Zinnia

Hi, I am very new to this and feel lucky I found this web site. It’s seems comforting to know other people out there went through the same at different stages. I have always been a very healthy person. I have worked at our local YMCA as an exercise trainer for 24 years. On Friday, December 16, 2005 I work up at 4:30 to go to the Y work out and run a class. When I turned on the bathroom light and looked in the mirror I saw double vision later that morning I went to my Dr. who I only saw on the golf course 🙂 Thought I had vertigo. By Saturday afternoon my eyes started closing and speech slurring and hard to swallow. Called the Dr. and met him at the emergency and he thought I was having a stroke so airlifted me by helicopter to Mass General in Boston. I live in the western part of Mass about 2 hrs from Boston. They did a MRI and said no stroke and sent me to the Neurology dept. By Monday morning they told myself, husband and son both good and bad news. Bad news GBS Miller Fisher – good news that I was in the Neurology dept. at Mass General named after Dr. Charles Miller-Fisher what a wow. Whne I think about it how lucky could I have been that my Dr. sent me to Mass General. By this time they had to put me in ICU as my eyes were to put it clear frozen shut face was totally paralized, could not talk, move anything or breath, put on a ventalitor. I did very quickly receive IVIG spent 2 weeks in ICU. About 4 days after out of ICU went to a rehab for a couple of weeks. When I left rehab eyes still frozen shut was learning how to talk and the day before I left rehab in Jan. 2006 I had finally my first real food in my mouth, of course blended. I though great but was extremely hard to move my mouth to open and swallow. Small tiny bites. Anyway it took another couple of weks and my left eye finally opened but not right. Everything came but slow. I was determined to go back to the Gym and with my Dr. approval went back with one eye and double vision to the Y and boy did it feel good to be able to do something. You all out there know it takes a while. I started driving the beginning of April and had to use an eye patch. Decided to try golfing not easy off balance but still was out there doing something I love. If I can help anyone out there with talk etc. please let me know. We all were traped in our bodies, the only thing I could do was write and my hands did tinkle and numb somewhat but I could write to my husband and son in the hospital, and rehab. They saved the paper and how they could read was beyond me. I though I was writing straight and waht a mess all over the place. Phyllis in Greenfield, Ma -413-7737911

Hope to hear from other on your experience. today Jan. 29 I still have double vision but it is getting much better. Last week I started driving without the eye patch. When I go to the movies I see 2 movice for the price of one and I kid the owner I pay one price for 2 movies::)

Phyllis the golfer