Carlos's Guillain Barré Fight

On Tuesday, August 15th my husband and I had a normal work day and went straight home as usual after work that day. I ended up taking him to ER that night for a real bad heat rash he got from working in the heat that had spread all over his body. He got some prescriptions for creams and we left to the pharmacy. Afterwards we had dinner and went home to rest since it was late already and had to get ready for our next workday. Before my husband went to sleep he took a Benadryl and put on the creams that were prescribed and then we both knocked out. That night I couldn't sleep cause I wasn't feeling well and it continued through the next morning. My husbands alarm goes off at 4am every morning and as he tried to turn it off he noticed that he could not open his hands. He proceeded to grab his clothes and take a shower even though his hands still wouldn't open. As soon as he got out he woke me up showing me his hands werenshut closed and would not open at all. The first thing I thought was he slept wrong and his hands fell asleep but that feeling would have been gone by now. He started pacing back and forth in the bedroom then he sat back down next to me with pain in his legs and that's when it all happened. It was time to go hospital he could no longer walk. Once at the hospital the doctors wanted to test to see if it was a stroke due to the visible symptoms. He went through numerous testing and all came out negative for a stroke, but during the whole time the progression of his symptoms was getting much worse and turning into no feeling at all in arms and from his waist down. Neurologist were getting involved as his symptoms were deteriorating rapidly and ordered him immediate admission into the hospital so that they can run further testing. The next morning he went through a series of 3 more MRI's and also a spinal tap to get fluid from his spine to figure out why he was paralyzed in his body and couldn't move his hands nor his legs anymore. During that spinal test the Dr hit a nerve and the pain increased. An hour after the last test came back the DR's checked any reflexes in his legs and it still was rapidly deteriorating and went from very little to none at all. Another hour past when the neurology team came in and then said they finally figured it out and was ready to give a diagnosis. The DR's said he had Guillain-Barré Syndrome. This was something that was never heard of and so rare that it only effects 1 out of every 100,000 people. It's a disease that attacks the immune system that weakens it and in return effects the nervous system which could cause paralyzation to a person. It was unclear how it could effect anyone and especially someone that is active daily but it effected him and took over his body within a matter of 24 hours. The DR ordered immediate treatment with IVIG(Immunoglobulin) and cause of the deterioration of his body the  DR ordered him to be moved to PCU which he would have immediate care and watched around the clock in case it starts to spread any higher which causes upper body to be paralyzed and possibly placed on a ventilator. Treatment is 5-6 hours each one per day through a PICC line and hits body immediately once infused over 5 days but progression was just getting worse by the day and no feeling still all in lower body and hands. The odds are 50/50 chance to walk again which could take even weeks to months to years to have feeling again to even start rehab to try and gain that feeling back again. At this point after 5 days in hospital and 4 treatments later he still has no feeling and cannot walk at all. We still continue to pray and hope that treatments will have some kind of effect and hope that they will help in the long run but still he has no feeling and cannot do for himself. It's going to be a long process and medical bills are already piling up and still not including a facility he will need to be transferred to in order to start a rehab to try and get feeling back just in his lower body again. It literally was a life changing experience for someone to be up one day running around to waking up and being paralyzed just like that. He provided for a family of 7 which includes 5 kids that live at home with him and still in school. He cannot work and was placed on leave from his job which he cannot get paid for any longer cause he cannot perform his job duties as if he use to when he was able to walk. I also had to take leave from work to be with him every step of the way to this life changing experience and sign all paperwork and make arrangements for him all while not working and being placed on FMLA  which I do not receive a check during this time. It is a very difficult time especially with all the kids needing new things to start the new school year on Monday, August 28th. We are looking for help just to cover the large amount of medical there is cause since he was in between jobs and barely started this one he was at then he didn't qualify for medical benefits yet but the bills are already starting to come in. Due to no insurance it takes time for trying to sign up and get any kind of answers for approvals on help through the state and in order to proceed treatments plus medications and rehab then they already ask for some kind of insurance or payment plan up front in order to continue or start anything outside of the hospital. We know it's going to be a long process and long recovery for everything but any little bit helps in order to get Carlos the treatment he needs to fight this rare disease he has. It has caught everyone by surprise and goes to show that life changing events can happen in a blink of an eye. We are hoping that family and friends from all around can research about this syndrome and educate themselves on it and understand it to see how it can effect anyone the way it  has really effected Carlos. We really appreciate any help in this time of need and know anything is greatly appreciated. Thanks to all.