A week ago I voluntarily admitted myself to the hospital to get help bc I am losing weight as a result of increased food intolerances, secondary to my very severe #MECFS. A psychiatrist here decided that im mentally ill, 1/

purely on the basis that the medical workup was unable to explain my food intolerance. My psych eval only found mild anxiety and depression. 2/
They have put me on a 72hr psych hold while they work to get the county courts to commit me to a psych ward. This is a nightmare. They have taken away most of my belongings, put me in a new uniform, and are keeping me under 24/7 video surveillance. 3/
In the middle of the night last night when I sat up to use the urinal loud alarms sounded, as though I was trying to escape. I can’t even walk and hadn’t even left my bed. 4/
If they succeed in having me fully committed I will lose ability to communicate with the outside world except for an occasional phone call. I will lose all agency, and will very likely have treatments forced upon me. 5/
I am very fragile. I can barely speak. And it is very easy to make me unbearably worse. 6/
They consider me a harm to myself because I am not getting in enough calories to sustain my weight. Unless I resolve my current food intolerances my health prognosis admittedly isn’t good. I have become quite thin. But being forced into a psych ward will only be harmful to me. 7/
And the science is on my side. A lot has been learned about MECFS in the past several years. For example: 8/
The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine), arguably the highest medical authority in the U.S, was asked by several federal agencies to convene an expert committee to examine the evidence base for MECFS. They published their report in 2015. 9/
The findings include:"This disease is characterized by profound fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, sleep abnormalities, autonomic manifestations, pain, and other symptoms that are made worse by exertion of any sort." and "is a medical-not a psychiatric or psychological - illness"10/
Here is a screen shot from the CDC's #MECFS web page where they explicitly state that “MECFS a biological illness, not a psychological disorder. Patients with MECFS are neither malingering nor seeking secondary gain. 11/
These doctors are not current with medical research and are treating me according to decades old prejudices. 12/
I have reached out to several members of the MECFS advocacy, and patient community and I believe there will be some effort to advocate for me. If you would like to help, please wait for their lead. In the meantime, please spread the word about what is happening to me. 13/end
@davidtuller1 @OpenMedF @jspotila @jenbrea @MEActNet @PlzSolveCFS @MinnesotaMECFS @exceedhergrasp1 @JanetDafoe @cazzachr @r_prior @edyong209 @MBVanElzakker @microbeminded2 @DafoeWhitney
I am in Minnesota, USA
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More from Health

🚨Important changes to lockdown/self-isolation regulations from 5pm

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers and Self-Isolation) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021

£800 'house party' FPN & police can now access track & trace data

https://t.co/k9XCpVsXhC


“Large gathering offence”

As trailed by Home Secretary last week there is now a fixed penalty notice of £800 (or £400 if you pay within 14 days) for participating in an gathering of over 15 people in a private residence


Fixed Penalty Notices double for each subsequent “large gathering offence” up to £6,400

Compare:
- Ordinary fixed penalty notice is £200 or £100 if paid in 14 days
- Holding or being involved in the holding of a gathering of over 30 people is £10,000


Second big change:

Since September has been a legal requirement to sell-isolate if you test positive/notified by Track & Trace of exposure to someone else who tested positive

Police can now be given access to NHS Track & Trace data if for the purpose of enforcement/prosecution


This will make it easier for police to enforce people breaking self-isolation rules. Currently there has been practically no enforcement.

Data says only a small proportion of people meant to be self-isolating are fully doing so.
1/15
Why can cefepime cause neurological toxicity?

And why is renal failure the main risk factor for this complication?

The answer requires us to learn about cefepime's structure and why it unexpectedly binds to a certain CNS receptor.

#MedTwitter #Tweetorial


2/
Let's establish a few facts about cefepime:

🔺4th generation cephalosporin antibiotic
🔺Excretion = exclusively in the urine (mostly as unchanged drug)
🔺Readily crosses the blood-brain barrier (so it easily accesses the brain)

https://t.co/rjYG1BfGPR


3/
The first report of cefepime neurotoxicity was in 1999.

A patient w/ renal failure received high doses of cefepime and then developed encephalopathy, tremors, myoclonic jerks, and tonic-clonic seizures.

✅All symptoms resolved after hemodialysis.

https://t.co/u7JLVitQpp


4/
Cefepime neurotoxicity is surprisingly common, occurring in up to 15% of treated critically ill patients (w/ symptoms varying from encephalopathy to seizures).

💡The main risk factors = renal failure and lack of dose adjustment for renal function.

https://t.co/nxbnzSq8AR


5/
What about cefepime induces neurotoxicity?

One clue is that it's not the only antibiotic that causes neurotoxicity, particularly seizures.

This actually is a class effect w/ other beta-lactam antibiotics (including penicillins and carbapenems).

https://t.co/Lf4BhON9IY

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