Complications

There are so many complications that can arise from GBS. It does so much nerve damage. The nervous system controls so many parts of our bodies and bodily functions that we are not even aware of.
It controls breathing, digestion, kidney and bladder function, all muscles, including our heartbeat. It controls our body temperature and so many more things. If those things shut down, the person dies unless heroic measure are taken or life support is started.
What happened to Nate this past week demonstrates just what weird things can happen from nerve damage.
His bladder must have been infected days before the infection went up the ureters to his kidneys but he never felt a thing until he woke up sick with a fever and chills.
His kidneys were shutting down and bleeding when I realized he was sick.
Now he has to catheterize himself when he goes home and will have to do that until he either gets feeling back in his bladder or forever.
Nobody knows.
I read that 5% of GBS patients do not survive due to complications, either from cardiac arrest or they stop breathing.
Nate still has a weird way of breathing. I watched him sleeping at the hospital. He keeps breathing but its still not a normal rhythm.
So, there are many things that can take a person’s life when they have GBS.
We have to do as many things as it takes to keep ourselves and our family members healthy and hope they get better…….all the way better.
Trudy, Natesmom