World Encephalitis Day: Where are we in 2023?
This post is a follow up to World Encephalitis Day: Where are we in 2022? For context, I’d encourage you to read that post first. Be forewarned that you should probably find another corner…
Are we trying to reinvent the wheel in autoimmune neurological disease?
To some extent, we’re all trying to achieve the same goals.
Earlier diagnosis. Better treatment. Better outcomes.
But we’re not on the same page with respect to how to get there. Patients, caregivers, clinicians, scientists, nonprofits, obscure blog writers… when it comes to autoimmune encephalitis (AE), these stakeholders are conceptualizing the roadmap very differently.
Who ACTUALLY treats autoimmune encephalitis? Part 2: My experience with interdisciplinary care teams
The first time I recovered in 2019, all I knew is that multiple neurologists failed me and 1 psychiatrist saved me. I had no understanding of what interdisciplinary care could offer an encephalitis patient until the middle of relapse #1, when you-just-have-adult-ADHD neurologist sneered at my claim that the non-sick version of me is high-functioning. She said I should have gotten neuropsychiatric testing done to prove this during the period in 2019 when I “claimed” to have recovered.
Gut punch.
Who ACTUALLY treats autoimmune encephalitis? | Part 1: My experience with doctor shopping, a psychiatrist, and a dozen neurologists
Question: Who treats autoimmune encephalitis (AE)?
The traditional answer: neurologists.
The jaded answer: no one does.
The real answer: a haphazard smattering of medical professionals who balance their knowledge of medical literature with sound clinical judgement and the needs of the patient.
The 7 Stages of Receiving Medical Treatment, as Told by a Rare Disease Survivor
One day you’re at 60% capacity, feeling happy about the progress you’ve made towards recovery. That’s a far cry from the 5% you were in at the hospital when you were admitted for an acute attack.
But the next day, you’re back at 30%.
One day you’re in shock, having met a new doctor who not only acknowledged your deteriorating health but offered you the option of escalating treatment.
But the next day…
Let’s talk Evusheld for immunocompromised patients
Patients with compromised immune systems can now receive an injection (well, two of them given within minutes of each other) that will provide greater protection against COVID-19 than vaccines alone—that is, if they can find a provider with supply.