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<\/p>\nMum Kaitlyn Spearman had a headache that wouldn’t go away for most of a week. Then on Thursday she discovered a shocking rash.<\/p>\n
South Shields mum Kaitlyn Spearman has become seriously ill with meningitis B(Image: Handout)<\/p>\n
A Tyneside mum has told ChronicleLive <\/a>from hospital of her terrifying meningitis ordeal. Kaitlyn Spearman, 27, spent a week with a headache, growing ever-more anxious.<\/p>\n On Thursday night last week, the South Shields<\/a> mum had a bath and then a nap. When she woke, she showed husband Andrew how she had suddenly become covered in a purple rash.<\/p>\n She rang 999 and was told to get to hospital. She has been found to have meningitis B – though at this stage has no idea where she picked up the potentially lethal bug. Her family – including her children – have all been given preventative antibiotics.<\/p>\n She remains in hospital – and though speaking on Easter Sunday she said her blood test results had improved throughout the day – she also remains in serious ill health. However, she’s determined to highlight the symptoms of the illness to ensure others might spot the symptoms – like her impossible to shift headache – sooner than she did.<\/p>\n Kaitlyn, who works in a care home though is on maternity leave, said: “On Monday last week I had had a headache. I just couldn’t get rid of it. I’d tried all sorts – painkillers, hot towels. To be frank, I thought it was most likely some sort of hormonal headache.<\/p>\n “But it wouldn’t go away. I started to think about what if it was to do with my brain. I remember starting to think that maybe I had a brain bleed. To be 27 and have had a headache for a week – that’s not normal.<\/p>\n South Shields mum Kaitlyn Spearman has become seriously ill with meningitis B(Image: Handout)<\/p>\n “On Thursday I had a bath, then had a nap. When I woke up, I had a purple rash, head to toe. I rang for an ambulance and they said straight away that I needed to be in a hospital. I came in then they did my bloods. Then I was told – ‘you’ve got something called meningitis B.'”<\/p>\n Kaitlyn, who is mum to Noah-James, 7, Hunter-John, 5, and Luke-Alexander, nine months, spoke of how she had heard about the recent outbreak of meningitis in Kent, but not paid too much attention because, with a small baby, she had not done significant travelling for months.<\/p>\n She said: “They said I might have seen there had been an outbreak in Kent. But I have never really been travelling. I have not long had a baby. The only places I have really been are church, school, home.<\/p>\n “They don’t know how I had caught it. The hospital have said that for this, they’re classing me as ‘patient zero’. Now every single one of my family members – including my children and husband – have had to get antibiotics. I have had contact from the Department of Health.”<\/p>\n The mum has previously suffered devastating loss – daughter Holly-Mae died of sepsis a few years ago, she said – and said she wants to ensure people in the Tyneside area are aware of the symptoms of meningitis.<\/p>\n Kailtyn Spearman is currently in hospital in South Tyneside(Image: Handout)<\/p>\n She added: “The main reason I wanted to speak out is to get the story out there. It’s something that can happen in this area. I hadn’t thought much about it [the Kent outbreak]. To be honest I don’t socialise that much. So for me to catch this now, it’s worrying – we can’t work it out.<\/p>\n “Now it depends on how my body will react to the antibiotics, particularly as I also have sepsis. My body could fight it, or it might not. This morning, my blood results were pretty poor still – but in the afternoon it was better.<\/p>\n “It’s something that you need to catch as early as possible. In my case, it’s not ideal that it was only caught when I had the rash. But you just think the headache could be anything – to do with the early mornings for the school run, even. You just push it to one side.”<\/p>\n Kaitlyn is hoping her condition continues to improve – and crucially that the preventative treatment prevents her loved ones also falling ill. The local health protection team, part of the UK Health Security Agency, have been in touch with her, and are involved in managing the case.<\/p>\n She added: “I am fighting for my life to get home to my children.”<\/p>\n As reported by ChronicleLive last week<\/a> after a case of meningitis was reported at a school on Teesside<\/a>, Dr Gayle Dolan, a health protection consultant at the UKHSA said there are more than 350 cases a year in the UK, and we should expect them to occur frequently.<\/p>\n However, Dr Dolan said that it remained important to be vigilant about the signs and symptoms. They added: “It is also why it is important that everyone remains aware of the signs and symptoms of the infection and seeks rapid medical attention if they are concerned.”<\/p>\n Key signs and symptoms, as shared by NHS<\/a> bosses in the North East during March, include: “a high temperature (fever), being sick, a headache. a rash that does not fade when pressed and a stiff neck”. These symptoms can begin suddenly – others include fits, an aversion to bright light, confusion or delirium or severe sleepiness.<\/p>\n The national guidance for what to do if you think someone you are caring for has meningitis is simple – call 999. The UKHSA said: “Call 999 immediately or go to your nearest A&E if you think you or someone in your care could have meningitis, septicaemia or sepsis. Trust your instincts and do not wait for all symptoms or for a rash to develop. People with meningitis, septicaemia or sepsis can become seriously unwell very quickly.”<\/p>\n In babies, symptoms can be harder to spot, but include a baby refusing feeds, being “floppy” or developing cold hands and feet. For more information about symptoms in babies, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"South](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_SVR-NEC-050426-kaitlyn-meningitis-1jpeg.jpg\")
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