GBS- IVIG & Stroke

    • Anonymous
      January 15, 2009 at 5:10 pm

      My mom is 65 and was hospitalized for GBS following a stomach virus and getting the flu shot. The stroke was very severe and on both sides of the brain. Has anyone been through anything similar and if so what has been the recover after a stroke from IVIG?

      Also please pray for Joan N. in New Haven, CT

      Thanks for anyone that responds.

    • Anonymous
      January 15, 2009 at 6:07 pm

      Hello Newhaven! Your poor mom! It’s bad enough getting GBS but having a stroke to along with it makes it hard to heal faster. I don’t know as much with GBS but know about CIDP with my case.
      But am pretty sure somebody in here can answer this for you! And I will say a big prayer for your mom! Keep us posted on her recovery! Hugs
      Linda H

    • Anonymous
      January 16, 2009 at 3:46 pm

      [QUOTE=LindaH]Hello Newhaven! Your poor mom! It’s bad enough getting GBS but having a stroke to along with it makes it hard to heal faster. I don’t know as much with GBS but know about CIDP with my case.
      But am pretty sure somebody in here can answer this for you! And I will say a big prayer for your mom! Keep us posted on her recovery! Hugs
      Linda H[/QUOTE]

      Thanks LInda! Today she is still unresponsive. She has very elevated levels of C-reactive proteins. When I mean high…I mean high. Normal levels are 3 and she is at 120. She is now on high dose steroids to bring down the CRP levels. The IVIG is what caused the CRP levels to increase because right before she got the IVIG her CRP level was normal. This has been a crazy 2 weeks and just hope and pray she can recover from this stroke and GBS.

    • Anonymous
      January 16, 2009 at 10:05 pm

      Hi Newhaven! Bless your heart! I feel for you my dear friend! Have they checked for a bleed on her brain. Sometimes those strokes like that can cause a bleed on the brain and the blood has to absorb before she can come back to normal as far as the stroke goes.
      It depends on what kind of stroke she had. A bleed on the brain type of stroke…once the blood absorbs she may come back too and do okay or she might come back too and have damage also from the stroke. Just depends on how bad that stroke damaged her brain and the area. If she had a motor cortex stroke then she may be a while recovering. The GBS varies on each patient. Some recover with weeks and others may take months. Having a stroke on top of GBS may cause more delays in her recovery.
      The only thing you can do right now is say many prayers. Let your mom know you are there for her and try your best to get her going! Read to her, tells her you love her and just pray she gets well!
      Time will tell what she will be like! She has two problems she is fighting right now. If they can get one controlled then the other problems will have a chance to improve. But with stroke on top of GBS. She may suffer permanent damage and not recover completely. Prayer is going to be her answer right now. Strong prayer! Keep us posted! I will pray for your mom until I hear from you again! Hugs
      Linda H

    • Anonymous
      January 16, 2009 at 11:39 pm

      Hi NewHaven, Welcome to The Family. Sorry to hear your Mom is going through all this. She is in My Thoughts and Prayers.
      If your Mom had a problem with ivig can she be treated with plasma exchange? Steroids isn’t recommended for gbs patients, it can make it worse in some cases. The plasmapheresis or plasma exchange, will cleanse the bad antibodies out of her body. It might be too much for her system at this point of the game but you might want to ask her neuro just in case. She has a long road ahead of her as far as recovery is concerned, and it would have been like that even before the stroke, the stroke adds a good deal more. Its not impossible by any means, its just going to be quite the battle for her. She needs all the love and support you can give her and Lots of Prayers help. Please keep us updated on her condition when you have a chance. Please remember to take good care of yourself during this stressful time also! Your Mom wouldn’t want it any other way!