Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness: Chapter 32 Summary & Analysis

Later that day, a dermatologist conducts a full body exam to check for melanoma on Susannah. The dermatologist finds nothing, and in the evening, nurses wheel Susannah to the radiology department to perform an ultrasound to look for a teratoma. Susannah hallucinates that she's finding out the gender of her child, and is so upset afterwards that she refuses to allow them to perform a transvaginal one. From the first, however, they discover no teratoma.

The next morning, Dr. Najjar arrives to explain the treatment plan to Susannah and her parents. He decides to use a three-pronged treatment of steroids to reduce inflammation; IVIG to neutralize the rogue antibodies; and a treatment of plasmapheresis, a form of blood filtration, to flush the antibodies out. Dr. Najjar explains that Susannah should likely return to 90% of her former self, and could go home the next day. Dr. Russo notes later that Susannah seems brighter and her speech seems improved.

The next morning, Mom, Dad, Allen, Stephen, and one of Susannah's college friends, Lindsey, collect Susannah's belongings and help Susannah out of her room. They pass a sign at the elevators that Dad had posted the night before, thanking the staff of the epilepsy floor for caring for Susannah.

Susannah tells the reader that despite the 4% chance that she'll die, her parents are hopeful that Dr. Najjar's plan will work. In addition to the three-pronged treatment, Susannah will see Dr. Najjar weekly, get a PET scan (a type of scan that shows the body in the process of functioning and will allow the doctors to measure progress), and take seven other drugs to manage her other symptoms and side effects of the treatment.

As Allen drives everyone back to New Jersey, Susannah's old favorite karaoke song comes on the radio. Susannah begins awkwardly bopping her head out of rhythm and swinging her elbows. Lindsey can't tell if Susannah is dancing or having a seizure.