An update from September last year with a sad outcome

Well this is not a happy email but it may prove of some help to someone out in the GBS community and our doctor has asked that we mention it so that the wider GBS community are aware.

To recap from last year, my uncle went down with GBS over the period of a week last September. We were devastated but he fought back gallantly and was discharge mobile from hospital early in January. While he was in hospital he received lost of IV’s (lost track on exactly what but once they started he didn’t get any worse but didn’t seem to improve either). In November they started him on a course of steriods and there was a rapid improvement and within a few days he was literally able to stand and take his own weight. From there he began to walk, etc. His specialist and staff called it a miraculous recovery.

In February we were devasted when he found a lump and was eventually diagnosed with cancer. Secondary melonoma to be precise. It was in his lymph glands and he had the male version of breast cancer. They still do not know where the primary cancer was even after a CT scan, etc. In talking with his GP he now suspects that GBS occurred as John’s body attempted to fight off the start of the cancer and instead of attacking the cancer it attacked his nerve endings.

As I write this I have just been recalled back to the hospice by my family probably for the final time. I do remember reading about another member who also went from GBS to cancer so ….

To those of you in NZ, the hospital system here got onto it very quickly and were fantastic. The info pack that the GBS foundation sent through was wonderfully helpful also. It was been great to be able to read on the old forums the wealth of info the was posted. I hope that the same info in time will build up on this new forum. It provided us with great positive support when we needed it there. It’s just so unfortunate that the cancer has won once again.

Thanks to all the contributors. Keep up the great work and positive encouragement of each other. It was great to be able to read and feel a part of this wonderful community at a time of need.

Christine