When Alex Theodossiadis first texted his mother Sue about a worsening earache in January 2020, she suspected it might be meningitis. “My husband is a doctor, so meningitis is always on the list of things to consider,” she tells the Standard. This was especially true when it came to their 25-year-old son, who worked as a DJ, spent time in nightclubs, and lived in the busy university city of Leeds.
But Alex also had a range of other symptoms, including a persistent, worsening migraine and vomiting. Crucially, he did not have the rash that many people associate with meningitis. So when he finally managed to heave himself into a walk-in clinic (after being told he would have to wait three weeks for a GP appointment), his nurse did not believe it was meningitis. She gave him painkillers for the migraine, Alex left, and Sue felt relieved knowing that her son had seen a medical professional face-to-face.
