This is my brother, Don. He's 44 years old. He's a husband, father, brother, uncle, beloved professor & teacher, and friend to many. In September 2008, Don's wife took him to the ER with what physicians initially diagnosed as severe migranes. After sending him home several times with the same misdiagnosis, Don's wife rushed him to the ER in another city where he was properly diagnosed with encephalitis & meningitis and was admitted to neuro-intensive care. Because of the delay in his diagnosis, we nearly lost Don and his recovery has been slow and painful. It took 3 months of endless tests and an airlift to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN before expert doctors were even able to uncover the cause of the brain swelling and actually begin treatment. He has spent over 100 days in hospitals across the country for treatment of and rehabiiltation due to complications of a very rare and serious form of Varicella Zoster Virus resulting in meningitis & encephalitis. Since his discharge, he has relapsed twice in conjunction with reduction in steroid treatment, which ultimately resulted in the additional diagnosis of hydracephalus and unrelenting, escalating dizziness. This is a condition that Don continues to battle every day. He has been on steroid treatment for over 6 months now. He has continued, debilitating dizziness that no doctor in the country can identify the cause of, and so, cannot treat. Since Don's discharge from Mayo Clinic in December 2008, he has moved from wheelchair to walker, but, because of the severe diziness is still unable to walk and perform many activities of daily living without assistance. Imagine having severe dizziness every second of every day of your life.
If you or anyone you know has any information about specialists or treatments related to this rare, chronic disease, please do contact us!
Kindly, ~Julia
