20 Years and STILL…..

    • Anonymous
      June 29, 2013 at 6:09 am

      I haven’t been here in a while…
      20 years ago today, June 29, 1993 my life changed. I woke up with my hands and feet feeling like I had slept on them. I got up and fell. Boy I had no clue to what was happening. Numbness, tingling, and pain. The doctors in the ER had no clue. I was getting worse. I left there worse than I came. I went to my doctor who rushed me back to the hospital. Two days later I was told that I had a “rare” disease….Guillian Barre’ Syndrome. Rare was right. No one I knew had ever heard of it.
      The next 40 days were HELL. I almost died twice while in the hospital. My breathing was so bad, ICU was waiting for me. I told my mother, please don’t let them take me there. I will not survive it being in there. I was determined to live. My doctors told me that I would never walk again. I was faced living in a wheelchair the rest of my life. That was NOT the life for me!!!!!
      I remember the doctor in rehab telling me that I was going to be there for 8 weeks. I told him, I’m going home in 4 weeks. He just laugh and said, “sure. You can’t walk, barely talking, can’t use your hands, and and have not facial movement. You will be here at least 8 weeks maybe more.”. CHALLENGE!!!!
      I defied the odds and I went home in 3 weeks!!!!!
      I was beyond determine to GET MY LIFE BACK!!!!!
      Long story short…..20 years later, I still have nerve damage in my hands, feet, and upper lip. I still have pain. I still can’t pronounce certain words. BUT I AM STILL HERE!!!!
      No matter what “they” say, FIGHT with everything that you have!!! God has the final word and with Him, I have been able to do things that I never thought I could do!!! I’m living a FULL life!
      Am i still in a wheelchair? NO! I’m walking!
      Can I pronounce every sound or word? No, but who cares???
      All I know is that 20 years ago I didn’t think that I would live to see my 33 birthday and here I am 20 years later looking forward to my 53 birthday!!!!
      I AM a SURVIVOR!!!!!! TWENTY YEARS and STILL….. 😎

    • GH
      June 29, 2013 at 12:58 pm

      That’s an inspirational story, but I would not advise anyone to avoid the ICU. An ICU can make the difference between life and death, the difference being living. Your chances are better in an ICU, not worse. But I know the feeling. People do die in the ICU — someone died in the next room when I was there. I wanted to get out alive.

    • Anonymous
      June 29, 2013 at 1:43 pm

      I would ever advise anyone not to go to the ICU or anything else. Everyone case is different and everyone must make their own choices. If my breathing had gotten worse, my doctor would have put me in there in a heartbeat. I almost died twice, one in the middle of plasmapheresis and once in my room. I would never tell anyone not to have plasmapheresis or go to the hospital. I am telling my survival story.

    • Anonymous
      October 22, 2013 at 6:05 pm

      I loved your story, You give me hope for my girlfriend.