My Baby Boy's Struggle with Viral Meningitis

My 6-week-old baby boy was in the pediatric intensive care unit hooked up to an IV and struggling for his breath in my arms. The nurse came in to check on his intravenous antibiotics and rushed out to get the resident on duty. When the resident returned, she got a panicked look on her face. She paged the floor physician, and my son was hooked up to a more equipment, including a nasal cannula with warm, moist air to improve his oxygen levels. I was told not to feed him, "just in case." Just in case meant that he could stop breathing in my arms and need to be intubated and put on a ventilator. My son, it turns out, was suffering from viral meningitis and fighting for his life.

According to the Center for Disease Control ("CDC"), viral meningitis, or "aseptic" meningitis is the most common type of meningitis. Meningitis causes inflammation of the tissues that cover the brain and spinal cord. Viral meningitis can be cause by one of several types of viruses. The CDC reports that each year in the United States there are between 25,000 and 50,000 hospitalizations due to viral meningitis. My son was one of them.

The symptoms of viral meningitis can vary. Typically, the symptoms of viral meningitis include fever, severe headache, stiff neck, aversion to bright lights, drowsiness, confusion, nausea and vomiting. However, in infants like my son, the symptoms are more difficult to identify.

My son had a stuffy nose, but considering the fact that we all were suffering from a cold, we were not too concerned. Then he got a fever. When I called the doctor to make an appointment at 9:00 a.m., his fever was around 99 degrees. By the time we got to his appointment two hours later, his temperature was over 101 degrees. He was also becoming difficult to awake, he was making a high pitched whining cry, and he was starting to eat less than normal. The doctor also noted that the soft spot on his head was firm and filled with fluid, which was a sign to her that he was most likely suffering from viral meningitis. She called the children's hospital and had us pre-admitted, and I rushed my son to the hospital not knowing what to expect.

When we arrived at the hospital, we were immediately taken to a private room in the pediatric intensive care unit. My son was hooked up to an IV, his blood was drawn, and we were thoroughly questioned about his history and my pregnancy.

We also talked about the next step. My baby boy had to have a spinal tap. A needle would be placed into the lumbar portion of his back, and the fluid surrounding his spinal column would be removed and tested to determine whether he had meningitis, and if so, what type. If the diagnosis was bacterial meningitis, his prognosis was very grim. If he survived, there was the possibility that he would suffer hearing loss. If he had viral meningitis, he faced a better outcome if he could survive the next few days. We gave our consent, and we were ushered out of the room.

The spinal tap took about a half hour, during which time my husband and I nervously paced the hallways. We were told that we would not have the preliminary results until a few hours later, and the final results would take 48 hours. In the meantime, my son was given antibiotics and antiviral medications to combat the infection. The doctors and nurses treating my son had to wear full protective gear, and a bright "quarantine" sign was placed on the door to my son's room.

That night, my infant son struggled to breath. My smiling, chubby cheeked baby boy was fighting for his life. He slept in my arms the entire night while I watched the monitors to make sure his oxygen levels were maintained and his temperature stayed under control. I met several doctors, including one who introduced himself by saying, "I am the doctor you never want to meet because I only get called in when the situation looks very bad."

By the next morning, my baby boy's fever was coming down. His skin was pale, and puffy from the IV fluids, but his breathing was improving. The doctors started to wean him off the oxygen and the breathing treatments.

When the results of the tests came back, we learned that he did have viral meningitis. Specifically, he had viral meningitis caused by an enterovirus. The CDC reports that enteroviruses are the most common cause of viral meningitis, and are usually spread through direct contact with respiratory secretions. They are also common in the daycare setting, where they can be spread through the stool of an infected infant during diaper changes.

Over the next few days, my son improved dramatically. He began eating normally again and was completely weaned off of the oxygen onto room air. When he was released, he had no particular restrictions or medications that he had to take. We just had to follow up with his doctor in a few days to make sure that he was continuing to improve. However, we have been told that my infant son remains at risk for viral meningitis until he is 6 months old.

Since the symptoms of viral meningitis can vary widely in an infant, it is vital to consult with your doctor if your infant runs a fever. While the fever may just be his body's way to fight off an innocuous infection, it could also be something much more serious.

Sources:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/enterovirus/viral_meningitis.htm