Update- Diagnosis turned out to Guillain Barre Syndrome

[leesielocket]

I took my husband to the ER Wednesday because his condition had gotten so bad. He could barely walk and it was starting to affect his arms. The neurologist examined him and said he thought it was Guillain Barre Syndrome but had to rule out MS and ALS. So, after a CT scan, a spinal tap, MRI and a nerve conduction test, he declared it to definitely be Guillain Barre. This condition is when your immune system attacks your nervous system and destroys the myelin sheath that covers your nerves. A B12 deficiency also causes the deterioration of the myelin sheath, too, right? I guess that's why the symptoms are so similar. This condition, though, is almost always a one time thing. We stayed in the hospital from Wed. morning until this evening and he was given 4 days of immunoglobulin infusion (plasma through an iv) to stop his body from attacking itself. His symptoms are still the same but all we can do is wait for his body to repair itself. I'm going to keep giving him B12 supplements because he's going to need lots of B12 for his body to repair the myelin sheath. His recovery could last anywhere from a few weeks to a few years, but most people make a complete recovery within 18 months. At the hospital, his B12 level was a little over 1900! That was just a serum test, though, and after 2 B12 shots and quite a few 10000mcg sublinguals, that wasn't a surprise

[Sleepybunny]

I hope your husband recovers as quickly as possible. Thank you for sharing your story.

[Lisahelen]

Glad you got an answer, not necessarily one you would have wanted though i guess. My brother had this some years ago, it came on really quickly and he was in hospital for a while while they found out what it was and how best to treat him. He is much better but it did take quite some time and he still has to take it easier than his athletic persona of years gone by will allow.

I hope hubby recovers well.

[pitney]

I hope your husband makes a speedy recovery and that better times are just around the corner ,stay strong and look after yourself too, hugs and Xs

[fbirder]

I hope your husband does make a full recovery, one of the good things about GBS is that most patients do so.

This was one of the things they suspected I might have, but the nerve-conduction results were inconsistent with it.

It's a good example why people with peripheral neuropathy shouldn't just assume it's B12 but should get to see a neurologist to have it confirmed. If you're B12 deficient that that probably is the cause, but it might not be and you may be suffering needlessly.