Help Paul Fight Guillain Barre Syndrome
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Help Paul fight Guillain Barre Syndrome an illness many have not heard about.
On August 1st PAUL went to work driving his semi truck a job he loved and looked forward to.
On Friday August 2nd his left hip was aching a pain he couldn’t understand so he applied a heating pad and it seemed to help. On Saturday we didn’t go to church because PAUL didn’t sleep that night. That day his left leg was tingling and feeling weird along with a sore hip.
On Holiday Monday PAUL just laid on the couch veggitating. However on Tuesday feeling still weird his legs that didn’t seem his own he went to work thinking it would pass By late morning he called me and said this was a mistake I shouldn’t of gone to work. By evening he told the dispatcher “I need to see a Doctor and I need to see one NOW”. However PAUL didn’t return until the next day at 7:00pm.
In trucking returning back isn’t easy.
By then he was weak, exhausted and couldn’t feel his legs. He couldn’t do up his jeans because his fingers were numb. He had fallen twice that day. Once to pick up a shovel. The other time when he was trying to close the gate at the work garage.
PAUL was scared and emotional and worried not knowing what was happening to him. So we rushed off to the closest major hospital Brandon. We arrived around 10:00pm. Saw a Doctor at 1:00am and after blood work and a urine test was told nothing was wrong he’s fighting a viral infection You will be better in 24 to 48 hours So 3:00am we left the hospital PAUL by now struggled to get off the chair. I (his wife) drove home and arrived at 6:00 in the morning.
That day PAUL couldn’t get off the toilet. He would take his pants off go onto his knees and pull himself up on a bench and bathroom doorknob.
On Friday morning he phoned Telehealth and was told to go to Emergency.
We got to Dauphin Emergency at 11:00am PAUL was able to walk from the back of hospital to Front of hospital due to construction however the walk completely exhausted him, so they got a wheelchair. At 2:00pm PAUL needed to go to washroom so nurse took him, he grabbed the handicap bar to pull himself up and fell, that was the last time he walked. However that incident got him into be seen sooner. But he waited till 5:00pm to get a room. And guess what it’s the weekend so no one was around till Monday
Then Monday came and Paul received physio to check his mobility and a spinal tap. That day PAUL was diagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome.
So what is GBS?
It is an auto immune disease where Paul’s plasma is attacking his myelin sheath on his spinal cord and brain stem. The sheath falls apart which eventually caused paralysis from the neck down. The myelin sheath is like the protective wrap around the wires of an extension cord. There are treatments for GBS but no cures. And occurs 1 in 100 000 around the world. Paul had treatment in Dauphin and for 3 days was getting better than got worse over the weekend again.
By Monday August 26th PAUL was sent by ambulance to the Health Sciences Center in Winnipeg
As a side note the ambulance touched side mirrors with another vehicle so had to pull over to exchange information.
Then in Emergency “they” lost Paul’s admitting papers so was lost in Emergency for four extra hours
But once he got to his room all kinds of specialists came to see him. along with resident Doctors. He said the top neurologist in the hospital who saw PAUL and talked to him everyday including Saturday and Sunday. By now PAUL was receiving plasma treatments something they couldn’t do in Dauphin.
After two weeks PAUL started to regress again this time unable to breathe well. His carbon dioxide levels were going up. Also he could not cough and had lost his voice
Breathing tests were done on him.
Next thing we were told PAUL needed to go to ICU. When they took him the head doctor of ICU had told me. If we had waited any longer we might of lost him. They rushed him into his room to put him on a ventilator. Now Paul has been in ICU for over two weeks. As of this Sunday September 22nd. PAUL is texting again. and we are doing FaceTime on the computer however I still can’t lip read.
Paul is presently at Health Sciences Center in Winnipeg at the ICU.
(Written September 23rd 2019)
On August 1st PAUL went to work driving his semi truck a job he loved and looked forward to.
On Friday August 2nd his left hip was aching a pain he couldn’t understand so he applied a heating pad and it seemed to help. On Saturday we didn’t go to church because PAUL didn’t sleep that night. That day his left leg was tingling and feeling weird along with a sore hip.
On Holiday Monday PAUL just laid on the couch veggitating. However on Tuesday feeling still weird his legs that didn’t seem his own he went to work thinking it would pass By late morning he called me and said this was a mistake I shouldn’t of gone to work. By evening he told the dispatcher “I need to see a Doctor and I need to see one NOW”. However PAUL didn’t return until the next day at 7:00pm.
In trucking returning back isn’t easy.
By then he was weak, exhausted and couldn’t feel his legs. He couldn’t do up his jeans because his fingers were numb. He had fallen twice that day. Once to pick up a shovel. The other time when he was trying to close the gate at the work garage.
PAUL was scared and emotional and worried not knowing what was happening to him. So we rushed off to the closest major hospital Brandon. We arrived around 10:00pm. Saw a Doctor at 1:00am and after blood work and a urine test was told nothing was wrong he’s fighting a viral infection You will be better in 24 to 48 hours So 3:00am we left the hospital PAUL by now struggled to get off the chair. I (his wife) drove home and arrived at 6:00 in the morning.
That day PAUL couldn’t get off the toilet. He would take his pants off go onto his knees and pull himself up on a bench and bathroom doorknob.
On Friday morning he phoned Telehealth and was told to go to Emergency.
We got to Dauphin Emergency at 11:00am PAUL was able to walk from the back of hospital to Front of hospital due to construction however the walk completely exhausted him, so they got a wheelchair. At 2:00pm PAUL needed to go to washroom so nurse took him, he grabbed the handicap bar to pull himself up and fell, that was the last time he walked. However that incident got him into be seen sooner. But he waited till 5:00pm to get a room. And guess what it’s the weekend so no one was around till Monday
Then Monday came and Paul received physio to check his mobility and a spinal tap. That day PAUL was diagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome.
So what is GBS?
It is an auto immune disease where Paul’s plasma is attacking his myelin sheath on his spinal cord and brain stem. The sheath falls apart which eventually caused paralysis from the neck down. The myelin sheath is like the protective wrap around the wires of an extension cord. There are treatments for GBS but no cures. And occurs 1 in 100 000 around the world. Paul had treatment in Dauphin and for 3 days was getting better than got worse over the weekend again.
By Monday August 26th PAUL was sent by ambulance to the Health Sciences Center in Winnipeg
As a side note the ambulance touched side mirrors with another vehicle so had to pull over to exchange information.
Then in Emergency “they” lost Paul’s admitting papers so was lost in Emergency for four extra hours
But once he got to his room all kinds of specialists came to see him. along with resident Doctors. He said the top neurologist in the hospital who saw PAUL and talked to him everyday including Saturday and Sunday. By now PAUL was receiving plasma treatments something they couldn’t do in Dauphin.
After two weeks PAUL started to regress again this time unable to breathe well. His carbon dioxide levels were going up. Also he could not cough and had lost his voice
Breathing tests were done on him.
Next thing we were told PAUL needed to go to ICU. When they took him the head doctor of ICU had told me. If we had waited any longer we might of lost him. They rushed him into his room to put him on a ventilator. Now Paul has been in ICU for over two weeks. As of this Sunday September 22nd. PAUL is texting again. and we are doing FaceTime on the computer however I still can’t lip read.
Paul is presently at Health Sciences Center in Winnipeg at the ICU.
(Written September 23rd 2019)
Organizer
Judy Croft
Organizer
Dauphin, MB
