Misdiagnosed: What to do When Your Doctor Doesn't Know

No one knew what was wrong with Tom Hopper. In 2007, at 64, the Baltimore accounting consultant began losing weight, which he welcomed at first because he needed to go on a diet. But a few months later Hopper was crippled by episodes of uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea, sometimes for upward of seven hours, which left him dehydrated and delirious. Cramps in his legs were so painful that he often couldn't stand up.

What I have to say: Many of us with Vasculitis disease have been misdiagnosed once or more times before we have gotten the right diagnosis and treatment. Treatment is essential for certain diseases and especially for WG.
This article has some really good info on getting the right diagnosis and treatment.

A question to explore: How do we count the cost of autoimmune disease?

The associated cost of autoimmune disease has become a significant portion of the rising cost of U. S. health care. This is because of a severe lack of awareness among the general public and medical practitioners, unequal allocation of research funding and focus at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and a lack of coordinated care and standardized diagnostic tests.

The rest of the article is here.

What I have to say: According to the article auto-immune disease is the tenth killer of women over 65. This includes women with diabetes, thyroid diseases, and Vasculitis diseases. When you take these diseases singly, it doesn't seem that many people; however, if you add them together it becomes certain that auto-immune diseases are rampant in our society.

An auto-immune disease has two components - genetic and environmental. In the Vasculitis research community many of the researchers have looked at viruses and allergies for the environmental component. After talking to many patients with Vasculitis disease, it might be that the missing component may be some type of industrial component such as organic solvents, cilica, sick buildings, or other industrial components in this vein. I have been pointing towards these types of environmental components since my brain started working again after my stint on cytoxan. Many patients agree. The problem is that by the time we are diagnosed, they can't tell what triggered our diseases.

Wegener's granulomatosis presenting as meningitis.

Methods:We report a patient who presented to the medical emergency services with signs and symptoms of meningitis, but who was eventually diagnosed with Wegener's granulomatosis.

The rest of the abstract is here.

What I have to say: WG and other Vasculitis diseases can mimic other diseases. I know of a woman with Bechet's disease. The doctors thought she had tumors in her brain. After surgery, they discovered lesions caused by Vasculitis disease. After being treated and because of the brain biopsy, she still had problems with walking, talking, and thinking.

Dr. Weil's Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid

Dr. Weil's Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid

What I have to say: Vasculitis is an inflammatory disease. Just eating right will help you to slow down the inflammatory responses that makes this disease so dangerous. Since I do have a reaction to beans and soy, I eat one egg every day for protein. Protein is needed to give us that full feeling. But, whatever your health situation, this is a really good pyramid.