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Fight for survival

Over three years of an ongoing nightmare with progressive development.

Today, I am fighting for every single day. My brain and my body have not calmed down until today.

It is an extremely rare multisystem disease in this specific constellation worldwide, triggered, among other factors, by an accident, an abrupt switch to Cymbalta (duloxetine), and further contributing factors. The damage has meanwhile spread from the left side of the body to the right side.

The central nervous system (24 hours a day in a state of overactivity) is affected by an ongoing toxic-inflammatory process.

According to diagnostic findings, there is a progressive autoimmune, encephalitis-like syndrome.

Affected systems and structures

• central nervous system
• brainstem and cerebellum
• peripheral nerves (small fiber system)

Functional impairments

Severe sensory disturbances, visual disturbances, swallowing difficulties, gait and movement impairment, tremor, cardiac rhythm disturbances, and impaired regulation of temperature and blood circulation.

Diagnoses and disease processes

• severe small fiber neuropathy
• gliosis
• neurodegenerative processes
• toxic dysautonomia
• confirmed autoimmune diseases
• PAWS syndrome (protracted withdrawal syndrome)

PAWS syndrome alone can, in rare cases, lead to a need for long-term care or worse.

When — as in my case — additional toxic and immune-mediated damage is present and the disease process continues to progress, the risk of the most severe neurological consequences increases.