Ask the expert

[Detrick]

I have a female friend 54 years old who presents with the following symptoms: mood swings, memory loss, low energy, fatigue, insomnia, depression, anxiety, OCD, rages, and weak immune system. She has had most of these symptoms for at least 10 years. Does this sound like peripheral neuropathy?
Detrick.:confused:

[moose53]

Detrick,

I'm glad that you care enough about your friend to try to get help for her.

None of us here is qualified to diagnose someone without even seeing or meeting them. It would be irresponsible of us to try.

You need to take care, too, in trying to diagnose your friend. Most of us have learned over the years that you usually end up putting your foot right in the middle of your mouth if you try to be a friend's therapist/physician.

The best first step for your friend would be to get a complete physical workup to make sure that nothing's going on with her body that would be causing these symptoms.

The human body is so complex -- sometimes a shortage in just a vitamin can cause psychiatric problems or a pain in one part of the body can mean that there's a problem in another part of the body. Better for your friend (and for you) to start with a good physical examination to see what may or may not be wrong with your friend.

You're a good friend. Hugs.

Barb

[Detrick]

Barbara,
Thank you for your comments. Your probably right about my involvement. Still it is difficult not to try to help a friend, especially when they have symptoms that could virtually blend into almost anything.
Detrick.

[mrsdoubtfyre]

I have a female friend 54 years old who presents with the following symptoms: mood swings, memory loss, low energy, fatigue, insomnia, depression, anxiety, OCD, rages, and weak immune system. She has had most of these symptoms for at least 10 years. Does this sound like peripheral neuropathy?
Detrick.:confused:

What you describe could be many many things... From Lyme disease, to psychiatric disorders.

Peripheral neuropathy is loss of nerve functions, damage to the nerves in the peripheral body... feet, legs, hands, arms etc.
PN does not cause rages, memory loss, OCD etc.
Chronic infections may however, cause some of the symptoms you list.
Long term viral infections like HIV or difficult to diagnose spirochete of Lyme can cause many overlapping confusing things. Certain forms of encephalitis may result in brain damage, and also lead to symptoms like you describe. West Nile Virus is one cause for example. But 10 yrs ago it was not that common.

It might take many doctors and years to get a accurate diagnosis, if one thing is the root of it all. But many times there are overlapping separate issues for most people.

Good luck.

[nide44]

And.............
Only a qualified Neurologist can truly tell what type of Neuropathy
your friend might have. A neuro who specializes in neuropathies.