Wife and Husband with GBS, diagnosed 20 years apart
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May 19, 2006 at 2:08 pm
AN INTERESTING STORY.
Just a quick background. I had GBS in 1985/86, and a friend of mine had it in 86/87. I did not know her until 1990, when she called me out of the blue to find out if i wanted to attend a GBS support group. We became best friends, and after I left south africa in 1997, have kept in close touch. We were both totally paralized, both of us had trach’s, and we were both given plasmapharesis. Difference between us is that she unfortunately still walks with walking sticks, her hands cannot straighten properly and her legs are extremely weak, with numbness in her feet. I didnt have any of those residuals.While the old forum was down, I got a call from my friend, to tell me that her husband had just been diagnosed with GBS. I was absolutely shocked, and we both cried for a while. Before 1992, they did not even know each other, and he had not known what GBS was. His whole life changed when he met her because she was dependant on him for several things. [B]What are the odds that a husband and wife both get GBS, 20 years apart?[/B] Needless to say, we needed the forum desperately right then for info., but alas it was down. Her husband was given a 5 day course of IVIG, and was discharged from the hospital after one and a half weeks, he stayed at home for another two weeks, but is now back at work with some numbness still.
My husband commented that both of them getting GBS would be like me winning the lottery one week, and then him winning it a few weeks later. 😮 (yeah right, if we bought a ticket)
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May 19, 2006 at 2:16 pm
Wow Ali, that is really a strange story. I have heard of GBS and CIDP occuring in blood relatives, but never this. I am so sorry they are going through this.
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May 19, 2006 at 2:27 pm
Yeah the odds of that happening are crazy high. That’s too bad that he as her caregiver now has to deal with it also. My thoughts and prayers are with them.
Jerimy
PS-Tell them to buy lottery tickets.
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May 19, 2006 at 2:47 pm
Donna and Jer,
I’m just thankful that he become totally paralyzed and didnt have a trach. I dont know what would have happened to them if he became disabled and couldnt do his job, you can collect unemployment for a while in South Africa, but then you run out of options.
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May 19, 2006 at 5:36 pm
Ali,
What a freaky story. I hope all goes well for them. My thoughts are with them.
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May 25, 2006 at 5:53 am
What an amazing and horrific coincidence.
Have there been any other cases of GBS in the geographic area? We’ve read in posts by Lee, Brandy and others about clusters of GBS. Could this be another?
Please tell your friend she and her husband are in our prayers. She is fortunate to have you as a friend.
Warm regards,
Marge -
May 25, 2006 at 7:18 am
[quote=marguerite]
Have there been any other cases of GBS in the geographic area? We’ve read in posts by Lee, Brandy and others about clusters of GBS. Could this be another?
[/quote]Marge,
I think it would be interesting to find out from other hospitals and doctors in the area if there were more GBS patients. I know the neurologist he had seen, said there had been a case in December, and his was in April. So it seems that that hospital had only seen 2 cases. I’ll see if she is up to finding out more.
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May 25, 2006 at 7:21 am
Ali. I just wanted to add my story here.
I worked in a small department with in a large teaching hospital. With in 14 years two of us developed GBS and one of us developed CIPD.
Now what are the chances of that?
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May 25, 2006 at 9:48 am
I have to say that that does seem quite unusual. How are the three of you doing now? Did all of you work in the same department?
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May 27, 2006 at 12:08 pm
Ali,
Please pass on our best wishes, our prayers, our hopes, to your friends.
I think numbers can be a help in analyzing patterns. Several years ago a Board of Education study of student absences in NYC schools uncovered some needed information about asthma care.
In the meantime, take good care of yourself. Caring friends are rare and should be nurtured.
Regards,
Marge -
May 28, 2006 at 12:27 am
Hi,
Yes I have heard of a husband and wife in my city that both had GBS, they developed it at different times, but both developed it after they had met and married.best wishes to all,
cg -
March 3, 2007 at 11:44 am
This isn’t me and my spouse or a married couple I know but, …. I have been lucky enough to have my social security case land in the lap of a lady that had a mild case of GBS 20 years ago. I almost fell out when I asked her if she had heard of GBS and she told me that, she said it took her over a year to get over it and she still has residuals.She said her case wasn’t even close to being as severe as mine. …….. I bought lottery tickets last weekend that are good until april 14th! lol;)
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March 3, 2007 at 2:08 pm
Aaaah Tim, I’m going to try my luck and buy a ticket tomorrow, you got me to get my act together …. 😉
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March 3, 2007 at 10:47 pm
Alison,
I contracted GBS in the Spring of ’86 when I lived in Pennsylvania but spent a week in Tampa, FL it started. Twenty years later…this Fall I came down with it again. I started feeling it a little in Tampa but it really hit when I got back to PA. Those are the same years as you discussed, aren’t they? Luckily I was taking huge amounts of vitamins and it kept me off machines and out of the hospital – well, okay..I belonged in the hospital since I could not walk ….but they wouldn’t admit me…
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