All about Guillain-Barré syndrome: Robyn had GBS together with Bells Palsy

My name is Robyn I am a 41 year old female who has always been rather healthy. Just the usual colds, flu, and of course my yearly sinus infection.
At the end of Jan of 2000 I began to feel soreness and aching in my leg muscles. At first I thought nothing of this other than I had pulled or strained them. As the week went on it got slowly worse it was hard to bend over and I was tired more. I had just gotten over the flu and a sinus infection so I thought I was still recovering from that.

On Feb 4th my husband came home I told him and and he said if I was not feeling better tomorrow we would go to the doctor. Well on Saturday my legs just would not work I could barely move. I lost my balance and fell it was like my legs were made of jello.

So off to the doctor by the time we got there I could hardly walk. I
needed assistance from my husband to even get out of the chair. The doctor said it was just muscle strain gave me pain pills and some muscle relaxors and send me home.
Once back home I slept most of the day and was in horrible pain. I was having trouble moving my legs, rolling over, I needed help to do everything.
On Sunday it got worse the right side of my face drooped and I could not close my right eye. My husband called the doctors office back
they of course did not know what to do and told him to take me to the ER.

On Monday Feb 7th, 2000 I was taken to the ER. I could not walk so my husband carried me to the car.
Once at the hospital I was seen right away. Blood was drawn, my reflexes were checked several times. The doctor in the ER told me I had GBS and bells palsy.
GBS what was that I had never heard of it just give me a pill and let me go home. He said Robyn there is no pill. Then I asked him if there was a cure he said no. Can you die from this and he said yes.
I just started crying and asked about treatment. He said they would explain more to me in ICU.
Well off to ICU for more tests, blood, MRI, xrays, and finally the spinal tap which confirmed I had GBS.

After 7 days in ICU and 5 more in the step down unit I was given my own room. For some reason the GBS stopped at my lungs to this day the doctors do not know why. I began doing better with physical and occupational therapy. I started standing and walking a few steps in the first two weeks. Then my first set back a bowel obstruction the pain was unbearable along with the pain in my hands and legs from the GBS. I truly thought I was to die. With all the steroids they were giving me for the bells palsy they were afraid to operate on me.Well eventually that cleared up thank God who must have been listening to all the prayer from my family, friends, and the nurses too.

They finally decided to start the IVIG treatments. I ended up having 7 treatments. The neuro said I had nerve blockage in my legs. So back to therapy I was starting to stand again and then started fainting. Seems the muscles in my legs were too weak to pump my blood to the rest of my body causing me to faint. So besides the pain
meds, neurontin, steroids, laxatives, they put me on a medicine to keep my blood pressure up and the fainting stopped.

I finally started standing once again and using a walker to take several steps doing more every day.

Finally after 6 weeks and 5 days I came home in a wheel chair. I had home therapy for 2 months using the walker and a quad cane. Then out patient therapy for 6 weeks.

That was 3 years ago today I am left with no feeling in my finger tips. I also have no feeling in my legs from my calves down. I have tingling, fatigue, and the bells palsy has not gone away. I still take medicine every day as the pain in my legs and hips is still there. I now can walk and use a cane only for long walks.

I have my ups and downs but many more ups now. I am walking and alive and for that I am truly grateful. I hope one day the feeling will return and that I will be close to being the person I was before GBS maybe even better.

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