The Newstalk presenter has opened up about her harrowing experience with the infection as a teenager, explaining the symptoms she experienced and her time in hospital
Today with Claire Byrne on RTE(Image: Andres Poveda)
Claire Byrne has recalled receiving last rites from a priest after contracting meningitis as a teenager.
The Newstalk presenter spoke about her frightening experience with the infection as parts of the UK deal with an outbreak. Claire had meningitis in her teenage years and ended up severely sick.
She explained how the illness came on when she was at school one day and suddenly got an “intense, indescribable” headache. Claire recalled: “The words literally started to move on the page. Like, if you think about it, the lining of your brain is swelling.
“So, you can imagine the pressure. It’s also hard to move your neck.”
“The doctor was delayed getting out to me, which ended up being a good thing because by the time he came, I was sick enough for him to realise that this was probably meningitis.
“But, I wasn’t sick enough for it to be too late. I didn’t have any rash which would indicate sepsis.
“I remember the doctor coming into the room and he said to me: ‘Can you stand up?’ And I remember trying to stand up and collapsing.”
Claire was taken to hospital immediately as she drifted “in an out of consciousness”.
Speaking to Anton Savage on Newstalk Breakfast, she continued: “So, that was a Wednesday and on the Thursday I was sitting up in bed talking to my aunt in great form.
“My parents were visiting me and thinking, ‘Oh God, isn’t it great that we escaped’, and then I got very sick on the Thursday night and then I got the last rites from the priest in the hospital.”
Anton asked Claire if she felt frightened at the time, to which she replied: “No, I remember seeing my parents kneeling beside the bed.
“And I remember the oils going on my head and I remember the words being spoken, but I was so sick that I wasn’t alert enough to be scared.
“I was very at peace with it.”
The ex RTÉ star also experienced hallucinations, adding: “I saw frogs in the sink and pictures of family on the wall that didn’t exist.
“Now, I don’t know if that was me going down the tunnel or just hallucinating.”
Claire was rushed to Cherry Orchard hospital in an ambulance, with her parents sat in the back with her.
She said: “My mum had a special job, they said, ‘Keep her awake, do not let her go asleep.’
“I remember thinking, ‘Please leave me alone’, but she was slapping me on the side of the face to keep me alert and that was her instruction from the doctors.”
Claire stayed in hospital for two weeks and fortunately made a full recovery.
“I can’t believe it because people who I’ve met that recovered from meningitis have had hearing loss, sight loss, brain damage,” she told Anton.
“I didn’t have anything, no after effects. Other than for about two years afterwards, I had extreme exhaustion. I got away scot free, I was extremely lucky.”
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