My Wife Will Die If I Can't Find Someone to Help Her

I would apologize for the melodramatic topic sentence, except it happens to be an absolute statement of fact. There is something going on in my wife causing her to have extreme inflammation everywhere and nobody can figure out why.

This began in, I believe, 2020. We went in to a simple optometrist to get our glasses prescriptions renewed. The doctor that examined us told Lesley that she needed to get in to see an opthamalogist immediately, that there was extreme swelling of her optic nerves and bleeding in the backs of her eyes. We were able to get in to see a doctor quickly, and she confirmed, basically, what the optometrist said, and she said that there was hemorrhaging in Lesley's eyes, and I think she was the first one to say that there was too much fluid in Lesley's eyes? It's been such a long, strange, crazy experience that it's hard sometimes to put it into order.

Either way our next stop was a neurologist. He initially diagnosed Lesley initially with a pseudo tumor and idiopathic inter cranial hypertension, meaning she had too much cerebrospinal fluid. She had it drained, I think 3 times. She had at least 2 MRI's, I think, but they could never find evidence of an actual pseudo tumor or, for that matter, anything else. She just has something causing her to have too much cerebrospinal fluid. I think that was the first evidence that something was drastically wrong with her autoimmune system to me; it was clear that her body was reacting to some kind of threat and building up more and more and more inflammation trying to fight something that might not even be there.

The neurologist pulled in a neuroopthamalogist and she brought in a retina specialist. Lesley wound up losing part of her vision in her left eye, but eventually the fluid in her eyes seemed to recede. However, around the same time, she began swelling in her feet and ankles.

It became hideously painful for her to walk. She has constant pain in her feet and ankles, and has been diagnosed with lymphedema. HOWEVER........in regards to that diagnosis, although Lesley does have an incredible amount of swelling and inflammation mainly in her lower body, there appears to be nothing wrong with her venous system itself. There are no blockages, no nothing in her veins that would explain why she is not processing the fluid in her body properly.

I don't know what to do. We have not consulted a single medical specialist who has appeared to have the slightest inkling of what to do to help my wife. So she is 50 years old, with a vibrant, curious, engaged mind, being buried under the weight of her sickness. I don't even know what to call it. But I believe that if she doesn't find at least some answers, if she is not able to get any better and this goes on for years? She won't survive it, period. Whether she dies at her own hand or stages some kind of "accident", and I can't blame her. I have thought about trying one of the diagnostic clinics in this country such as the Mayo Clinic, but I don't even know what kind of specialist she needs to see.

I guess that about covers it. I just need help, a direction in which to walk, a suggestion for us to try. As long as we have some kind of hope that someone somewhere can and will help her, then we can go on.

Thank you in advance for your help and consideration. And blessed be......