alwaysawake
Beaver Believer
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2002
- Posts
- 23,179
Since I can't locate the original thread, here is an update on Toni's 12 year old son--got a phone call from her earlier today. The seizures he is experiencing are a result of encephalitis (brain swelling possibly caused from West Nile virus) and he may be in the hospital for possibly a few weeks to several months. He is still in ICU and having seizures when they reduce the medication, so he has been placed in a drug induced coma and will be brought out of it in two days to see if he has improved. It also causes some temporary personality changes (violent, agitated) and it won't be easy for her to handle. Just best thoughts, wishes, and prayers to one of the truly nice people on Lit would be welcomed. Toni said to say she appreciated all the good wishes and she'll need them to keep her strength up through this ordeal. For those of you who aren't sure what encephalitis is...a basic explanation will be below. Thanks for your time!
In milder cases of encephalitis there is usually fever, headache, poor appetite, loss of energy, or just a general sick feeling.
In more severe cases of encephalitis, a person is more likely to experience high fever, severe headache, nausea and vomiting, stiff neck, pupils of different sizes, confusion, disorientation, personality changes, convulsions (seizures), problems with speech or hearing, hallucinations, double vision, difficulty moving an arm or leg, involuntary movements, difficulty walking, loss of sensation in some part of the body, memory loss, drowsiness, and coma. There is sometimes a convulsion, or a series of convulsions, at the start of the illness.
In infants it's harder to detect some of these symptoms, but there are still some important signs to look for, including vomiting, a full or bulging soft spot (fontanel), crying that doesn't stop or that seems worse when an infant is picked up or handled in some way, or body stiffness.
Because encephalitis can follow or accompany common viral illnesses, there are sometimes characteristic signs and symptoms of these illnesses beforehand. But often the encephalitis appears without warning.
In milder cases of encephalitis there is usually fever, headache, poor appetite, loss of energy, or just a general sick feeling.
In more severe cases of encephalitis, a person is more likely to experience high fever, severe headache, nausea and vomiting, stiff neck, pupils of different sizes, confusion, disorientation, personality changes, convulsions (seizures), problems with speech or hearing, hallucinations, double vision, difficulty moving an arm or leg, involuntary movements, difficulty walking, loss of sensation in some part of the body, memory loss, drowsiness, and coma. There is sometimes a convulsion, or a series of convulsions, at the start of the illness.
In infants it's harder to detect some of these symptoms, but there are still some important signs to look for, including vomiting, a full or bulging soft spot (fontanel), crying that doesn't stop or that seems worse when an infant is picked up or handled in some way, or body stiffness.
Because encephalitis can follow or accompany common viral illnesses, there are sometimes characteristic signs and symptoms of these illnesses beforehand. But often the encephalitis appears without warning.
