On the 8th of June 2022, I was diagnosed with meningococcal (Cronic Media Meningitis).
Three days before being hospitalised, I was having some symptoms that I thought were a flu. First day, running nose and stiff neck. Second day, my right ear was getting weaker and my eyes were sensitive to light. Third day, my hearing was blocked and I was having a headache and a fever. I was so tired that day and I went to bed early, later that night what I remember is that I woke up in the middle of the night and I was vomiting maybe for a minute and then collapsed.
When I woke up I found my self in the ICU (intensive care unit) drained out of energy nearly paralysed, I could only move my arm and had memory loss. Also on my arm, there was something I thought it was rash, it looked like I had a fight with all the bruise colours on my arm but there was no pain. Later that day, my youngest brother came to visit me and he looked shocked (I didn't know anything about meningitis back then).
I was on antibiotics and painkillers all the time three days after. I was tired of being on the bed I was able to feel my toes so it means my nerves still there but extremely weak and I started taking my first step. I did fall that moment while grabbing the bed, it was like your body forgets how to walk and you need to learn that again. The goal was to reach the chair next to the bed on the other side and a few minutes and taking baby steps. I was able to reach the chair but I had a terrible dizziness. On that day, I started to remember the rest of the family, the nurses were helping me going to toilet to have a shower and after a week, I was able to go to toilet on my own but it was still taking me some time to walk to it I did some CT scan and MRI and I was told everything was alright. Ten days have passed and I was sent to the normal warden, they did the normal checks and when they weighed me I was 42 kg. Before my illness I was 75 kg.
After three days, I was discharged from the hospital. I was sent back home and I had a walking stick to help me walking. I was still having a rough dizziness and a terrible nerve pain on my right leg from my hip all the way down to my knee. After a couple of days while chatting with my house mate, I discovered that it was him who found me on the floor and called the ambulance. He lifted me to house entrance and when they saw me, they thought I was OD but he told them my symptoms and it helped diagnosing me properly and I was in a coma for nearly four days.
For a week I could sleep because of the pain. I was prescribed a high dose of vitamin D, nothing else. Every morning, I would go out, have five minutes walking around the garden. Two weeks after, started physiotherapy at home. Four weeks after, I was able to go back to work, just light work. I was still having some memory issues but it got better after some time, same with my dizziness but my dizziness didn't improve much. I couldn't walk outside or go to work without my walking stick.
Few months later, in February, I traveled to Egypt to see my family and friends. I did some checks like CT and MRI scans, hearing test and the doctor said from the scans, "You do have an issue." and that is why I can't walk properly. I needed a surgery because what I was having was life-threatening. He prescribed me a few medications for my ear discharge. Two weeks after, I travelled back to the UK, tried to get an appointment for some months but no luck. My ear discharge stopped back then until June 2023, my ear started to discharge again and I was unable to get that appointment. So I called my doctor back in Egypt, explained what is wrong and he said that means it is getting more serious now and it is better to do that surgery as soon as possible. I travelled back to Egypt the next month and on 27th of July 2023, I did the surgery and it was successful. I was able to walk without the walking stick, the dizziness is still there but it is so much less than before and I am nearly back to normal again.
Whoever reads my story, thank you, and hopefully it may save someone's life.
Omar Raafat Puente
February 2024
![]()
It was shocking and hard experience.
Don't lose hope and always think positive. Whatever the kind of help others offering, take it and don't stay alone, speak with someone you trust when you need it, bottle up is the last thing you want to do.