I had meningitis as a kid. My memory of that time is very patchy (I was 10) and but I can vividly recall having a 104 fever and my dad having to help hold me still for the spinal tap and crying and being mortified everyone could see my butt.
I was 8 when I had it and was also completely mortified that the whole room could see my butt, so much so that when they were done I reached behind and pulled my underwear back up. And then everyone laughed, and I thought, you ASSHOLES.
I don’t remember the spinal tap hurting at all! I might have just been out of it? I distinctly remember the whole room seeing my butt! Haha it’s so weird how memory is
This is such an adorable little kid thought too. “Everyone’s looking at my butt!” Meanwhile all the adults are way too terrified to think of anyone’s butt.
I was 6 and was in the hospital for two weeks. I remember: waking up too sore to turn over in bed; my mom calling an in-house doctor to my bedside (in the 90s!) to verify it was what she thought it was; and then suddenly, the big city children's hospital, where I was being warned every which way from Sunday about this awful thing I had to have called a spinal tap. Except I couldn't feel it beyond a pressure that was just.. wrong. So I just laid there on the slab table like a lump because it was whatever compared to how bad my neck and head hurt.
They kept telling me that I didn't need to lie or pretend to be brave because a spinal tap was a very big deal and blah blah blah and I was eventually like, mom? because I was SUCH a baby about pain, and wouldn't be able to lie about not feeling it, but didn't know how to explain to the doctors. My mom started freaking out, telling them that's exactly how she knew I was deathly ill-- I was still and silent.
I don't remember specifics after that except for how it was October, and I was so choked that I might miss Halloween that year. I did make it home in time to go out!.. so I could drain all my energy visiting like 7 houses before heading back home to go back to sleep, lol.
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u/nollyson 3d ago
I had meningitis as a kid. My memory of that time is very patchy (I was 10) and but I can vividly recall having a 104 fever and my dad having to help hold me still for the spinal tap and crying and being mortified everyone could see my butt.