still early days

Hi all,

It’s now almost 3 weeks since my last post.

It feels like 3 months considering all I have been through. It is actually now only 6 weeks since my symptoms became really severe.

2 weeks ago,at the request of my daughter,we consulted a doctor who practises electro-acupunctue and analysis – she said she treats the body and not the ailment and I was put on various medications as indcated by the electro-analysis.These are dispensed orally by means of spray pump bottles.The medication is mostly colourless and tasteless.

The names on the various bottles are unknown to me – Gesenium, Causticum, Cocculus, Arg. Nit 30C, etc.
My daughter swears by this treatment so I am doing it for her sake, although to be honest I am sceptical.

Last week I started developing a tightness in my chest and fearing possible respiratory problems we called in our GP. After checking me over she could see no immediate respiratory problems. She wanted to test my spinal fluid and we decided I be admitted to our local hospital for a lumbar punch and to monitor for possible respiratory problems.

She said the lumbar punch should have been the first order of business when I was first diagnosed with GBS but instead an MRI scan was ordered!

The lumbar punch was done and the result was as expected – no abnormalities (this was due to the fact that GBS would have only shown if tests had been done early on)In any case this was good news as CIDP now probably ruled out).

I was out of hospital after a 3 day stay.

Based on my progress we decided to cancel the neurologist as it would have involved travelling some 1000km and incurring some major expenses not to mention how exhausting prolonged travelling in a vehicle is for me. In any case all tests so far done have come up normal !

I have been at home another week now and things are steadily improving. I feel I am slowly regaining the use of my limbs and motor skills – yesterday I even manged to walk a short distance without my stick.

The hands and fingers still feel numb and the tingling sensation has not abated – the fingertips feel strangely smooth, like plastic and there is no grip.

The legs feel a bit stronger and there is more movement in my toes – but the feet still feel like blocks of wood.

My eye closes OK but I still cannot wink – it also gets irritated after prolonged outdoor exposure to bright light. I use eye drops frequently to soothe the irritation. My vision is still a bit blurred but this is mainly due to the eyelid drooping.

Sleep has become a big problem due to Restless Leg Syndrome, which I had before the GBS but has now become worse.It comes and goes but only at night – so I take whatever rest I can and go to sleep as late as possible.

I have still not experienced any pain throughout my ordeal and my appetite has not been affected – I have also not experienced any weight loss.

I have weaned off the Prednisone now and stopped altogether 2 days ago. Maybe this is why I feel so much better ?

The head cold and cough I developed on returning from my first hospital visit finally seems to be getting better as well.

All in all the prognosis looks good and I thank God for my progress and the relative mildness of my symptoms.

Martin.