Meningitis nkljnljnjnjknkjnkjnnbupg87g876g8g8g87g87f8

Jake Rivers Age: 16 Weight: 178 lbs Ethnicity: caucasian Hobbies: play outside, play video games with friends, and knitt Jake lives at home with his two parents and is an A+ student!

Symptoms My patient came in with a high fever and headaches that wouldn't go away for awhile. Jake was also having a hard time concentrating while in school and although he was going to bed and waking up at his normal times he was very sleepy. Lately he has been experiencing a stiff neck. After examining Jake I noticed he was starting to get a rash as well.

Regions of the Brain Affected Meningitis affects the meninges in the brain’s tissue and spinal cord causing inflammation and slowing communication between cells, ultimately affecting any part of the brain and most commonly it affects the auditory nerves between the ear and the brain. Normal Inflamed

Diagnosis I suspected that jake may of had meningitis due to the symptoms he was showing, thus I collected blood samples or cerebrospinal fluid and sent them to the lab and a few week later the results came back positive for meningitis. It was important for me to find out what type of meningitis Jake had as there are bacterial and viral. The test showed that he had bacterial meningitis and more specifically meningococcal meningitis.

Treatment It is best to treat the bacterial meningitis as soon as possible with antibiotics. The antibiotics will not eliminate the possibility of Jake dying but it will reduces his odds to less than a 15% chance. The risk of dying would be higher if Jake was an infant or elder. The antibiotics that Jake may be taking include penicillin G, ampicillin, and chloramphenicol.

Prognosis Following bacterial meningitis and meningococcal disease, there is a wide and varied range of potential long-term effects Jake may have. Although the majority of children and young people recover completely, some are left with disabilities and more subtle problems that can have serious impact on their lives and the lives of their families. The most common long-term effects that is seen in meningitis patients is the loss of memory and difficulty hearing, however this is due to the more severe cases of meningitis which fortunately Jake isn't that severe. Jake may become depressed as some tasks may be difficult and he will have to adapt his condition to find what's best for him.

Error in Communication Meningitis causes inflammation in the brain and spinal cord, putting a significant amount of pressure on the brain and the neurons throughout the central Nervous system, ultimately slowing down the communication between neurons.

Psychologists Psychologists study the human mind and behavior to help patients overcome emotional or psychological difficulties. Psychologists often work directly with those experiencing difficulties, such as mental health disorders including depression. Becoming a psychologist requires obtaining a master's or doctoral degree and students at this time may do research, or clinical rotations. Due to Jake needing to change his lifestyle because of the difficulties he is experiencing from the meningitis, he is in a state of depression. It would be great for Jake to go and see a Psychologist and talk to someone about what is making him depressed and possibly get over his depression by medication or just by talking.

Sign Language Teacher A sign language teacher works with students or everyday people, that have full, partial or no hearing loss. Sign language teachers not only teach sign language but may teach certain subjects to students who may be deaf. Becoming a sign language teacher often requires a bachelor's degree and state-approved teaching licensure. As previously mentioned, meningitis can damage the auditory nerves between to ear and the brain causing hearing loss or possibly deafness. Jake has begun to experience hearing loss at a rapid rate and its best for him to begin sign language classes while he is still able to hear to an extent. Thus, Jake is beginning to have daily lessons with a sign language teacher so he is prepared when the time comes.

Citations Bacterial Meningitis. (2014, April 1). Retrieved November 27, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/meningitis/bacterial.html Learn.org -. (2008, July 17). Retrieved November 30, 2015, from http://learn.org/articles/Sign_Language_Teacher_Your_Career_and_Salary_ Questions_Answered.html Meningitis. (2015, October 1). Retrieved November 30, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/meningitis/index.html Meningitis. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2015, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases- conditions/meningitis/basics/symptoms/con-20019713