Blogs

Premier Sponsors

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue, we will assume that you agree to our privacy policy which includes details of cookie usage. Hide this notice

West Nile Virus...It's A Very Serious Disease!

Thursday, September 8, 2016 @9:34:10 AM

West Nile Virus, TAKE IT VERY SERIOUS!

On August 1st I wasn't feeling very well. I was dizzy had a very bad headache and I couldn't walk without assistance and had double vision.

On the 2nd I told my wife I need to go to the emergency room and I mean NOW! We got to the hospital ER and the wife got assistance to help me out of the car while she was telling the nurses I had a heart condition in addition to being very sick.

I was rushed immediately into the critical care ER room and had a bevy of nurses and Doctors looking me over and taking my vitals, drawing blood, getting urine samples, establishing an IV for fluids and who knows what else.

My fever was 104.0 at the time and I was hurting all over and restless so the doctor set me up with a sedative only used in emergency rooms and I was out like a light.

After a short stay in the ER I was taken to my room which was followed with a another round of vitals and urine along with more blood being drawn and more bags of fluids flowing into me.

The whole time in the ER and in my room my wife was telling the doctors to please test for the West Nile Virus as we are in the peak season for mosquitos carrying the virus.

As it turned out the doctors had the same thought in mind. after much testing of my blood and a spinal tap it was confirmed by the hospital lab it was indeed West Nile Virus. The next step was to sent the results and blood and spinal fluid to The CDC (Center For Disease Control) in Atlanta GA. for confirmation there.

Two days later the confirmation came back it was West Nile along with Meningitis and Encephalitis and I was diagnosed with the most severe form of WNV one could get and on top of that I also had meningitis and enphalitisce.

Along with the 104. fever and burning up my temperature also went down to 96. and I was freezing. All I did was sleep and didn't eat or drink for a week or so and was being fed intravenously along with 6 to 8 bags of antibiotics flowing into me all the time.

The hospital brought in a specialist in infectious diseases and diseases transmitted by insects. He told my wife and the other doctors that all they could do was to wait and see how my situation would turn out as there is NO VACCINE or cure for the West Nile Virus and that I would either live or die.

Three day later I was still alive and more responsive and trying to eat on my own so it was determined I was going to make it so the next day I was released to go home.

I was told by my wife when I was awake due to being woke up for more blood and vitals and changing of the antibiotic bags all I would say was I have to go home.

I was the 4th confirmed case of the disease in Hinds County in Jackson, Mississippi with the most severe form you could get. Three days after getting out the hospital the local news reported that one of the other 3 with WNV had died. I was so thankful to the lord that I was not the first and prayed for the family and the one that was.

WEST NILE IS A VERY SERIOUS DISEASE AND SHOULD BE TAKEN SO. Protect yourself and your family, insect repellant with DEET is your best bet along with long sleeve shirts and no short pants.

I'm doing ok now but I'm not completely recovered yet. I've graduate from my walker to a cane and am getting around much better now. I'm still hesitant to go outside because you don't develop any resistance to West Nile. Take care and be and cover up and spray yourself down.

T.T.F.N.

( I )====='----<: :}

2 comments