Has anyone had Guillain-barre syndrome? How long was it before you could walk again?

My daughter has been critically ill - struck down with Guillain-barre syndrome on 20th October. She was totally paralysed, only able to blink, and on a ventilator until today. She still is being fed through an NG tube and cannot move her legs at all but has some movement in her arms. Thank god she can talk to us at last! I was just wondering how long it took others with the syndrome to be able to walk unaided again.

My daughter is 20 by the way.

Guillain-Barr茅 (Ghee-yaw Bah-ray) Syndrome, also called acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy and Landry's ascending paralysis, is a disorder of the peripheral nerves, those outside the brain and spinal cord (peripheral nerves and spinal roots are the major sites of demyelination in GBS patients). It is typically characterized by the rapid onset of muscle weakness and often, paralysis of the legs, arms and breathing muscles. The cause of Guillain-Barre' syndrome is not known; and why the disorder only occurs in certain patients is still not known. Research to date indicates that the nerves of the GBS patient are attacked by the body's own defense system against disease-antibodies and white blood cells. As a result of this autoimmune attack, the nerve insulation (myelin) and sometimes even the covered conducting part of the nerve (axon) is damaged.



it took me about 2 years.

here is no known cure for Guillain-Barre syndrome, but therapies can lessen the severity of the illness and accelerate the recovery in most patients. There are also a number of ways to treat the complications of the disease. Currently, plasmapheresis and high-dose immunoglobulin therapy are used. Plasmapheresis seems to reduce the severity and duration of the Guillain-Barr茅 episode. In high-dose immunoglobulin therapy, doctors give intravenous injections of the proteins that in small quantities, the immune system uses naturally to attack invading organism. Investigators have found that giving high doses of these immunoglobulins, derived from a pool of thousands of normal donors, to Guillain-Barr茅 patients can lessen the immune attack on the nervous system. The most critical part of the treatment for this syndrome consists of keeping the patient's body functioning during recovery of the nervous system. This can sometimes require placing the patient on a respirator, a heart monitor, or other machines that assist body function.

Guillain-Barr茅 syndrome can be a devastating disorder because of its sudden and unexpected onset. Most people reach the stage of greatest weakness within the first 2 weeks after symptoms appear, and by the third week of the illness 90 percent of all patients are at their weakest. The recovery period may be as little as a few weeks or as long as a few years. About 30 percent of those with Guillain-Barr茅 still have a residual weakness after 3 years. About 3 percent may suffer a relapse of muscle weakness and tingling sensations many years after the initial attack.

Scientists are concentrating on finding new treatments and refining existing ones. Scientists are also looking at the workings of the immune system to find which cells are responsible for beginning and carrying out the attack on the nervous system. The fact that so many cases of Guillain-Barr茅 begin after a viral or bacterial infection suggests that certain characteristics of some viruses and bacteria may activate the immune system inappropriately. Investigators are searching for those characteristics. Neurological scientists, immunologists, virologists, and pharmacologists are all working collaboratively to learn how to prevent this disorder and to make better therapies available when it strikes.

without seeing her it is difficult to say -I am a nurse and have worked in ITU with patients with Guillain-Barre. The person I looked affter took months - and was very weak, but they did get there I am glad she has done so well. Good luck.

I used to have this illness,I travelled to peru to be examined by the worlds leading authority.
She told me to eat 30 fizzbombs/day
I feel much better now and am hoping to quit invalidity benefit