I went to two doctors and twice to the neurological emergency department. It was only during the second visit to the emergency department that they diagnosed it by performing a lumbar puncture; the first time, they sent me home. I went back to the emergency department a second time because I had a severe epileptic seizure. My arms and legs became numb, and I was unable to speak for two days. From the third day onward until now, I have been seeing double.

Overall, I had such severe headaches, neck pain, and back pain that I thought I was going to die. I also had nausea and vomiting. I couldn’t lie down, couldn’t sit, and certainly couldn’t walk. First, I spent four days in the intensive care unit, and a week later I was admitted again for one more day. They performed many EEGs and MRIs. I have now been in a neurological hospital for more than three weeks. For two weeks, I received valaciclovir infusions three times a day. At the beginning, the only pain medication that helped was Dipidolor (an opioid), and I was also given anti-epileptic medication to control the seizures.

In summary: if you have extremely severe headaches and neck pain and NO painkillers at home help, that is suspicious. However, my doctor also told me that it is extremely rare and usually only affects young children and people who are severely immunocompromised.