Herpes encephalitis

[proud2BlibKansan]

My best friend's roommate has it. He got the flu on Mon the 7th. On Wed he was still sick but coherent. The next day - Thurs the 10th - when my friend got home from work he was incoherent. She took him to the ER and he has been in ICU ever since. He has never woken up. Tomorrow will be 10 days.

On Friday the nurse told my friend he will probably never get out of the hospital. If he does, he will be disabled.

He was squeezing her hand today and opened his eyes a few times. He also coughed and was shivering like he was cold.

So I was wondering if anyone here knew much about herpes encephalitis. How the hell did he get it? He was a fairly healthy guy and then he got what he thought was the flu and 3 days later, he is in ICU.

He is 59 years old. Too young to be this sick.

[cornermouse]

1. a link

http://www.emedicine.com/Radio/topic334.htm

emedicine is a good place to go for medical subjects.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Thank you

I have read a lot online about it. I was just wondering if anyone had had any personal experience with this.

It is really scary. And my friend is just falling apart. It is so sad.

[cornermouse]

4. I'm sorry.

I don't personally know anyone who has had it.

[JDPriestly]

2. Herpes Encephalitis Overview

caused by Herpes simplex virus (HSV-1)
Two thousand cases occur each year in the United States
Adult HSV encephalitis can reflect primary infection, reinfection, or reactivation of latent agent
Can affect any age group, but most common in those under 20 and over 40.
Exposure to infected saliva or respiratory secretions, ascend along the olfactory nerve into the limbic lobe, or from reactivation of virus from Trigeminal ganglion
90% of patients show evidence of temporal lobe involvement

http://www.neuroland.com/id/herpes_ence.htm

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Thank you

19% fatality rate. Not good.

[MuseRider]

6. So sorry to hear this.

I have seen one case, fatal. Messy stuff. I hope he recovers, some do and are OK according to the sources I looked up.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. It has been a real trial for my friend

Her roommate has no family here. They live 200 miles away and were here last weekend and then went back home. The nurses say he needs people talking to him. But it has been a challenge getting people to go to the hospital.

And he is such a nice guy. It is just so sad.

I went over there yesterday and told him all about the debate this week. He would have been just as outraged as the rest of us. In fact, I can't help thinking of him now as I watch the news of the presidential election.

[Celebration]

7. gosh, that is sad

He must have had a latent herpes virus that was activated by the flu. From my experience with ocular herpes, I can say that taking lysine helps enormously, as does spraying colloidal silver in my eye (that is very off label). None of the antivirals helped me at all. I am wondering if anyone uses intravenous lysine for this? If this were my loved one, I would ask far and wide about this.

I keep lysine around my house to take whenever I feel any kind of virus coming on, though it has been many years since I have had to deal with it. Did my opthamologist tell me about it? No. Did he tell me to avoid chocolate, which makes it worse? No. I am not at all sure why they are not on the lysine bandwagon. This is something that really works to help suppress the herpes virus. And there are all kinds of confirming studies out there. Lysine would not be specific for the encephalitis, but for the herpes.

I am guessing that this is just a case of it being too cheap to be actually utilized. I bet there is such a thing as IV lysine.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. Thanks for the advice; I will pass it along

No he doesn't have a history of herpes. He is a cancer survivor but was in good health otherwise.

[Sal Minella]

10. The herpes virus remains quiescent in the body of anyone who has had chickenpox.

Stress would make me develop terrible cold sores until I discovered lysine. Nuts and nut butters also make herpes worse, I believe it's the tyrosine in them. Taking lysine counteracts the tyrosine and lulls the herpes virus into quiescence again.

[Celebration]

11. Exactly--most people probably have dormant herpes

From chicken pox or shingles.

And the answer for me, too, was lysine, lysine, lysine(and colloidal silver). Chocolate and nuts have arginine I think?? Good gosh you would think all doctors would know this. Mine sure didn't.

I'm sure that intravenous lysine could be formulated. Now, I doubt that it is standard treatment for herpes enchephalitis, but I don't really know.

[lizerdbits]

12. This is more likely to be caused by HSV

And cold sores are also HSV. VZV (causative agent of chicken pox) reactivation is shingles.

[and-justice-for-all]

13. I have never heard of Herpes encephalitis

I do get get cold soars, I have one right now. I do take Valtrex when needed, but I don't take them daily, I probably should.

I have taken L-Lysine, but it irritates my bowels and gives me gas.

If he needs someone there to talk to him and no one is available, perhaps the nurses could turn on a small radio for him, tune it into some Talk radio maybe. Even having the Tv on for a short time during the day might help too.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

14. Are you sure he got the flu?

The illness on Monday may have been the start of the infection. Non-specific flu like symptoms are common to so many illnesses it's hard to say.

David

[HysteryDiagnosis]

15. As quackish as this may be perceived, and as irresponsible AS

one may take it, this person's experience is one of many. His experience has been used as an example to give many the will to pursue a similar path. If this seems as though it shouldn't be here please accept my apology now.


http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2001/Apr-22-Sun-2001/living/15843088.html
It wasn't until Oct. 1 when Letourneau was admitted to MountainView Hospital that his family discovered he was suffering from streptococcal toxic-shock syndrome, or TSS, a life-threatening disease that among survivors usually results in the loss of arms, legs or other muscle and flesh.

>>"In my experience, when patients get to that point they don't survive," Schlachter said. "I looked at all the evidence and said, `This patient is going to die.' There was basically no hope. He was maxed out on every med we could give him."<<

[thebrain]

16. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GET THIS FOR YOUR FRIEND!!!

GO TO http://purestcolloids.com and give this to him. this is a safe, non-toxic herbal supplement. it's known as tetrasilver tetroxide. PLEASE ORDER THIS!!! I don't sale this stuff or benefit in anyway. I will be ordering this to help my boyfriend who is HIV+. I might be also. This compound fights the hiv and herpes virus. contact me if you want. but please do this for your friend. get the strongest solution.

God Bless