord to get the liquid ..cerebrospinal fluid ....to get the presence of infection checked for meningitis.......Out of unbearable pain ..I remenber having called AMMA...my late mother who perhaps saw me from heaven and blessed me getting cured....The Doctors were heard pacifying saying...Raghavan..you are very co operative...just one more minute....like that the preocedures were over, Whether another Lumbar puncture was done I donot remember...Now I give you information from Internet as to what is lumbar puncture
++++lumbar pucture....is the procedure for taking fluid from the spine in the lower back through a hollow needle usually done for diagnostic purposes..+++++.
Other medical details as to other purposes, contents of the fluid,test etc I am unable to state as it pertains to the subject of medicine...
The fluid thus taken was sent to National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro sciences, Bangalore ...for analysis and report...I remember my elder brother Sundaram went later to collect the reports from the Institute. while I was in the Clinic for same days...and discharged...My eldest sister in law Manni...Rajalekshmi Stayed in the clinic for two nights as others were not allowed to stay there overnight. My wife and son Rajesh one year old were at home. My brother in law Sri M H Krishnan husband of elder sister Lakshmi had tlephoned to eldest brother Konthai at Madras who came from Madras with Manni and my aged father .Also my mother in law came from Tiruchirapalli. In addition the prayers of my sister Sobhana and Bagavathi from Bangalore were there ..the net effect was culminating in my getting me cured...
..Details of report etc I am unable to know ...However it can be noted the analysis and reporting of such matter are not done at other diagnostic labs....
Sorry if I have erred many a time during my explanation of various things...
I shall continue later,,shall be glad if it is useful to any.....
Dear friends, messengers of God, parents and friends of Family…..please read…..
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Life is a rightful period of existence provided to
us by God. We continue to live passing through various stages. In the process
some of us encounter certain ailments, physical and mental discomforts, etc
which get cured by gifts of God and through Medical treatments, etc which are
available in plenty nowadays. Let us
pray God to make the whole universe disease free and also provide
permanent remedies for all types of physical and mental ailments
.
Advancement
of science and technology has made any
sickness curable and research going on in discovering permanent solutions for
producing insulin within human body without aid of medicine or eliminating
occurrence of other diseases affecting the brain. There were no medicines for
certain cancer like Leukemia, etc…a few years back, but are found curable now. Similar is the case of complete eradication
of Small Pox or Malaria which have also been eliminated in various countries
including India. Global polio eradication program initiated by Governments in
collaboration with World Health Organization, etc are progressing well in eliminating
many contagious and infectious diseases universally. I have heard that in the past say some of my nearest relatives
were victims of attacks of what we call
the present variation in Blood Sugar,Tuberculosis,etc as there were not
recognized systems of medical diagnosis, analysis and prescription of drugs were
for cure ..Similar was the case and vaccination for polio, etc which had not
vaccines such as Triple antigen etc being now administered for children after
birth. Public are required to take advice or
consultation cum advice from
General Practitioners for availing all immunization programs, administration of
vaccines,etc in time
Let the
humanity understand the need to avail the benefits of immunizations and vaccination
etc for diseases like Dengue, Typhoid, Meningitis, Polio, other fevers, flu,
etc, etc and avoid occurrence of such dreadful diseases to the children and
elders later. Let us also take steps in avoiding mosquito bites polluted water ,etc by keeping our
surroundings clean and avoiding surroundings likely
to cause infectious including some fast
food ,aerated waters, ,etc and it
is also requested not to resort
to self medication and take any
medicine under the guidance of your Doctor,
In various
blogs and websites and Medical reports and Health groups,etc,we are privileged to
read and know much about the causes of various sickness, precautions, short time and log time effects, precautions,
advice from forums, etc, etc for guidance of the common man as well as those
who are affected with such ailments, etc, They are useful for the teeming
millions of population and useful for the medical profession for observing,
recording and analyzing various factors
associated with such new diseases found .
In this connection I have added in my
blog…..My experiments about Meningitis, Asthma, Hypertension, etc, an
autobiography …for guidance, precaution and information of umanity….Please go
through the same and feel informed and benefitted..My story is one of fighting
Bacterial meningitis and survival thereof along
with attendant incidents, precautions, etc as considered relevant to the
subject.
The sorry
narrated by me reports the occurrence of
Meningitis, symptoms, immediate action taken by relatives in referring to
Medical Profession and the timely action
taken by the Physician and Surgeons etc and the post disease care etc and the assistance or help rendered by
relatives and friends ,Doctors,etc,
mitigating and solving any any
other problems to me
.
Health is
Wealth….in achieving this objective in life let us make use of all tools available in the
world including possessing knowledge through various websites , blogs, common
discussions,etc,,
