Meningitis question?

Can a person have meningitis and not present with a stiff neck? My friend has nausea, vomiting, swollen neck lymph nodes (about the size of golf balls), and will spike a fever about 3 times a day. She has gone to the doctor several times and tested negative for flu, strep, and mono. Any other ideas?!? She is really sick and when she spikes a fever her heart and respiratory rates skyrocket. And she has had it for about a 5 days.

when my son had meningitis his fever was 105 and stayed there. His skin was a gray color and his eyes looked really bad. He was a baby so he could not tell me how he felt but if lights came on you could tell he was in pain so he had a bad headache. He was put in the hospital right away and they did a spinal tap. Doctors would know the symtoms of meningitis.

They can have meningitis without a really stiff neck. Maybe the flu?
Viral infections can cause temps for up to about 7 days. Hope she feels better soon

she can be tested for meningitis. they will do a spinal tap and test her cerebral spinal fluid. nuchal rigidity is the "stiff neck" symptom and it is a classic sign that a person has meningitis. tell her to get tested and if she's positive then you need to get yourself checked out cause it's highly contagious! if she's still negative, tell her to get a full blood workup...ie. CBC w/diff. this is a good indicator of what may be going on.

Swollen lymph nodes?
wollen Lymph Glands Causes

Several mechanisms can cause the lymph glands to enlarge.

* Increased number of lymphocytes locally as a response to stimulation with a foreign substance (antigen) such as during an infection

* Immune reaction to a generalized infection to the body such as viral infections that can occur with the common cold as well as more serious infections such as HIV

* Infiltration with inflammatory cells during infection or inflammation in a region of a given lymph node

* Infiltration with malignant cells (metastases) brought to the gland with the lymph flowing from an area of a certain type of cancer

* Uncontrolled, malignant multiplication of lymphocytes as in lymphoma or leukemia (cancers of the blood).
MENINGITIS CANNOT GO UNDETECTED BY A GOOD PHYSICIAN. IN ACUTE PHASE OF DISEASE IT'S A DANGEROUS INVESTIGATION FOR A SPINAL TAP.

It is possible she could have viral meningitis, which is not typically life threatening. It is very unlikely that she has bacterial meningitis after 5 days. Bacterial Meningitis progresses very rapidly. It requires immediate medical attention. Make sure she doesn't have a purple rash that does not fade when pressed on.

She needs to be seen by another dr. Get a blood count. If WBCs are elevated, it depends on what types of WBCs are high - this can point the way to a virus or bacterial infection. It could be many things. She needs a FUO - fever of unknown origin - workup.