Latest news with #GuillainBarreSyndrome
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
A father-of-two assumed tingling in his hands was pins and needles. One week later, he was paralysed
A father-of-two who assumed a tingling sensation in his hands was just pins and needles woke up paralysed a few days later – and couldn't even close his eyes for weeks. Luke Pickering, a mechanic from Nottingham, went to work as normal when he first noticed the strange sensation in his hands. The next day it had progressed to his toes and despite trying to carry on as normal, he soon took a turn for the worse. 'I was carrying my eldest down the stairs and I just felt weak, and I thought I was going to drop him,' Mr Pickering told the Independent. He insisted that he was still able to go to work but his partner Alix, 31, realised he wasn't well and took him to A&E where he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) – a rare condition where the immune system begins to attack the nervous system. From that moment in November 2023, Mr Pickering did not return home for another 94 days. 'I thought I'd be coming back out soon, but as the week progressed, I just got weaker and weaker. I went from using crutches to being put into a full hoist. I couldn't do anything for myself,' he said. 'I was paralysed from the head down. Even my face was paralysed so I had to sleep with my eyes open for three weeks.' Normally triggered by a virus infection, the condition usually causes tingling, numbness, or pins and needles in the arms and legs first before the symptoms spread to other parts of the body, causing muscle weakness. However, Mr Pickering did not recall having any colds, fevers or stomach bugs before his symptoms hit. The condition, which affects around 1,300 people in the UK a year, is treated through immunotherapy including intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and plasma exchange. Mr Pickering had IVIG, but his condition continued to deteriorate so doctors decided to transfer him to the Intensive Care Unit at NUH's City Hospital. 'I could feel myself getting worse. I prepared myself to say my goodbyes to my family, but I wasn't willing to say it. I just said 'see you later,'' he added. Mr Pickering was visited by his partner, their two-year-old son and their newborn baby every day and was determined to get better for them. He said: 'I was really hard on myself at the time, but the only way I was going to be happy was by getting home. I was determined to get out and walk again.' The third round of IVIG and a blood plasma transfusion worked allowing Mr Pickering to start recovery at the Linden Lodge rehabilitation unit in Nottingham just before Christmas. There he had speech and language therapy and learnt how to walk again. Recalling feeling 'terrified' to stand and walk again, he said: 'I knew my body wasn't ready for it, but you just have to keep doing it.' Eventually in February 2024, Mr Pickering learnt to walk again and now a year after coming home, he is living an almost normal life again, including being back fixing cars and tractors in his job as a mechanic. Although he still can't feel his toes, Mr Pickering said he is grateful for the treatment he received. However, the small risk of his condition relapsing still hangs over him. 'If I wake up in the middle of the night with pins and needles, that's it. I'm awake all night because I think it's happening again,' he explained. Following his recovery Mr Pickering has also become a patient ambassador for the National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC), a brand new 70-bed rehab facility. In his voluntary ambassador role, Mr Pickering will support other patients going through similar rehabilitation. Talking about his role at the centre, he said: 'I just wanted to give back. When I was going through it, I wanted someone with a positive outcome to just talk to.'
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Grammy-nominated singer shares rare update after being diagnosed with neurological disorder that left him unable to walk as he admits he's in 'state of repair and survival' but is 'starting to see the light'
Sufjan Stevens has shared a rare health update two years after he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome and left unable to walk. The singer-songwriter, 49, revealed his diagnosis with the rare neurological disorder on his Instagram in September 2023, with a photo of him in a wheelchair in hospital. At the time he told fans he was 'working really hard to get back on my feet', but it would take a lengthy healing period, preventing him from promoting his album, Javelin, which he dedicated to his partner Evans Richardson, who died in April that year. After stepping away from the public eye while learning to walk again through physical therapy, Sufjan has now shared an update in a new interview with Vulture, where he assured fans: 'I'm okay'. However, the Grammy-nominated star emphasized that he was still not in a place to perform on stage anytime soon, saying he was 'in a state of repair and survival'. When asked about his current state, Sufjan said: 'I'm okay. Situation normal, all up, kind of a thing. I've had some pretty difficult things happen to me, so I'm in a state of repair and survival. I'm not really in any state of mind or any position to go on tour yet.' He went on: 'But I'm starting to see the light. I'm starting to feel a sense of direction toward something meaningful and substantial. I've been focusing on the moment and on things that feel very silly and Zen: serenity and acceptance and duty and stewardship.' The Oscar-nominee went on to explain how he had taken to doing 'a lot of ordinary, mundane adulting', such as home renovations, gardening and walking his dogs. He said: 'I've been working on other people's music this past year, not my own. It feels like my life is in service to other things right now. It's fine and required of me. I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay. It's been two years of a s***show, but I'm okay.' Sufjan is releasing the 10-year anniversary edition of his critically-acclaimed album Carrie & Lowell at the end of the month. The LP is focused on the fallout of the death of his mother Carrie in 2012, and her mental health and drug issues, as well as Sufjan's relationship with his stepfather Lowell Brams. He reflected on the way that he tackles heavy topics such as grief and the way in which his music has continued to resonate with a lot of people. Sufjan said: 'To live is to be preoccupied with death. Maybe that's why this material speaks to a lot of people. I've become the poster child of death in a lot of ways in the music world. It wasn't intentional. It crept up, but it's always been there.' The artist previously detailed how he came to be diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), recalling how he was left fighting for his life and numb in his arms and legs. The rapidly progressive disease occurs when the body's immune system attacks its nervous system, with recovery taking at least six to 12 months. WHAT IS GUILLAIN-BARRÉ SYNDROME? Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) occurs when the body's immune system attacks its nervous system. It is a rare and rapidly progressive disease that affects one to two in 100,000 people each year. Symptoms usually start with a tingling sensation in the leg, which may spread to the arms and upper body. In severe cases, the person can become paralysed. The condition can be life-threatening if it affects a person's breathing, blood pressure or heart rate. GBS' cause is unknown, but it usually occurs after a viral infection. There is no cure, with recovery taking at least six to 12 months. Treatment focuses on restoring the nervous system. GBS can cause paralysis in the arms, legs or face, and excruciating pain through the entire body, while in severe cases, it causes life-threatening problems including breathing difficulties and blood clots. Around one in 50,000 Britons and Americans develop GBS every year, and the condition kills around one in 20 people. Sufjan penned a lengthy message to his fans in 2023, where he described suddenly being faced with the terrifying symptoms of GBS. He recalled: 'Last month I woke up one morning and couldn't walk. My hands, arms and legs were numb and tingling and I had no strength, no feeling, no mobility. 'My brother drove me to the ER and after a series of tests—MRIs, EMGs, cat scans, X-rays, spinal taps (!), echo-cardiograms, etc.—the neurologists diagnosed me with an auto immune disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome.' Remaining cautiously optimistic, the Call Me by Your Name composer spoke about beginning his process of recovery from the disease. He wrote: 'Luckily there's treatment for scary, but it worked. I spent about two weeks in Med/Surg, stuck in a bed, while my doctors did all the things to keep me alive and stabilize my condition. I owe them my life. 'I am now undergoing intensive physical therapy/occupational therapy, strength building etc. to get my body back in shape and to learn to walk again. 'It's a slow process, but they say I will "recover," it just takes a lot of time. Most people who have GBS learn to walk again on their own within a year, so I am hopeful. Sufjan penned a lengthy message to his fans in 2023, where he described suddenly being faced with the terrifying symptoms of GBS 'I'm only in my second week of rehab but it is going really well and I am working really hard to get back on my feet.' 'I'm committed to getting better, I'm in good spirits, and I'm surrounded by a really great team. I want to be well! I'll keep you posted as I progress. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers'. The singer then sent a 'huge shout out to all the incredible caretakers of the world working night and day to help us heal. They are living saints.' Stevens concluded by writing: 'Be well, be joyful, stay sane, stay safe. I love you. Yours truly from a wheelchair XOXOXO.'
New Indian Express
15-05-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Wife of man in coma gets Karnataka High Court nod to access his bank accounts
BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court appointed the wife of a retired man as his guardian to operate his three savings bank accounts in two nationalised banks since he is lying in ICU for more than nine months and cannot write and sign due to 'Guillain Barre Syndrome' (GBS). The husband developed the GBS just prior to his retirement after attaining the age of superannuation in November 2024. GBS is a syndrome which is known to be a rare neurological disorder in which a person's immune system is compromised by an attack on the part of the peripheral nervous system, and the husband is in the ICU from June 23, 2024 and on a ventilator. The doctors of the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute diagnosed him with GBS in November 2024, and the requirement of a ventilator appeared to have become permanent. Hence, the court directed the State Bank of India and Indian Overseas Bank to allow the wife, residing in Rajajinagar in the city, to draw money for the day-to-day treatment of her husband and for the livelihood of the family. The petitioner's husband has his account in both banks in Bengaluru and Sagara of Shivamogga district. She submitted a representation to each of the banks quoting the account number, permitting her to operate the account, she being the wife. Though all medical certificates necessary were submitted to the banks, the banks have not acted, and she has not been able to draw money to meet the day-to-day expenses of the treatment and the livelihood of the family. It is therefore, she knocked the doors of the court seeking directions to the banks. Allowing wife's petition recently, Justice M Nagaprasanna said: 'The livelihood of the family is now put to jeopardy, as the averment in the petition is for nine months, the family is unable to meet both the ends, as no money can be drawn from the accounts, one of which also holds the pension of the husband of the petitioner. Owing to these peculiar facts, I deem it appropriate to permit the petitioner to operate the account of her husband and draw money, as she is not a stranger in relationship to the account holder, she is the wife'. The court noted that the relationship between the petitioner and the account holder is husband and wife. Just before retirement, the husband develops GBS, resulting in ebbing mental prowess. The patient would become incapacitated from writing and signing. This appears to have resulted in no money being permitted to be withdrawn or transferred from all three bank accounts, leading to impecuniosity. The petitioner is the sole dependent of the account holder. In light of the unequivocal facts and the husband being in a comatose state due to 'GBS', and therefore, the petitioner has now been in a comatose state, the court observed while issuing directions to the bank.
