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Those of you who are praying folk, please pray for my friend Jane. It sounds like what she has is a lot like what Elizabeth had, but they didn’t catch it as soon. Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Dana, If I can be of any help at all, please let me know. My prayers are with you and her. Is it ADEM, or another type of encephalitis? Liz
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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I do seem to be hearing of a lot of encephalitis cases lately, for it being a somewhat rare happening. I just got a "family update" letter from a cousin in Colorado who also mentions a relative that had encephalitis induced from West Nile Virus.
I know it would be rare for it to be West Nile related for Dana's friend this far into winter and out of mosquitoe season, but it does just seem strange to hear about so much of this lately.
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Liz, I don’t know a lot of details. I just found out about it from a mutual friend. She went to the doctor with flu-like symptoms on Tuesday and was severely dehydrated. On Thursday (I think) her family called the ambulance and by the time she got to the hospital she was completely non-responsive.
She has two daughters in college – one of them is still on semester break, and they’ve called the other one home. Prognosis is not good.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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My prognosis was not good, either, Dana, but it was mainly because the doctors did not know what it was. Do not give up hope! I am on a message board for people with various forms of encephalitis. It is increasingly apparent how very lucky I was, but that does not your friend won't be OK. I was unresponsive for three days, but I was not in a coma. (Sara will have to tell you the difference, as I have no clue.) Going into a coma is not good, but again, does not mean it is fatal. It seems, from the stories I have heard, that the time of recovery lengthens with the time it takes to be treated. She may take longer to get back to normal, and may have more longer term effects, but I pray that she will be OK.
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They were treating it with the antivirals as if it were casued by the herpes simplex virus (apparently the most common cause), but the tests for that came back negative. So they don't know what's causing it.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Thanks guys, but I’m fine. Jane and I were part of the same circle of friends, but not close enough that I count as a bereaved party. (I don’t mean that as cold as it sounds. I’m just saying that I’m not the one who needs the sympathy.) I’m worried about her husband and daughters. This was fast.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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