Kaitlyn Spearman spent a week with a headache that wouldn’t go away, then she woke up with a rash – she shared her story from her hospital bed to warn others how quickly symptoms can come on
Kaitlyn Spearman went to hospital after having a headache for most of a week – then she woke up with a rash
A brave mum has spoken from her hospital bed about her shock meningitis diagnosis.
Kaitlyn Spearman, 27, described how her terrifying ordeal started when she had a headache for a week.
Then, on Thursday night last week, the mum-of-three had a bath and took a nap, when she awoke she found she had suddenly become covered in a purple rash.
Terrified Kaitlyn showed husband Andrew and then rang 999 and was told to get to hospital where doctors told shocked Kaitlyn she had meningitis B, Chronicle Live reports.
Now the Tyneside mum remains in hospital, in a serious condition while she battles the disease – while medics have no idea where she picked up the potentially lethal infection. Kaitlyn’s family – including her children – have all been given preventative antibiotics.
Speaking on Easter Sunday Kaitlyn said her blood test results had improved throughout the day – she also remains in serious ill health. “On Monday last week I had a headache,” the care home worker said.
“I just couldn’t get rid of it. I’d tried all sorts – painkillers, hot towels. To be frank, I thought it was most likely some sort of hormonal headache.
“But it wouldn’t go away. I started to think about what if it was to do with my brain. I remember starting to think that maybe I had a brain bleed. To be 27 and have had a headache for a week – that’s not normal.
“On Thursday I had a bath, then had a nap. When I woke up, I had a purple rash, head to toe. I rang for an ambulance and they said straight away that I needed to be in a hospital. I came in then they did my bloods. Then I was told – ‘you’ve got something called meningitis B’.”
Kaitlyn, who is mum to Noah-James, 7, Hunter-John, 5, and Luke-Alexander, nine months, spoke of how she had heard about the recent outbreak of meningitis in Kent, but not paid too much attention because, with a small baby, she had not done significant travelling for months.
“They said I might have seen there had been an outbreak in Kent. But I have never really been travelling. I have not long had a baby. The only places I have really been are church, school, home.
“They don’t know how I had caught it. The hospital have said that for this, they’re classing me as ‘patient zero’. Now every single one of my family members – including my children and husband – have had to get antibiotics. I have had contact from the Department of Health.”
The mum has previously suffered devastating loss – daughter Holly-Mae died of sepsis a few years ago, she said – and said she wants to ensure people in the Tyneside area are aware of the symptoms of meningitis.
She added: “The main reason I wanted to speak out is to get the story out there. It’s something that can happen in this area. I hadn’t thought much about it [the Kent outbreak]. To be honest I don’t socialise that much. So for me to catch this now, it’s worrying – we can’t work it out.
“Now it depends on how my body will react to the antibiotics, particularly as I also have sepsis. My body could fight it, or it might not. This morning, my blood results were pretty poor still – but in the afternoon it was better.
“It’s something that you need to catch as early as possible. In my case, it’s not ideal that it was only caught when I had the rash. But you just think the headache could be anything – to do with the early mornings for the school run, even. You just push it to one side.”
Kaitlyn is hoping her condition continues to improve – and crucially that the preventative treatment prevents her loved ones also falling ill. The local health protection team, part of the UK Health Security Agency, have been in touch with her, and are involved in managing the case.
She added: “I am fighting for my life to get home to my children.”
While the recent outbreak in Kent made headlines for the number of people involved, Dr Gayle Dolan, a health protection consultant at the UKHSA said there are more than 350 cases a year in the UK, and we should expect them to occur frequently.
“It is also why it is important that everyone remains aware of the signs and symptoms of the infection and seeks rapid medical attention if they are concerned,” she added.
Key signs and symptoms include a high temperature (fever), being sick, a headache, a rash that does not fade when pressed and a stiff neck. These symptoms can begin suddenly – others include fits, an aversion to bright light, confusion or delirium or severe sleepiness.
The UKHSA said: “Call 999 immediately or go to your nearest A&E if you think you or someone in your care could have meningitis, septicaemia or sepsis. Trust your instincts and do not wait for all symptoms or for a rash to develop. People with meningitis, septicaemia or sepsis can become seriously unwell very quickly.”
