burntsushi

70 ms·

1.
by burntsushi 3mo ago
Thanks for the thoughtful response. There isn't a world in which I touch psychedelics voluntarily. Like is it possible if I existed in a vacuum? Maybe. But I couldn't take that risk, no matter how small, and do that to my family.
2.
by burntsushi 3mo ago
Thank you for that link! That was an interesting read. My own PCP gave me a GAD diagnosis initially. I don't even know what he should have done to be honest, or to the extent that it colored evaluation from other doctors. The time from
3.
by burntsushi 3mo ago
These are the best comments. Hearing from someone else with AE is really wonderful. I've heard from only a few. And I'm really happy to hear about your mostly smooth recovery. I hope it continues! > it’s rare to see this condit
4.
by burntsushi 3mo ago
Prying is great. Ask away. > I noticed you said in another comment that you were treated with antipsychotics in the psych ward. Would you say they had any effect in lessening the symptoms? Your intuition is right. The antipsychotic was a
5.
by burntsushi 3mo ago
Your profile seems empty. I'd be happy to reach out privately if you can provide a way to do it. :-)
6.
by burntsushi 3mo ago
So lucky.
7.
by burntsushi 3mo ago
Thank you. :-) And yes, at one point, the doctors said I almost certainly had MS. For exactly the reasons you stated: my symptoms were consistent with it. It was only when the antibody in my cerebral spinal fluid came back positive that my
8.
by burntsushi 3mo ago
During the thick of it, I could barely write at all. Physically as well. It was physically difficult to make the letters and others had a lot of trouble reading what I wrote. (Which was especially annoying when I had to fill out consent for
9.
by burntsushi 3mo ago
Yes! I just took my son there for the first time a few months ago (before the encephalitis hit).
10.
by burntsushi 3mo ago
After my abnormal brain MRIs, my understanding is that the diagnosis came down to either some kind of encephalitis or multiple sclerosis. But test results have to come back first. I was even set up with a follow-up with an MS specialist. On
11.
by burntsushi 3mo ago
<3
12.
by burntsushi 4mo ago
> What have your experiences been with using AI for medical advice? I had been trying to use Gemini during my bout of encephalitis before treatment. I wasn't really trying to diagnose myself, but instead, was looking up side effects
13.
by burntsushi 4mo ago
I went to my doctor an entire month before that. It took a fall and a hit to the head to go to the emergency room.
14.
by burntsushi 4mo ago
The interesting bit here is that getting to talk to a psychiatrist was one of the main things that "excited" me about getting checked into a psychiatric hospital. My understanding, at the time, was that they crossed the lines betw
15.
by burntsushi 4mo ago
A thousand times over. I feel really lucky to work for Charlie. :-)
16.
by burntsushi 4mo ago
> My wife was able to substantiate this claim with my detailed timeline. Sorry, my bad here. The timeline wasn't mine. It was Kait who had built it and took on the burden of sharing it with everyone she possibly could.
17.
by burntsushi 4mo ago
It is also worth pointing out that I have had (somewhat mild) psoriasis on my scalp since I was a kid. It is also an autoimmune disorder. My understanding is that having one increases your chances of having another. I also have blood relati
18.
by burntsushi 4mo ago
I asked my wife about it since she has more context on the chance encounter with a neurosurgeon who was ultimately responsible for the transfer into Brigham and Women's. She said there were two things of note that led the neurosurgeon
19.
by burntsushi 4mo ago
Thank you for the kind words. :-) <3
20.
by burntsushi 4mo ago
Oh my, I'm so sorry to hear that. She'll be in my thoughts.
21.
by burntsushi 4mo ago
Yes! As I understand it, each dose I received (I got 3 of them) came from ~1,000 different donors. It was more expensive than my room and board at the hospital, and my room and board was not cheap. Thank goodness for health insurance. (Whic
22.
by burntsushi 4mo ago
We did at least have a health care proxy and a power of attorney in hand. Funny story (that I didn't include in the blog) is that I actually wound up in a psychiatric facility for a second time after I was in-and-out of Brigham and W
23.
by burntsushi 4mo ago
Thank you for the kind words. Trouble swallowing, jaw pain, dizziness, double vision (and more) were all things I experienced as well. At one point, my left eye was dropping significantly. Not to say you had or have what I have. The symptom
24.
by burntsushi 4mo ago
Yes! No tumor. I've had a PET scan and a testicular ultrasound. I think that puts me in the idiopathic category for this particular case.
25.
by burntsushi 4mo ago
Wow, nfldb. Old school. Good times. I had so much fun with that project and the community of users.
26.
by burntsushi 4mo ago
That is an interesting take that I hadn't thought of. Thank you for that perspective. I actually haven't been able to get the ED notes from that first ER visit yet. They are in a different system than Brigham and Women's, whi
27.
by burntsushi 4mo ago
Honestly I think just a heap of patience while I catch up with a couple months of doing essentially zero work. That would be the best.
28.
by burntsushi 4mo ago
I'm very lucky to have had that connection. I didn't even know I had it until it was there. So I'm lucky on another level there too. I was put on a low dose of an anti-psychotic. I am in fact still on it. We just haven't
29.
by burntsushi 4mo ago
Ooof, really sorry to hear that. I'm glad she ultimately got the treatment she needed. In my case, the misdiagnosis up front was entirely reasonable. (EDIT: Well, maybe not. See below.) The generalized anxiety disorder diagnosis from m
30.
by burntsushi 4mo ago
There is actually haha. I've always hated sushi. And sushi is now on my shortlist to try again. I can't wait. (My handle comes from graffiti I found on the booth of a hot dog stand in Worcester MA called Coney Island[1]. I thought

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