It is common for anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis to be misdiagnosed as (in my case) generalized anxiety disorder or schizophrenia. Since I had been cleared physically, getting out of the psychiatric hospital quickly to see a neurologist proved difficult.
Seriously, those combination of symptoms sound absolutely horrible. It's like a combination cocktail of a mental disorder and losing control of your body.
This was the single point, in retrospect, where our health care system let me down. It took a lucky connection with someone who happened to be a doctor to get me out of the psychiatric facility and into the neurology department at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
It is indeed very lucky for Andrew that he had that connection. When you are hospitalised for psychiatric symptoms (in the US), even if you sought care voluntarily, like he did here, getting the staff and the whole system to treat you as a human, and just listen to you, can be exceedingly difficult, especially when you reasonably suspect that you are not getting the right care. It is often a horrifically traumatic experience. I'm glad he had a way to cut through to someone who actually wanted to figure out the right care plan! I shudder to think how much worse it could have been otherwise.
I shudder as well. I myself didn't reasonably suspect I wasn't getting the right care. It was my amazing wife who did. I could barely tell up-from-down while in the psychiatric facility.
One especially scary thing was that for a period of time after I was transferred from the ER to a psychiatric facility, my wife didn't even know where I was. She was supposed to be able to call a social worker who was principally responsible for my transfer into the psych hospital, but couldn't get a hold of her. My wife had to guess where I was (it wasn't that hard) and just physically show up there.
Unfortunately this isn't an issue limited to just the US: there's a fairly famous story in Finland from around 2012 of a guy who was hospitalised in a psychiatric facility after going to the doctor and telling that his occupation was a chainsaw juggler and he'd just come back from North Korea where he'd juggled for Kim Jong Il. He wasn't lying but you know, it sounds unbelievable so...
Oh for sure. I have no doubt this isn't a problem limited to the US. I think there are system problems, but I also think it's a human problem too. It's just fucking hard.
I also had some quite fantastical things going on in my life simultaneously (not as crazy as chainsaw juggling), and having someone "sane" to corroborate (my wife) those things was likely critical.
Wow, I'm really sorry to hear you've gone through this, Andrew. I consider you an exemplar that other programmers should look up to; besides your impressive technical achievements (even when Rust was in its early days and its prospects were nowhere near as clear as they are today), you've also shown admirable patience and thoughtfulness in your public interactions with other programmers.
I'm glad to hear you're feeling so much better, and hope things continue to get even better for you from here.
This sucks so bad and it must've been so scary to lose capabilities you rely on, get well soon Andrew and stay safe! Thanks for sharing as well for the people who might face similar issues.
Absolutely filled with gratitude for your recovery Andrew, as well as for you sharing your story. Auto-immune encephalitis is a horrific condition which deserves more attention. My father started suffering from acute symptoms of GABA-A autoimmune encephalitis sometime around March of 2025 - behavioral symptoms had begun over a year before that but only when he started having stroke-like symptoms was it possible to get care. To say the subsequent medical journey was harrowing is an understatement; its a blessing that he himself cannot remember large portions of it.
A decade ago, it would have been a death sentence. Even today, getting the care he needed was very challenging and we would never have gotten him home if it hadn't been for the frankly heroic efforts of multiple neurologists at MUSC, countless incredible nurses and absolutely tireless physical, occupational and speech therapists.
Godspeed - the recovery is long and slow, be kind to yourself but work hard, and give yourself credit for overcoming something so singularly difficult
Thank you so much for the kind words and thoughts. This comment was the one that pushed me over the edge to join here again and respond.
A decade ago, it would have been a death sentence.
I think about this too. And just how lucky I am to have gotten this disease in a time where it can be diagnosed (albeit with a false start in my case) and treated. And how lucky I am that it was diagnosed early. I don't think I'd be here right now if that weren't the case.
the frankly heroic efforts of multiple neurologists at MUSC, countless incredible nurses and absolutely tireless physical, occupational and speech therapists
I don't how they do what they do. It's truly awe-inspiring. I also want to shout out the minders. They are the personal care assistants (PCAs) that had to sit in my hospital room and watch me sleep, use the bathroom, watch TV and whatever else for hours on end. Day by day, over and over. Some did 12 hour shifts with me, only stopping for breaks. I'm eternally grateful to them.
be kind to yourself but work hard
The former is harder I think. I'm already back to doing 5Ks. :-)
Godspeed to your father as well. I hope his recovery continues with as few obstacles as possible. I'm really happy he was able to get a diagnosis and get treatment. <3
Maybe the off topic rule should change. I'm guessing it was written to exclude the kind of entrepreneur-posting you get on hn, but maybe a wider net for "on topic" would be better. I'd vote for it anyway.
He's also a human being (not that you were implying otherwise). The poster you replied to seems ignorant of that fact, though, which is a bit sad. We sometimes forget that the humans behind all these wonderful advancements and tech still have to deal with very human problems, and to expect that to be 100% separated or just straight up ignored is silly.
It seems pretty rude to assume that they're completely ignoring the fact that a person is a human just because they're advocating for a slightly-too-strict interpretation of the off-topic rules. It's a bit sad to assume people act maliciously.
[OP] carlana | a day ago
Wishing Andrew a smooth recovery! His open source contributions have been a huge personal boon to me.
iandavis | a day ago
samebchase | a day ago
Get well soon Andrew, and best wishes for your family. 🙏
zem | a day ago
this is terrifying
glad he managed to get the treatment he needed!
ammar2 | a day ago
Seriously, those combination of symptoms sound absolutely horrible. It's like a combination cocktail of a mental disorder and losing control of your body.
All the best to Andrew.
lake | 6 hours ago
Also
It is indeed very lucky for Andrew that he had that connection. When you are hospitalised for psychiatric symptoms (in the US), even if you sought care voluntarily, like he did here, getting the staff and the whole system to treat you as a human, and just listen to you, can be exceedingly difficult, especially when you reasonably suspect that you are not getting the right care. It is often a horrifically traumatic experience. I'm glad he had a way to cut through to someone who actually wanted to figure out the right care plan! I shudder to think how much worse it could have been otherwise.
burntsushi5 | 6 hours ago
I shudder as well. I myself didn't reasonably suspect I wasn't getting the right care. It was my amazing wife who did. I could barely tell up-from-down while in the psychiatric facility.
One especially scary thing was that for a period of time after I was transferred from the ER to a psychiatric facility, my wife didn't even know where I was. She was supposed to be able to call a social worker who was principally responsible for my transfer into the psych hospital, but couldn't get a hold of her. My wife had to guess where I was (it wasn't that hard) and just physically show up there.
wareya | 5 hours ago
That last part is really terrifying. I'm glad you made it out of the system and into the right care.
aapoalas | 4 hours ago
Unfortunately this isn't an issue limited to just the US: there's a fairly famous story in Finland from around 2012 of a guy who was hospitalised in a psychiatric facility after going to the doctor and telling that his occupation was a chainsaw juggler and he'd just come back from North Korea where he'd juggled for Kim Jong Il. He wasn't lying but you know, it sounds unbelievable so...
burntsushi5 | 3 hours ago
Oh for sure. I have no doubt this isn't a problem limited to the US. I think there are system problems, but I also think it's a human problem too. It's just fucking hard.
I also had some quite fantastical things going on in my life simultaneously (not as crazy as chainsaw juggling), and having someone "sane" to corroborate (my wife) those things was likely critical.
aapoalas | 3 hours ago
Indeed.
I'm really glad you're doing better or well now <3
lake | 3 hours ago
That must have been a lot to go through for both of you. Thank you for sharing your experience.
JulianWgs | a day ago
Get well soon! Still sad he is no longer part of Lobsters community
rtfeldman | a day ago
Wow, I'm really sorry to hear you've gone through this, Andrew. I consider you an exemplar that other programmers should look up to; besides your impressive technical achievements (even when Rust was in its early days and its prospects were nowhere near as clear as they are today), you've also shown admirable patience and thoughtfulness in your public interactions with other programmers.
I'm glad to hear you're feeling so much better, and hope things continue to get even better for you from here.
burntsushi5 | 7 hours ago
Thank you! I'm feeling really hopeful about my recovery. :-)
JulianWgs | 7 hours ago
Welcome back! :)
burntsushi5 | 7 hours ago
Thanks :)
vaguelytagged | a day ago
Andrew has been an amazing person to interact with in the space. Best wishes and a speedy recovery.
natfu | a day ago
This sucks so bad and it must've been so scary to lose capabilities you rely on, get well soon Andrew and stay safe! Thanks for sharing as well for the people who might face similar issues.
Glaeqen | a day ago
Best wishes Andrew, hopefully you can keep the sickness at bay forever. Thanks for the write up, might be useful to many.
chazu | 8 hours ago
Absolutely filled with gratitude for your recovery Andrew, as well as for you sharing your story. Auto-immune encephalitis is a horrific condition which deserves more attention. My father started suffering from acute symptoms of GABA-A autoimmune encephalitis sometime around March of 2025 - behavioral symptoms had begun over a year before that but only when he started having stroke-like symptoms was it possible to get care. To say the subsequent medical journey was harrowing is an understatement; its a blessing that he himself cannot remember large portions of it. A decade ago, it would have been a death sentence. Even today, getting the care he needed was very challenging and we would never have gotten him home if it hadn't been for the frankly heroic efforts of multiple neurologists at MUSC, countless incredible nurses and absolutely tireless physical, occupational and speech therapists. Godspeed - the recovery is long and slow, be kind to yourself but work hard, and give yourself credit for overcoming something so singularly difficult
burntsushi5 | 6 hours ago
Thank you so much for the kind words and thoughts. This comment was the one that pushed me over the edge to join here again and respond.
I think about this too. And just how lucky I am to have gotten this disease in a time where it can be diagnosed (albeit with a false start in my case) and treated. And how lucky I am that it was diagnosed early. I don't think I'd be here right now if that weren't the case.
I don't how they do what they do. It's truly awe-inspiring. I also want to shout out the minders. They are the personal care assistants (PCAs) that had to sit in my hospital room and watch me sleep, use the bathroom, watch TV and whatever else for hours on end. Day by day, over and over. Some did 12 hour shifts with me, only stopping for breaks. I'm eternally grateful to them.
The former is harder I think. I'm already back to doing 5Ks. :-)
Godspeed to your father as well. I hope his recovery continues with as few obstacles as possible. I'm really happy he was able to get a diagnosis and get treatment. <3
bios-marcel | 11 hours ago
In case Andrew happens to be reading here:
My condolences for you having to go through that and get / stay well!
Also big thanks for your Software, I think your contributions to free and open software are great :)
elobdog | 6 hours ago
All the very best for speedy recovery @burntsushi5. Sending nothing but good karma your way!
duck_of_death | a day ago
I'm glad this person is getting the help they need but this seems very off topic
telemachus | a day ago
Rules aren't the only thing. They're also not always the most important thing.
aae | a day ago
I get the vibe this guy is the rust version of xkcd #2347 guy in Nebraska
I know ripgrep is pretty widely distributed now, vscode uses it to find files... I know it's a daily driver for me
proctrap | 13 hours ago
Furthermore he was an active member of this community https://lobste.rs/~burntsushi
fedemp | 18 hours ago
neovim also uses
rgforgrepprg(but not forfind).makishimu | 9 hours ago
This is what the tag "person" is for, all good.
wheybags | 20 hours ago
Maybe the off topic rule should change. I'm guessing it was written to exclude the kind of entrepreneur-posting you get on hn, but maybe a wider net for "on topic" would be better. I'd vote for it anyway.
fazalmajid | 22 hours ago
He is the author of ripgrep and a number of major Rust and Go packages.
tinsmith | 10 hours ago
He's also a human being (not that you were implying otherwise). The poster you replied to seems ignorant of that fact, though, which is a bit sad. We sometimes forget that the humans behind all these wonderful advancements and tech still have to deal with very human problems, and to expect that to be 100% separated or just straight up ignored is silly.
All the best, Andrew, and thanks.
ambee | 7 hours ago
It seems pretty rude to assume that they're completely ignoring the fact that a person is a human just because they're advocating for a slightly-too-strict interpretation of the off-topic rules. It's a bit sad to assume people act maliciously.