Story
Name
Ioana Ana
Injury/Illness
Autoimmune Disease
My name is AnaMaria,
My mother name is Ioana she is 53 years old and lives in Italy. Before she got sick she was the most full of life person what I know, a person helping everyone , my best friend, my all universe.
Last year in August 2019 she started to have this “ panic attacks”, anxiety,headache, she done a TAC but no brain injury,some blood work was done where show low white globules, but her physician said is anything to worry. She saw a psychiatric Dr , they prescribe antidepressants , after a month, her situation getting worse, they change the antidepressant with a new one but her situation is getting worse .Couldn't work anymore , couldn't focus , or sleep.
They change again the medication In December her situation is getting worse with bizzare behaviors and speech delusions ,hallucinations.headaches.
27 December they recover for emergency in psychiatry department,they keep her there for 1 week, 24/24 sedated,I ask to be see by a Neurology Dr , and they realized my mother illness was neurological related . They move it to neurology department,after few test and MRI they find my mother present epilepsy seizures,so all that panic attacks was seizures,in all this time pass they damaged the left and right side of the brain,plus her brain was in fire. . Finally, after two weeks in department of neurology they had a diagnostic : Autoimmune Echephalite LG 1. They treated with cortisone and give her medication for epilepsy .They said is nothing else to do just to put her in a nursing home .
On 1/24/2020 they release her home! With finacial help from friends I fly in Italy when I got there I saw a different person not anymore my mother.
In all this time she was , psychically and verbally aggresive with me , her behaviors wasn't anymore on control.
Everyone said to just put her in a nursing home , include my brothers. I refuse to give up , I refused to see my mother die day by day.
I did so much researching and I find a hospital in Italy where they cure this type of illness. They recover her there , and they start to do plasma change,I already saw good results in her behaviors after the second therapy. On 14 Feb my mother she hug me , that was the most beautiful moment from my life , because I knowed she is getting better , she will survive .
For now she doesn't remember anything from the past 8 years , she barely remember yesterday.
The Drs they gonna try a treatment with Rituximab and hopefully she will get back some memories. But for that I need to pay, this treatment is very expensive and she needs this infusion with Rituximab where in Italy they are not covering , you have to pay for it and is 1.139 euro 1 time therapy and she needs 4 so far.
I m in Italy from Jan 24 2020 , I lost my job in USA , I dont have any other income , I cannot afford to pay my bill's or my mother medical bills , the therapies, medications .
I never ask anything to anyone in my life but this time I need help.