Monday 30th December 2019

I woke up with a pins and needles sensation in both my feet, and a pain in the back of my neck. I had been at work the previous day and believed I had just lifted something wrong, which I thought had resulted in a trapped nerve. I didn’t think it was anything serious, so I carried on as normal, and assumed in a couple of days it would go away. 

Thursday 2nd January 2020

I woke in the morning and began to feel  the same sensation in my hands, however rather than not being able to feel anything, everything I touched felt cold.  I had developed a weakness in the left side of my body, which was affecting my balance and my ability to walk, I felt quit dizzy and tired and googled my symptoms and assumed I just had the flu.

Friday 3rd January 2020

I decided to visit A&E because I began to become worried, rather than getting better, my symptoms were becoming increasingly worse. 

After a 3 hour wait, I explained my symptoms to the doctor, who then told me that I wasn’t an emergency case. She told me she didn’t recognise any of my symptoms. She proceeded to tell me “I don’t know what you expect me to do, A&E is for emergency cases, and you don’t look like you need a hospital bed. I suggest you see your GP on Monday”. She concluded I was probably just experiencing extreme stress, and I was advised to go home. 

Saturday 4th January 2020

Over the weekend I tried to sleep it off. I became increasingly weaker, but having been checked over by the doctor in A&E the previous days, their diagnosis lead me to believe there was nothing serious wrong with me.

Sunday 5th January 2020

I became extremely weak, to the point I was now unable to support myself to be able to climb the stairs, my mobility was becoming quite limited. I decided I definitely needed to go to the GP, because I was scared there was something seriously wrong, sadly I didn’t feel confident going to A&E again. 

Monday 6th January 2020

One full week after experiencing the first symptoms, I was now unable to even stand without support. I had tried to get up off the sofa which had resulted in me falling on the floor, and I was unable to even push myself up. I intended going to the GP, but I was far too weak and unsteady to make it out of the house. The left side of my face had also started to feel stiff. However, I was extremely coherent and sound in thought, I could hold and reply to conversations, so mentally I felt absolutely fine, which is another reason I probably didn’t feel it was serious.

Tuesday 7th January 2020

Both sides of my body had become weak. Over night, the left side of my face had also become paralysed, with my speech becoming slurred. I felt something was seriously wrong. Discouraged to go back to A&E I found the strength to visit my GP who told me needed to seek emergency medical care, hence another trip back to A&E. 

Back to the place I spent my Friday night, and had been previously turned away from, I was seen immediately.

The Doctors now feared I had had a mild stroke, which they believed cause my imbalance, limited mobility, slurred speech, and drooped face. I was given a CT scan, which however, showed no sign of this.

Doctors were confused, and were unable to find a cause for my sudden muscle weakness. That evening, I was admitted to Rotherham Hospital  for further observation.

In a matter of hours of being admitted, my whole face was paralysed, and I was struggling to swallow and talk properly. I now was also unable to get out of bed walk at all. However, I still had full control over my arms, but unable to grip anything with my hands.

Wednesday 8th January 2020

Doctors speculated I had GBS. Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare autoimmune condition affecting the peripheral nervous system, usually leading to temporary or long-term paralysis. Around 80% of those with GBS will make a good recovery, but between 5-10% of people will not survive and the other 10-15% may be left with severe mobility or dexterity issues.

I started 5 days IVIG treatment, this is a treatment made from donated blood that contains healthy antibodies. These are given to help stop the harmful antibodies damaging my  nerves.

Thursday 9th January 2020

I had an MRI scan which mainly focused on my brain and spine, this ruled out any other medical complications, to support the GBS diagnosis. 

After returning from my scan in a wheelchair, this was the weakest I had felt, and collapsed on the bed after being drought back to the ward. I was no longer coherent, and now struggled to even drink. My breathing was becoming increasingly worse.

Friday 10th January 2020

My breathing was now being monitored as GBS does cause problems with a patients respiratory system. I was fitted with an NG feeding tube after losing the ability to swallow, this enabled me to be fed for the next few days. I was also moved to the Hallamshire hospital in Sheffield, as I needed specialist care and there wasn't currently a neurology department at Rotherham.

Tuesday 14th January 2020

I was given an electromyography (EMG)  this measures muscle response or electrical activity in response to a nerve's stimulation of the muscle. The test is used to help detect neuromuscular abnormalities. During the test, one or more small needles (also called electrodes) are inserted through the skin into the nerves.

The electrodes tested my muscles and nerves reactions. Abnormalities were found, hence confirming  there was increased damage to my nerves, caused by GBS.

Wednesday 15th January 2020

My NG feeding tube was taken out, and I was allowed to eat a diet of puréed food. I was constantly visited by speech and language and given exercises to learn to be able to work my mouth muscles again. 

Thursday 16th January 2020

I was now allowed to eat solid food, and started physio to be able to walk again, I struggled to get out of bed, and my energy levels were extremely low, but I was making progress.

Friday 17th January 2020

I was now able to walk with support of others for 5 minutes. Also with the support of a zimmerframe. 

Monday 20th January 2020

I was moved back to Rotherham Hospital for ongoing physio, I was deemed medically fit, and my only hindrance was my mobility and my speech and paralysed face muscles.

Friday 24th January 2020

After 18 days in hospital I was back to eating solid food, and had started to regain my speech. My face was still paralysed, and my mobility was extremely limited though, I could walk (very slowly) with the support of crutches (I will need ongoing physio in order to recover fully). My energy levels were quite low, and I found myself getting fatigued extremely easily.

Thursday 5th March 2020

Just under 2 months after I was admitted to hospital, my recovery is still on going, but I feel extremely lucky that I will in fact still get better. I’ve regained my speech, and full control of the muscles in my face. I still have a pins and needles sensation in my feet and hands, but I can walk, I can sort of run, and I’m ready to get back to my day to day life. 

GAIN

 I am running the 10k for the charity GAIN, which helps people understand and manage both acute and chronic variants of the syndrome, raises awareness, and promotes clinical and non-clinical research into these conditions. Raising awareness  will help doctors like the first one I visited in A&E to understand the early signs, and prevent other people  from also being turned away from receiving medical assistance. I was lucky enough to get  better, but not everyone does, and I want to help make a difference to that.

 For more info visit www.gaincharity.org.uk