Test. Test. Test.
When my husband first started having trouble with his feet, no one seemed to know what to do. Our primary care doctor had blood drawn. The E.R. had a CT done. The neurologist had MRIs done. The spine doctor had more MRIs done.
They all said they couldn't find anything. Meanwhile, my husband went from a healthy, able-bodied man to someone who could barely stand up with a 4-wheel walker for support. The day he just "melted" to the ground twice, we went to the neurologist and then the E.R. for the third time in three months.
Finally! Diagnosing GBS!
This time, the doctor in the E.R. decided that my husband could NOT just go home like that and that he'd do his best to figure it out. After a few more tests and time spent on Google as well as brainstorming with the neurologist, Guillain Barre Syndrome came up.
The doctor did a lumbar puncture and found that the proteins were off the charts. They told us that was indicative of GBS and that my husband should be admitted for IVIG treatment.
While this was sort of a scary diagnosis, at least we finally had something to call this condition and a plan of treatment. Something to hope for.
IVIG helped!
My husband spent 6 days in the ICU getting IVIG, as well as physical therapy and occupational therapy. He had become very weak during the months it took the doctors to figure out what was going on, but now things were starting to get better.
He still needed his walker, but at least he could walk. We knew there would be more physical therapy to get him back to work, but it looked like he would get back to work.
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