Hashimoto's Encephalopathy
 

Hello All,
I am new to the site, so I am not sure how to navigate. I was diagnosed with HE two years ago, since which time I have been of and on Prednisone. I also underwent one series of Rituximab. It is an intravenous drip. Supposedly I will need several more every six months for a few years until the HE relapses.
My problem is unremitting joint, muscle pain, and unremitting fatigue and depression. How have others coped with HE?

Welcome to NeuroTalk:

You may want to visit our autoimmune forum:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum44.html

Type in Hashimoto's into the search there to find older posts.;)

Hi, DeLynn. Welcome!

Do you have a good internist? I think you need to talk about vitamin deficiencies (B12, D2 and 3, calcium, etc.) and see if anything else is going on that might cause your symptoms.

Have you had a complete blood count or a peripheral blood smear after being on Rituximab?

Do you have a good endocrinologist?

With new symptoms, don't assume it's the drug causing it. Sure, those drugs can cause all sorts of side effects, but they can also bring on deficiencies or cause your immune system to be so weak that you get a new disease state (which I hope isn't the case!).

If you have something inflammatory going on, a rheumatologist is a good doctor to see.

Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what exactly is causing those types of symptoms. Have you journaled the symptoms, detailing when they happen, the exact area, etc.? It's a very good idea.

I hope you'll get some help and advice. Good luck!!

Annie