welcome pks, glad to hear you are on the road to recovery. We need all the success stories we can get around here. Take care.

Jerimy

Piero I am no doctor so I can’t give medical advice but I can pray for you both and I will. I wonder if they can try another round of IVIG (immunoglobulin treatments). You said he’s already had this, did they give it to him over 5 days, this seems to be the standard length of treatment with IVIG.

Please hang in and keep asking for help and asking questions of the doctors. People will respond to you on this forum. Best of luck and God bless.

Piero,

Do I understand correctly that your dad has had GBS for 17 days? If this is so, then his is still in the very early stages and you probably will not see improvement for a long time. GBS takes a very long time to ‘heal’.
Plasma exchange and IVIg do not cure GBS, they are given just to try and stop more nerve damage but do not make him better. Sterroids should not be given for GBS.

Make sure he is getting Physical therapy while he is paralyzed. The therapist should be doing passive excercises while he cannot move. Also they should be making sure he isnt getting foot drop, and should be wearing something to keep his toes pointing to the ceiling.

There is so much to tell, do you have anyone who speaks English and can interpret for you?

Dear Piero:

Plasma Pherises and IVIG do not actually cure the paralysis. The just stop the immune system from attacking the nerves. Your father’s nerves will heal at their own schedule.

There is hope for your father. Most people who have GBS do get better. Most people eventually return to a close to normal life. Only God knows how long the recovery will take or what the end result will be.

Lee

hi piero & welcome,

as said by those before me, 17 days is very early. as long as the plasma was done before the ivig, the ivig did not get washed out & is still in there doing its work. at this early stage he should not have steroids. it is possible he may not be at his worse till 21 to 28 days from beginning. the doctors do not have many gbs cases & when nothing works for them they say it does not look good. that is not the case. the recovery rate from gbs is high, but takes a long time to recover. months & years are not unusual. the doctors just don’t understand the time frame. let your father know he will recover, but it will take time. take care. be well.

gene gbs 8-99
in numbers there is strength

Hi,

I also think 17 days is very early. My mother took 35 days to get rid off ventilators. Now after 60 days doc is thinking of closing TT as he feels she can breath normally.

Bhumay

My mom is 78 and has been in the hospital for 10 weeks now. She can move her arms, but has very little movement in her legs still. She has been on a ventilator/ tracheotomy for 9 weeks. 17 days is very early and still very bad…..there will be a little bit of improvement from day to day. Unfortunately, this does take a long time for recovery, but recovery does happen- just at its own pace.
My thoughts are with you!