Belted by meningitis

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/07/2009 (5935 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Doug Brown was all smiles Wednesday, signing autographs and interacting with fans after watching his Winnipeg Blue Bomber teammates practise.

But the last week has been pure hell for the all-star defensive tackle as doctors, trainers and infectious-disease experts worked to discover the origins of a viral infection that had sent him to hospital and caused him to lose 20 pounds.

It was revealed Wednesday by a source outside of the football club that Brown contracted meningitis — a potentially life-threatening inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord which caused him to miss last week’s loss to the Eskimos.

Brown will also be kept out of Friday’s home opener against the Calgary Stampeders.

"I’ve never been through anything like this before, that’s for sure. It’s no fun," said Brown, who still refused to identify his condition as per a team request. "I gained a pound today which is exciting and means things are heading in the right direction. Plus, I got to work out and everything, too. And not just working out by getting up and throwing up into the toilet. It was actually a productive day."

Brown, 34, first started experiencing flu-like symptoms about 10 days ago and was sent home by Bomber athletic therapist Al Couture. After showing signs of improvement, Brown was cleared to travel to Edmonton with his teammates, but upon arrival in the Alberta capital he became dehydrated and the team doctor opted to have him undergo some blood work when his condition worsened.

The medication almost instantly improved Brown but by mid-afternoon last Thursday — the day of the Bombers game against the Eskimos — he began to deteriorate and was scratched from the lineup and told to stay at the hotel. His headaches became more severe and he was taken to the hospital by Bomber Director of Football Operations Ross Hodgkinson, where doctors conducted tests — including a lumbar puncture — to determine if Brown had meningitis.

After those tests proved positive, Brown spent Friday and the following morning in an Edmonton hospital before returning home to Winnipeg Saturday afternoon. At the same time the club continued monitoring the rest of the team to see if any other players were showing similar symptoms.

Worth noting here is the Bombers’ vigilance in making sure players frequently wash their hands and the team’s investment last year in a $15,000 equipment sanitizer that stops the potential spread of a virus through jerseys or other gear.

"It’s like any other virus, there’s a certain element of it being contagious," said Hodgkinson. "It’s like if you have a cold and you sneeze on somebody, you’re spreading a virus. We were worried about it and that’s why we were so thorough in monitoring everybody for similar signs. It’s like anything else, a cold or flu can run rampant through people in a controlled environment.

"But Doug has now seen an infectious-disease guy in Edmonton and here and there’s no concern. The biggest issue now is getting his strength back and getting him working out again and the headache issue resolved."

Brown attended the Bombers Legacy Dinner Tuesday night and — along with Arjei Franklin — gave a speech as part of Milt Stegall’s induction into the team’s hall of fame. He resumed working out Wednesday and hopes to begin practising after the Stampeder game in preparation for next week’s meeting in Hamilton against the Tiger-Cats.

"We did some cardio work today and my cardio was actually so much easier because I’m so much lighter," said Brown with a chuckle. "I got rid of all that excess baggage and so I’m all trimmed."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

A meningitis primer

WHAT IS IT?

The inflammation of the protective membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord, called the meninges.

HOW DO YOU GET IT?

Most often caused by a bacterial or viral infection.

SYMPTOMS

Fever, severe headaches and a stiff neck. Severe cases include nausea and vomiting, confusion, disorientation, drowsiness and sensitivity to bright light and loud noises. Meningitis can be life-threatening because of the inflammation’s proximity to the brain and spinal cord.

HOW IS IT DIAGNOSED?

A lumbar puncture — the insertion of a needle into the spinal canal to extract fluid there — is most often used.

TREATMENT

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Antibiotics, anti-viral drugs and, in some situations, corticosteroid drugs are used to prevent complications from the inflammation.

POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES

If not treated quickly, meningitis can cause deafness, epilepsy and hydrocephalus (water on the brain) and cognitive deficits.

— Tait