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Imagine being convinced you have bed bugs, that your significant other is cheating on you and that you have a disease because a man sneezed on the sub...
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-- Hello of the health -- I'm Dr.
Manny.
Imagine being convinced you have bed -- That your significant other is cheating on you.
And -- you have a disease because immense things on the subway these are just a few things that.
To Seneca Halen was paranoid about when she was dealing with a very rare neurological disease she's -- -- to talk about her book.
Brain on fire my month of -- -- thank you for coming and can start having me that I get your name right you've got her -- yeah.
Anyway if fascinating book brain on fire he just wrote this is out I recommend it to everybody because -- fascinating read.
But you used -- you book.
Basically almost waking up in the emergency room.
Being surrounded by you know things that you you say why am I hearing you you did not even know how you got there tell me about.
That time.
I remember waking up and is feeling confused I had no idea where lives.
And his member kind of feeling angry you know something was holding me down I later learned about with a chest Posey -- kind of straight jacket you know you -- I had no memory of that and the SK eight I try to attempt the night before the fact that I hit and -- says this is all playing man woke up completely without any memory about.
And I mean I think we -- -- tell folks I mean this book is basically.
It's about your life.
Is about how you started developing symptoms that were not sort of -- rational.
Symptoms that part of a lot of people thought I had to do with.
You having psychiatric disorder or to have.
You know on this issue without -- -- whatever the case may be.
And that it ended up something else and I wanna get to that in a second so that's a fascinating part of the book that he you know cause you're a writer for the New York Post.
Very famous to boot your stories are very well red color around the world but.
You -- that you could start doing your job.
Yes what was happening.
You know I would I went into these pitch meetings that we have you know -- every week we have to come up with ideas right and I have nothing and -- I didn't have anything prepared for someone like me.
Just completely -- it has nothing to stay right.
And then I started crying and laughing inappropriately mean 12 I was sobbing at -- ask the next and I was laughing hardest I've ever laughed in my life.
I think I couldn't do my job I literally couldn't concentrate enough on interviews even write down with -- -- saying.
It's almost like you bipolar type -- symptoms at some -- very much manic depressive yep right.
How how long do these episodes less.
I mean the -- The actual episodes of the happiness in the -- -- those things yeah I mean that they would be seconds I mean it in one -- -- you can't easily devastated let's on the you know I don't even know what why you have crying hysterically I mean really you what what what what was what would be one of the worst -- -- -- I would say I mean the depression the depression sides were very scary years I didn't know what I was capable of doing to myself right.
But the real scary sights are the psychosis and hallucinations.
The idea that point it's -- what I could do to others and -- I became very violent during that time.
I know you have millions of dollars worth of medical tests and mutual psychiatrist she's so everything so.
What led to this final diagnosis and we're going to -- talk a lot about that but what led to the final diagnosis.
Well at that point -- been in the hospital for about.
Three weeks without an answer and at that point it was they were still kind of mauling of the over the idea that I had a psychiatric that was separate -- -- like -- after.
Conditions look into psychotic episode either due to bipolar disorder depression they thought I was -- -- affective disorder okay.
So that -- -- very serious yeah psychiatric disorder and -- and a new doctor came on the scene.
And he asked me to drop clock.
Which is unusual.
And I know I -- the circle.
And I put an all the numbers one through twelve on the right hand side and completely neglected on the left hand side went completely blank.
That proved to him -- -- at that point this is not a psychiatric diseases and neurological disease and.
And the neurological disease that you got diagnosed with who is the and -- and and DA encephalitis receptive encephalitis -- so tell me about that because that's kind of very.
Unique.
We type of encephalitis.
Well eight you know the disease itself facing occurs when the body's immune system creates harmful antibodies that attack beat an MD -- receptor in the brain.
In the NN -- -- is vital to learning and memory behavior and it's a major building block of the brain so that that's the yeah.
So basically your thoughts couldn't get through.
They were being blocked by by by the by these antibodies -- you weren't creating.
Through your immune system right -- -- editors at -- cannot talk and chatter right and and so here you have this said doctor.
And what what was your room we know what what -- -- -- did.
What -- -- -- -- in regards to why -- happen to me you know this doesn't run the families and extremely rare disease I mean what is it 300 agency.
Around the world get diagnosed with this.
Well you know it's actually I was -- 217 personally -- but that was 2009 the disease itself was discovered in 2007.
Now there are thousands I mean I don't know the exact number right it's not as rare as initially thought -- has really it would that is kind of incredible about the whole thing it's well.
You have any other autoimmune disorders prior to this.
And neurological issue.
I did not know I had non alma was unrelated but they -- them at first I thought maybe that they were linked but they they happen not to -- So what was it -- The -- analyst with relatively simple it was a combination of stare raids and immune therapies like -- of three tests and I VIP treatment so simple and then -- Complete reversal.
I I I think -- It's and not any medication now.
All right that's -- has now I think -- and I think one of the beauties about you book.
Is that you you told the very frank story about how.
Patients sometimes get lost in translation it's.
So I think that that's.
Very important I think for patients to know.
But but looking back and I know that's difficult for you because you know you had issues that sometimes you didn't know what that you are living in reality or not.
But as you've got better.
What advice would you give.
-- that might be going through similar things not necessarily the neurological problems you have but things of any kind of medical issue.
From the experience that you have -- you so.
Doctors of the -- when -- Sally -- and you know what -- I mean I think it kind of two takeaways from and I think one.
It has to be your own advocate an or if you can't be there for yourself like I could not be there you have there -- -- -- important have a support structure there I think it's also important.
To question medical authority don't necessarily have to take everything a given in a white lab coat as facts right.
Good one of the -- is that I saw -- I was very fast and you walked into a psychiatrist office here in New York City room that he was with your mom yes.
And you quickly get into this brand -- psychiatrist.
And you put bipolar on the table from.
And two pages later -- walking out with -- bipolar medication yes.
And I think that that's a big issue especially.
You know right away was so fast.
To -- bipolar yet this could be it -- let me give you something else and have a nice day and you know we.
Many times it's not associated with that -- nutritionally -- be allergic to could be immunological.
And that we don't get to that and I figure book points out that very clearly and.
Glad that you said that because I know I think you know we -- so fast and Medicaid and you know it's the wrong medication it's not gonna fix the problem.
Now there are things that you have forgot yes.
So what he'd be doing about them.
Well yeah I mean most of that time you know most that they know this month of madness I call it the in the month I spent in the hospital.
Most that time is blank.
I don't remember it so what I had to do with -- had to actually.
Interview -- doctors and my family and my friends and go to my medical records I had videos of myself at a time and everything at the possibly get my hands on.
To recreate that time because I don't really remember it.
Now you say you're -- -- Mets anymore who.
How do you follow how do you follow this disease -- prospectively you have to.
See the neurologist once a year.
Any symptoms -- -- you have to bring him to his attention -- -- attention.
Yes exactly yes -- -- -- I'm very mindful now about how I'm feeling and you know if there's anything kind of erratic -- local media will immediately go to the Doctor Who treated me.
And have -- run -- so I'm I'm very much monitor that way and I have to do some kind of you know pet scans and trans vaginal you know.
Stay you know exams you know at every year just now following.
All right well thank you so much for coming thinking -- -- having -- welcome.
And if you have any health questions you can email -- here at fox a document if foxnews.com I'm -- -- thanks for watching.
