Endocrinologist Dr. Neda Ebrahimi, M.D., is 'Not Afraid of a Challenge" When Diagnosing Rare Diseases
5/28/2025
A person living with a rare disease can often struggle with puzzling and debilitating symptoms for months, years, or even decades before a physician determines the cause of their illness and provides appropriate – sometimes lifesaving – treatment.
Jennifer was one of those people. Now in her 50s, Jennifer began the search for an accurate diagnosis in her 20s, when she started experiencing extreme fatigue, dehydration, irritable-bowel syndrome, seizures and rhabdomyolysis, a dangerous condition in which muscle tissue releases its contents into the bloodstream and can cause kidney damage. After any kind of vigorous exercise, she could hardly walk.
Jennifer knew something was very wrong. She went from primary care providers to internists to rheumatologists and other specialists, but felt worse and worse as the years went by.
“I felt like the life was being sucked out of me,” Jennifer says. “My CAT scans and blood work would come up fine, any every hospital I went to would give me IV fluids and send me home, where I’d drink electrolytes.”
During a visit to Northwest Urgent Care at La Paloma, Jennifer was finally referred to an endocrinologist – Neda Ebrahimi, M.D., who practices at Northwest Endocrinology at La Cholla.
“The urgent care was very kind,” Jennifer says. “I thanked them for not just dismissing me, and I was able to get Dr. Ebrahimi on the phone that same week.”
Jennifer’s appointment changed her life.
“I’d been dealing with this for decades,” she remembers, “and within 15 minutes, Dr. Ebrahimi said, “You either have central diabetes insipidus or Addison’s disease.”
The lab work was quick and clear: Jennifer did have central diabetes insipidus, or CDI, a rare hormonal disease different from classic diabetes. People with CDI don’t produce enough anti-diuretic hormone in the hypothalamus gland. This means they have great difficulty maintaining a balance of water and sodium in their bodies, and can produce up to 20 quarts of urine a day (the normal volume is three quarts).
“Extreme thirst and frequent urination are most often signs that your body isn’t working correctly,” says Dr. Ebrahimi. “Never ignore these symptoms, and be sure to seek medical treatment.”
Jennifer has been enjoying an upward swing since that day in Dr. Ebrahimi’s office. She now has the energy to work, play pickleball, spend time with her family and generally feel better every day.
“Dr. Ebrahimi is awesome,” she says. “She’s been a lifesaver – not only in diagnosing me, but in supporting me every step of the way. She’s different from any other doctor I’ve ever had – she’s not afraid of a challenge. She wanted to figure out why I have this condition, not just how to treat it.”
To learn more about endocrinology, or to request an appointment, visit https://www.nwalliedphysicians.com/our-locations/northwest-endocrinology-at-la-cholla-3326.
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