A man who survived meningitis is sharing his first-hand experience of meningitis and septicaemia to help raise awareness of the symptoms.
Paul Wadeson, who lives in Shefford, has stepped forward to highlight the disease ahead of national Meningitis Awareness Week, which runs from September 15 to September 21.
Paul explained: “I contracted Pneumococcal meningitis in 2011 when I was 30 years old.
“I was suffering from severe headaches so went to my local hospital but was discharged later that morning.
“My fiancée was about to go away for her hen weekend, but she popped in to check on me and found me in a semi-conscious state and I was taken back to hospital in an ambulance.
“I was induced into a coma for three days and spent two weeks in hospital. The meningitis caused a stroke, which has affected my vision in my left eye but to be honest I feel lucky to have survived. I am now a dad to two children so even more aware of the disease and know what to look out for.”
The first symptoms are usually fever, vomiting, headache and feeling unwell. Limb pain, pale skin, and cold hands and feet often appear earlier than the rash, neck stiffness, dislike of bright lights and confusion.
The Meningitis Research Foundation estimates that meningitis and septicaemia affect around nine people in the UK and Ireland every day. One in ten sufferers will die, with a quarter of survivors being left with life altering after effects. See http://meningitis.org for more.