young boy who just died

[missyR]

This probably isnt the right category but my friends brother died on monday. He has only just turned 16 and she told me he was rushed into hospital, they just found out he had meningitis. Then died hours later. Is there some kind of meningitis where ther are no symptoms?

[spk]

If he had bacterial meningitis I believe it can come on very very quickly and the person can get very sick within a couple of hours. I dont think that one shows up on a lumbar puncture at times either, if its secondary bacterial. So I think it is possible he wouldnt have had obvious symptoms.
I might be wrong though..

[redcrx]

the doctor is about so will be able to answer that fully im sure.

[missyR]

thanks its such a shame.

[spk]

Its very sad. Meningitis is a horrible illness his poor family and friends my heart goes out to them

[noxlumos]

We had a meningitis scare with my wife's son Harry when he was about 15. He was fine when we went shopping at 7.00 pm just feeling a bit fluey, by 9.00 when we got home, he couldn't sit up on his own, was photo sensitive,running a huge temperature and was only semi -coherant and when we took him to the hospital they thought that was meningitis and moved like lightening as they said it can kill in as little as 3 or 4 hours.
As it goes it wasn't meningitis just a nasty virus, but they kept him in for five days until they were dead sure and took it super seriously, so yeah I believe it can be virtually non smptomatic until it's too late judging by the hospital's reaction.
My heart goes out to the young lad's family, no-one should have to bury their child.

[Rupert Fever]

My husbands brother died from meningitis at the age of 14. It was his birthday - he felt a bit poorly in the morning, towards the afternoon he had severe flu symptoms and all off a sudden his body started bruising. He was rushed into hospital and died within a few hours.
That is over 20 years ago. Unfortunately he did not have any symptoms before it was too late.

[Eve]

I had a meningitis scare, what I had wasn't the exact meningitis thing but very similar and my brain was swollen etc...

Came on very quickly and scarily and ended up being rushed in by ambulance and transferred to the infectious diseases unit at another hospital for a lumbar puncture and being shoved full of medication.

I was lucky though, I'm so so sorry about your friend's brother. A friend of mine's brother committed suicide when he was 17 and it was awful.

Take care xxx

[Willow Tree]

My heart goes out to your friend and their family. My friend had meningitis when she was a baby - she was very lucky as she got through it and was left with one deaf ear. She was very lucky that it wasn't a limb or death.

http://www.meningitis.org/

[Ethel]

10ClarionSt

That could never happen in the UK. Relatives cannot refuse a post mortem where the cause of death is not known, no matter how distressing it may be to them.