Meningitis (Viral)

Hi All
I hope you can help with some suggestions! I am recovering from a severe case of viral meningitis. I was in hospital for 18 days, and am struggling now with a high HR. I was hospitilased for a further few days as i was resting @ 140+ /min. Walking from room to room @ 170 +.
I am an Elite female cyclist, 5'7 and 52kg. Has anyone else suffered with this and how long did you take to get back to full fitness?

thanks in advance

i have never experienced having viral menengitis, but i know that it is the inflamation of the covering of the brain and spinal cord. It is usually caused by bacteria or fungus. It is said that some people recover completely while others dont, so i guess it depends. Look at www.celina.k12.tx.us/menengitis.htm. Maybe that will give you some more info. Good luck.

It is actually mainly caused by viruses or bacteria (in the developed world). Fungal meningitis is very, very rare.

Brutus, did a specific virus get found? Eg was it an enterovirus (like a 'coxsackie' virus or 'echo' virus)? Some of these can also cause pericarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart). Did you get an ECG/EKG done? (This might diagnose pericarditis or an abnormal heart rhythm). Did you get an echocardiogram done? (This to look for any fluid in the pericardial space to explain the high HR).

If your heart is unaffected directly and the high HR is just due to systemic inflammation, then it is (unfortunately) a matter of taking it easy and letting your body recover. How long this takes - everyone varies but most take at least a few weeks. Don't push yourself hard, especially not if your resting HR is still high. Obviously this is a pretty serious condition and you have to let yourself recover. Drugs won't help, just rest, healthy diet and avoid dehydration. If the pain is still bad, simple analgesia to make it more bearable eg acetaminophen/paracetamol, ibuprofen.