Autoimmune with memory loss

[healthhappy100]

Hi my daughter is 29  previously good health she started with symptoms  about 3 years ago and this past year has seemed to have progressed nuerologically. We have been through every specialist clearing her of so many disease rare and common. All test and extensive bloodwork are mostly normal beside her Ana and a prolactine being high.  So as a mother I thought maybe she was just under stress from her career.  My daughter has had episodes of total blank outs where she doesn't  feel like she recognizes anyone or places are unfamiliar to her, her neck is so stiff she since symptoms began she gets inflammation lips sewlling eyelids swelling, stiff joints and her vision is blurred with severe bouts of  dizziness causing falls. I don't know what to do? what began from severe fatigue and achy joints and twitching muscles has turned into a young girl losing her vibrance. Has anyone heard of autoimmune encephalopathy?

[mizzpeaches25]

Hello there im nancy and im 25 and a couple years ago started having very simular issues and have been to every nero doc and other docs that r n my area. Well finally they decided to do a spinal and found out i have psudo tumor ceribry which is when tthe spinal fluid in our brain builds up 2 much and causes pressure on the nerves and vessels. And causes dizziness and vission problems and most if not all of the symptoms your daughter.and im overweight and they said its more common in overeeight woman.so if she is overweight then its a higher chance.now if someone has this they either do a spinal tap 1 time a month 2 drain the excess fluid or do a brain surgery to put a shunt in so it will drain all the time internally. I hope she dont have this cuz it really ***** but it is not fatal and is a somthing to look in to. I hope this was helpfull and goodluck 2 you both!

[TheLightSeeker]

As Doctor Mathur correctly mentioned among other possibilities, pituitary tumor or growth, it would be good to get this ruled out, since she has certain vision symptoms.
Any sizeable growth on the pituitary gland-which is located right behind the optical nerve- would be enough to cause vision problems and also explain the high prolactin levels.

Please be careful with standard serum testing, if she's being tested for hypothyroidism, as it may not reveal low cellular thyroid function, only serum levels. (need to test Free T3, Free T4 & Reverse T3, instead of the standard T3, T4 & TSH which only reflect seum levels)
My suspicion would be that it is adrenal fatigue, which directly co-relates
to prolonged stress levels and consequently affect thyroid function.
Unfortunately all this may be taking place at sub-clinical levels.
Most medical doctors do not recognize adrenal fatigue until it has progressed to Addison's disease which is total adrenal failure.
No happy medium. The patient is either healthy??? or has Addison's!!!
If you need some suggestions how to go about this please let me know.
This a tough situation to be in, as proper diagnosis and treatment are NOT usually available until it becomes a crisis!

Wishing you and your daughter well.
Niko

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
I am sorry to hear about your daughter’s medical problems.  Well, stress can increase prolactin levels. The levels could rise higher especially in a person likely to have subclinical hypothyroidism, Hashimotos’s thyroiditis, polycystic ovaries or a pituitary tumor. So, stress alone may be responsible for your daughter’s symptoms or she could be having any of the above mentioned problems.It would help to also get her evaluated for subclinical depression, anxiety and stress disorder.
ANA level can be high without any cause. This has to be substantiated with abnormal ANA panels for lupus, Sjogren’s and other autoimmune disorder. Yes, autoimmune disorders can affect the brain, but this needs to be ascertained through ANA panel and other tests.
Consultation with a therapist to relieve her stress may help.
Take care!

The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you. The advice may not be completely correct for you as the doctor cannot examine you and does not know your complete medical history. Hence this reply to your post should only be considered as a guiding line and you must consult your doctor at the earliest for your medical problem.