I woke up one day and suddenly could not walk… a little-known disease left me trapped inside my own body
A woman has revealed how she felt ‘stuck in her own body’ after contracting a rare disease that initially baffled doctors.
Rebecca Louise Love was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a serious condition that affects nerves, senses, movements and basic functions such as breathing and heartbeat.
It usually hits the arms and legs first before spreading to other parts of the body.
The mother of two and make-up artist from the UK noticed tingling in her feet for about a week before realizing she was losing weight.
The 29-year-old said he could not get up from the couch, had difficulty getting out of the bathroom, suffered excruciating back and pelvis pain, and eventually had difficulty walking.
He went to the emergency room but was sent home a few hours later with no response.
But after a day, he said, the pain became so severe that he ‘couldn’t move at all’.
‘I went [the emergency room]I had a few tests done and was sent home a few hours later,” Rebecca told NeedToKnow recently.
Rebecca Louise Love was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a serious condition that affects basic functions such as nerves, senses, movements, breathing and heartbeat.
He had to stay in hospital for eight weeks after the disease left him unable to walk and having difficulty breathing and swallowing
‘The next day I called my wife. [doctor]They gave me some painkillers and told me to call back if the pain continued after four weeks.
‘ [next] When I woke up the next day, I couldn’t move at all, and every time I tried, I felt pain that I had never felt before.
‘I finally called the ambulance and that’s when I was taken to hospital.’
Love was taken to the hospital and his condition rapidly deteriorated.
‘I couldn’t sit up, couldn’t move my arms or legs,’ he recalled. ‘My children would come to visit and hug me, and I couldn’t even hug them.
‘They did a lumbar puncture on me, which I honestly don’t even remember because I was in so much pain.’
Soon his face was paralyzed and he could ‘barely’ speak.
His vision became blurry and he had trouble breathing and swallowing food or water, so he was moved to the intensive care unit.
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‘I couldn’t sit up, couldn’t move my arms or legs,’ he recalled. ‘My children were coming to visit me and hugging me, but I couldn’t even hug them either.’
He had to relearn to stand and walk again and spent eight weeks in hospital recovering before finally returning home.
“I had a feeding tube inserted and my fluids were cut off because I couldn’t swallow,” he said.
‘My breathing was getting worse and I was put on oxygen and if it continued they would probably have to put me on oxygen.’ [into a medically induced coma].’
Love was eventually diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome and began treatment using immunoglobulin therapy.
Accordingly Mayo Clinic‘It is a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves, causing weakness, numbness or paralysis.’
While the exact cause is unknown and there is no known cure, various treatment options may relieve symptoms and speed recovery, according to the publication.
Recovery was slow for Love, and each step turned into a major turning point.
She said: ‘I still couldn’t close my eyes, blink or smile. I also couldn’t move my mouth or my legs and arms.
‘My symptoms were similar to those associated with having a stroke. I was finally able to use my hands first, but it felt like I had dinosaur arms.
The exact cause of Guillain-Barré syndrome is unknown, and although there is no known cure, various treatment options can relieve symptoms and speed recovery.
‘Everything was a struggle… but when I learned to accept what was happening to me, with the help of the physiotherapy team, I began to gain confidence and some strength, despite how bad my muscles had become.
‘Every week was like a huge milestone and it felt amazing to see myself doing something again.’
He had to relearn to stand and walk again and spent eight weeks in hospital recovering before finally returning home.
‘I tried to force myself to regain my independence. “I’m not the ‘normal’ me as I still struggle to carry out some daily tasks, I’m in frequent pain and I still can’t feel my feet properly because there’s constant tingling,” he concluded.
‘But at least I can walk again, I still have appointments to attend and it may be a long process until I’m fully conscious again, but it’s taught me a lot about myself and life and now I know I need to listen to my body 100 per cent.’
