I had something similar
when I was 17: bacterial endocarditis exacerbated by a congenital heart defect. Had all the symptoms as described here www.csun.edu/~hcmth011/chaser/article2.html and ended up in hospital for a month over the summer of 1986. A fine way for a teenage lad on the cusp of life to spend the summer! And like you I was more or less OK when in hospital, but a week after, I completely collapsed mentally. Total nervous breakdown. Was convinced I was still ill and was gonna die. They had to put me on valium and librium until I recovered. They told me it was like soldiers who have post-traumatic stress disorder: during the time of crisis, your mind copes, but afterwards when you're safe, it goes, "OK! Time out!" and crashes. So does the body rule the mind or does the mind rule the body, I dunno. Oh am I...
(Dr Skagra glorious glargzhem, Mon 9 Apr 2012, 18:12, 1 reply)

A month?
Christ. I really struggled to cope with two weeks in Hospital. If Glasgow's Golden Jubilee Hospital didn't have a relaxed attitude to phones (they were amazing about letting me use it, especially as I was in a Coronary Care ward) I'd have gone fucking loopy.
( Maffers I flow kinda strange like Spina Bifida footprints, Mon 9 Apr 2012, 18:51, closed)

It was a month
because for the first week or so they didn't know what was wrong with me and I had to undergo endless blood cultures, tests, etc. The worst one was when they took fluid from my spine - absolute agony. They were about to test me for Aids - seriously! - and me a weedy virgin of 17! - when they managed to diagnose me properly. Apparently my immune system was doing such a good job of battling the endocarditis that the infection wasn't showing up on tests and they only caught it by chance.

Medical science has come a long way over the decades but it's scary how much of it is still hit and miss and chance.

I'm OK now though apart from manic depression and chronic alcoholism.
(Dr Skagra glorious glargzhem, Tue 10 Apr 2012, 15:28, closed)

My first few days I was told it might be mumps (even though I had already HAD mumps) so I wasn't allow to see my Daughter.
They caught it quick enough after my chest X-ray though.
They still don't know what caused it, just "a virus". Anything from the Cold, to Herpes to Clamydia to Aids can cause it. Not helpful.

:(
( Maffers I flow kinda strange like Spina Bifida footprints, Tue 10 Apr 2012, 16:56, closed)