Unsure diagnosis

    • Mcw
      September 6, 2017 at 7:16 pm

      Hi – back in April I started experiencing numbness on the bottom of one foot. Thereafter, it spread to both feet and gradually my feet became weak, to the point where I could no longer stand on my toes. It then stopped. All of this happened between April and May. Am EMG showed demyelination, but a spinal tap wasn’t high enough to indicate GBS. Although I’m still waiting for some blood results, my doctor (at Cornell in NYC) feels this is GBS and I start ivig next week. Has anyone had a similar experience and had it be GBS or CIDP? My symptoms seem mild compared to most stories I read, and I’m afraid they’ll find out this is an inherited neuropathy with no treatment (another suspicion, although it would be very odd since no one in family has ever had it). I’m just wondering if others have had similar mild symptoms and have had ivig success. Thanks in advance!

    • GH
      September 6, 2017 at 11:24 pm

      GBS can be severe or mild and anywhere in between. A mild case will not likely show a positive on the spinal fluid test. If the strength returns in your feet, that would be consistent with a mild case of GBS. Take the IvIg loading dose and see what happens.

    • Mcw
      September 7, 2017 at 7:36 am

      Thanks. I guess I’m just worried because my other doctor said GBS should have started to get better. It hasn’t gotten worse but hasn’t really gotten better either. So my main doc actually classified it as CIDP, but more for insurance reasons, as his personal feeling was GBS. So for obvious reasons I’d rather it be GBS than CIDP, but I guess I’ll have to wait and see. In good news, if it is CIDP, I’ve already been approved for additional treatments.