Meningitis UK Fridge Magnet Saved My Life
Jo Gibbs talks about her meningitis scare
Jo's powerful message in the Daily Express (20th December 2005)
It was January 2004 and I was in my second term at York University studying for a history degree. I awoke one morning at the end of January with aching arms and legs and a slight fever. I had arranged to go sale shopping with my housemate, so went anyway thinking I would soon feel better. But as we wandered around the shops, I started to feel worse. I was shivering and visibly shaking so we stopped at a café to take a rest.
But by the time I had finished my coffee I was in a terrible state. My friend took me to the nearest NHS drop-in centre. I was seen by a nurse who asked if I had a rash. I said "no", so she advised me to go home to bed, drink plenty of water and take some paracetamol.
The next few hours are very hazy. I remember shivering under my duvet thinking I had never felt so ill in my life. I kept drifting in and out of sleep and having vivid dreams. I remember my housemate checking on me later that evening.
I woke up several hours later desperate for the toilet, the bathroom light made me wince in pain - it seemed so bright. I looked down and noticed that my arms and legs were covered in tiny pink spots. I felt sick with fear.
Shaking, I woke my housemate. During Fresher's Week we had been given a meningitis pack, including a Meningitis UK fridge magnet with a checklist of the symptoms on it and information about the Tumbler Test. My friend came to the kitchen with me and we got a glass. I pressed it on my rash and the spots didn't disappear. My friend read out the symptoms - I had them all. I realised I was seriously ill.
We got a taxi and went straight to the doctor. The doctor then sent me straight to the hospital where I was rushed to the emergency room and pumped full of antibiotics. By this time I was pretty out of it. My housemate called my Mum who drove for five hours to be with me. I was in so much pain I could hardly hold her hand.
The next 48 hours were terrible and my mum told me later that my condition was critical. I was in hospital for two weeks and had to take a whole term off university to recover. Even now, two years on I still don't feel 100 per cent, I suffer from severe headaches and get tired very easily, but I know I am lucky to have survived and believe the fridge magnet helped save my life.
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