Reply To: Undiagnosed Adult GBS, mild case?

mw17, 364smiles, I know this is an old post, but I found its really helpful. I had diarrhea about 5 to 6 weeks ago after a trip abroad. Around 4 weeks ago I started feeling a mild pain in the lower back and upper back between the shoulder blades. A couple of days later, I started feeling an unusual fatigue and weakness in both of my legs and shortly after a soreness started in both legs and I started getting a constant twitch in both calves and lower thighs. The twitch was specially noticed or stronger when I sat down or laid down at night. While I was active, the twitching was less constant or unnoticeable. By the next day, the twitch and soreness started in my right arm and then my left arm.

The following day I started feeling a very intense burning-numbness like feeling in the lower back and both legs around the knees and calves and I started feeling certain numbness on my feet and toes. At that point I freaked out and went to see my PCP who said it was probably a side effect of the statins I was taking to treat my cholesterol, so he just suspended treatment and told me to come back in two weeks.

Since the weakness, twitching and soreness did not stop, and got the occasional numbness in the legs and feet, I was really anxious about it and decided to go to Mexico (I live at the border) to see another PCP. He did prescribed Ketorolac and Dexabion injections, which helped with the soreness and weakness after a couple of days, but the twitching was still there. Since there was a slight improvement, I decided to wait to see how the symptoms developed.

After two weeks, the twitching was still there with still a mild soreness and weakness in both legs and arms, so I went to see my US PCP. Since the symptoms were still there, he decided to refer to me to a neurologist for an EMG and NCV, but they gave me an appointment until December 13 (more than 3 months away).

Since the waiting time seemed ridiculous, I was able to get an appointment with a neurologist in Mexico in the next couple of days. He did the EMG and NCV and detected a slight affectation. Considering the symptoms, timeline and results of the tests, he determined it was a mild form of GBS.

Since it had already been 4 weeks since my symptoms started and that they were getting better, he indicated that I was likely in the recovery phase. Therefore, he mentioned that no treatment was necessary and that, unless I had new symptoms or if the existing ones escalated, no further tests were necessary.

It has been 4 days since my visit to the neurologist and symptoms seems to be improving on a slowly but steadily.

Were you able to fully recover? How long did it take in your cases?