Birmingham mum in meningitis scare after developing ‘flu’ on holiday

A Birmingham mum was rushed to hospital from her Easter holiday after contracting what she thought was flu.

Before going on holiday, Trish Taylor’s son Myles had had a fall at school and needed emergency surgery as a result of his stitches becoming infected.

Once he recovered, Trish was looking forward to joining her brother and sister and their kids for a much-needed break in Southampton.

Then she started to feel ill – and worsened so quickly, she ended up having to leave two of her three sons with her family as she, husband Richard and toddler Ben dashed back to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

There she was told the frightening news that she had meningitis.

She spent the next 10 days in hospital, having to have three lumber punctures and courses of antibiotics to save her life.

“I started to feel poorly on the Saturday and by the evening I got a lot worse,” said Trish, 32, from Rubery, who is mum to Rupert, six, Myles, four, and Benjamin, two.

“We went to hospital, they gave me some medication to help with the fever then we made the journey back to Birmingham.

"But I was in a bad way when we arrived at the QE.

“We were seen straight away even though they had a five hour wait. I was in a bay on a drip within the hour.”

Sadly, Trish’s immune system has been compromised since the birth of her youngest son Ben, now two-and-a-half.

When he was three months old, she had to be taken into hospital after recurring uterus infections led to sepsis.

She has been in and out of hospital with pneumonia and lung infections ever since.

Despite this, she is a pillar of the community, running two local play groups, a choir and raising money to help the homeless.

For this reason, her sister Eiren Carbery nominated her as a Brummie Mummies Hero.

Eiren said: “My sister is a true inspiration. She has three boys under six, who have had their difficulties, she has had meningitis, sepsis, pneumonia twice and a lung infection.

“Yet she runs a play group twice a week, runs a choir in her local church and gets her children involved in every activity possible.

“She’s the only mother I know that has never put herself before others even when she is struggling the most.”

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Our Brummie Mummies Heroes series celebrates families of courage and those featured are invited to a special Brummie Mummies Social at the end of the year.

Trish stood out to us because she never gives up, and always strives to help others.

“It has been really hard looking after little ones whilst I’ve been ill,” said Trish, who is a full-time mum.

“But I have got a really good support network. I have extremely good friends, my husband is brilliant and my family is great.

“When I’ve been ill, they’ve been there to help.”

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Trish suffered recurring uterus infections following Ben’s birth in November 2016 and she ended up being rushed to hospital three months later with a soaring temperature after the infection turned septic.

She has had to battle with health problems as a result of that infection for the past two and a half years.

“It really affected my immune system,” she said.

“In the July, I got pneumonia and had to be put on oxygen in hospital.

“It affected my chest and I got pneumonia again six month later.

“It meant I spent New Year’s Eve in hospital."

She added: “After I’d had antibiotics, I was OK until March but then I got really sick again and was having trouble breathing.

“It turned out I had a lung infection so I’ve been in and out of hospital with that.

“It’s meant I’ve been in and out of hospital for two-and-a-half years as a result of that first infection. It really battered my immune system."

“Whilst I was at the QE with meningitis, the staff were fantastic," she added.

“My worry was Rupert as he hadn’t had the meningitis jab. Throughout my stay I had bad days of self pity, thinking why is it always me?

“But I have a great support network that soon knocked me out of it. Even wonderful members of our community helped with making meals and visits for my family.”

Trish is looking to have further tests to try to find ways to boost her depleted immune system.

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Community

Despite all of her health problems, Trish and her friend Lyndsay run two stay and play groups in Rubery.

“We set them up because sometimes as a mum you feel lonely, especially if you’re battling postnatal depression,” said Trish, who used to work at the University of Sunderland and was a manager at Blockbuster in Cotteridge before it closed.

“Going to a play group helps mums to meet new people.

“We run baby massage classes and group sessions on things like weaning too.”

The groups run at St Chad’s Church on Wednesday mornings and Our Lady’s Church on Friday mornings.

Trish also runs a local choir.

“I come from a musical theatre background so this is great fun,” she said.

“As a choir, we also do fundraising. It’s been running for the past two years and we’ve raised more than £1,000. It’s a really lovely group who meet every Tuesday evening.”

Trish says that keeping busy by helping others helps her to cope with her health worries.

“I like to keep myself busy and to do fundraising,” she added.

“For lent, we gave up chocolate and raised funds for the homeless.”

 

Brummie Mummies Heroes

Mums, dads, daughters, sons, sisters, aunties, brothers, uncles and grandparents can be nominated via our Brummie Mummies Facebook page.

We will share the most inspirational and moving stories you send.

Those featured are then invited to a special Brummie Mummies Heroes Social at the end of the year.

We regularly host Brummie Mummies socials to bring together families for great value days out.

This one will be extra special because it will be free to those whose stories we feature and we will share their amazing stories and give out certificates on the day.

To nominate your Brummie Mummies Hero, send us a message via our  Brummie Mummies Facebook page.