I Officially Have PANDAS!

So I went to see a PANDAS specialist this week, and I’ve finally been diagnosed with PANDAS.  My doctor was wonderful and finally took my symptoms seriously.  She even said my mysterious illness from 2006-2007 may have been Rheumatic Fever. And unfortunately, she told me I’m not just having tics, but also chorea, which could explain my strange falls when I walk.  The best words my doctor said were, “You’re going to get better.”

She has put me back on Prednisone for six weeks along with a different antibiotic called Cefdinir.  I am in such a bad flare right now that she wants me to do IVIG as soon as possible. She was very troubled by everything I had been through and decided that eight years was long enough and we should just knock out the disease with the stronger method of IVIG treatment.  Plus, my movements have not improved at all with antibiotics.

I don’t even know what I feel right now.  I’ve waited so long for someone to tell me for sure what my illness was, and now someone did.  I still can’t believe it.  I’m ecstatic and terrified all at the same time…

I’m grateful, because most people with this condition never get a proper diagnosis. They estimate 160,000 people in America have my disorder, but it was only discovered in the late ’90’s, and only several thousand people have received a diagnosis. Many people suffer through years of treating the symptoms, only to have treatments fail. Now, I don’t have to do that for another single day.

I’m shocked, because having a diagnosis means there’s no way for me to deny to myself that things aren’t as bad as they really are. For months, I’ve coped by trying to tell myself that I don’t feel “that bad,” and I still haven’t fully processed what has happened to me. I’m still surprised every time I wake up in the morning, fall down, and realize again that I can’t fully control my movements. When a neurologist gives you a name for your condition, it’s like a Mack truck running you over with shock, because you realize that this is your reality right now.

I’m so, so happy, because I’ve been told I’m going to get better. For eight years, I thought I was stuck with all these crazy symptoms. I believed it was all just going to always be part of my existence. But now, I’ve been told it doesn’t have to be, and it’s an incredible feeling.

I’m worried, because I have to have IVIG in another week, and for 10-15%, it doesn’t work.

I’m scared, because they still know so little about this disorder. How do we really know I won’t relapse in a decade or so? Or even in another few months?

I’m sad, because now that someone has told me what has been wrong with me, I know that I’ve lost eight years of my life to a disease that could have been treated if it had been diagnosed sooner. Even after I’m better, I think I’m going to have to go to counseling to avoid PTSD…

I’m angry, because I can’t understand why any of it had to happen to me. Seriously, why me? And why does this happen to anyone? I am filled with grief when I consider how much pain it has caused me and when I realize there are thousands of others like me. It’s just too much. This has been a major struggle in my Christian faith lately. I’ve read the book of Job a lot, and I’ve just decided that there is no answer for now—there’s only trust in spite of my lack of understanding. That’s why it’s faith—because you don’t see signs or answers—not because you do perceive it with your eyes.

Most of all, I’m relieved, because I finally have an answer and a productive way forward. I’m in good hands with this new doctor, and even though it could take up to a year for me to recover completely, I truly believe that I will get better. Oh, and my doctor said that, given my response to steroids and antibiotics, there’s no way I have narcolepsy.  Phew.  Yes, my PANDAS diagnosis is wonderful news!