'I was told I just had a migraine - but I was actually dying from a killer disease'

Laila Simnett was taken to a walk-in session by her caller friends astatine Sheffield University. She waited 5 hours successful A&E earlier medics spotted she was earnestly sick from meningitis

A student, who was lone successful her 2nd week of universitey, astir died aft she was told she "just had a migraine".

Laila Simnett had conscionable recovered from Freshers' flu erstwhile she started feeling bushed and "weird" portion astatine Sheffield University, connected October 7. She woke up with a headache and started vomiting and her friends decided to instrumentality her to a locomotion successful clinic.

There the 18-year-old says she was told it was "just a migraine" and fixed medicine to easiness the symptoms - but it didn't work. Her friends, Flo, 18, and Immy, 19, decided to instrumentality Laila to infirmary wherever she was told doctors thought she had bacterial meningitis - a life-threatening infection.

Laila had to hold 5 hours earlier she was seen, but erstwhile they spotted her race, she was instantly enactment connected antibiotics and an IV drip. Doctors said if she had been seen to conscionable hours aboriginal she could person died.

Laila, a phycology student, from Aylsham, Norfolk, spent a week successful infirmary and is inactive regaining her strength. She said: "I came backmost from a lecture and I made meal and I was feeling a spot weird - similar a acold was coming. I went to slumber astatine 9pm and woke up astatine 12.30am with the worst headache and couldn't get retired of bed.

"I was throwing up and truly ill. Not overmuch longer and I could person died oregon been earnestly affected. I don't recognize however I managed to survive."

Laila sent her mum, Charlotte Simnett, 42, a substance to accidental she was the "sickest she'd ever felt". Charlotte thought her girl was conscionable feeling "rough and knackered from drinking" but became much acrophobic the adjacent day.

Charlotte, who runs a caravan park, said: "Little did I cognize she was truly unwell. She was vomiting loads. She said she was sick 20 times. She was shivering blistery and cold."

Laila said: "I had a truly stiff neck. I couldn't determination it. As I was successful A&E I noticed a rash connected the wrong of my arm." When she was yet seen, Laila says the "colour drained from the nurse's face".

She was past treated for bacterial meningitis and septicaemia consecutive distant and transferred to Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield. Laila spent a week successful infirmary earlier going location to Norfolk to remainder for different two.

She is present backmost to assemblage but is perpetually bushed and believes her proceeding has been impacted. Laila said: "I person decidedly got immoderate agelong word affects from it. I'm perpetually bushed each the time. Everyone is going retired each the clip and I can't bash that."

Laila didn't cognize what meningitis was until she got it but had her MenACWY vaccine successful Year 10 to support against the virus. She hadn't had a booster jab earlier going to university, which she present encourages others to get.

Laila said: "I'm truthful paranoid each the clip - I don't privation it to hap to different people."

Dr Jennifer Hill, Medical Director, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “Our teams enactment hard to dainty radical arsenic rapidly arsenic possible, and truthful it is truly important that we look into the ailment Ms Simnett has made to recognize what happened and wherefore during her clip successful A&E.

"Once we person established these facts, we volition supply a afloat mentation and reply immoderate remaining questions Ms Simnett whitethorn have. We volition besides look to spot what learning and changes whitethorn beryllium due based connected the findings from the review.”