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On Tuesday, May 18th, 2010, Shawn was at work just as he was every day. At some point he sat down to take a break and suddenly realized he couldn't control his hands, especially his left hand. He fell over and had to be helped back up as it became apparent that he couldn't use his arms to push himself back to his previous sitting position. After that, Shawn was rushed to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital's ER where he was given a CT scan and an MRI. The CT scan came back normal but the MRI seemed to reveal a bulging disk in his neck. Shawn was in a great deal of pain and by this point had no feeling in the entire left side of his body and only about 25% control over the right side of his body. I feel compelled to take a moment to express how impressed we were with everyone in the ER at Kennestone. Every single professional we came in contact with was caring, concerned and went out of their way to make sure we knew exactly what was going on and that we were comfortable while we waited for the latest updates.
Although Shawn did indeed have a bulging disk, we learned later that night after further diagnosis that he had Guillain-Barre syndrome and would immediately be admitted to the ICU as this was something much more serious than a bulging disk in his neck. While in the ER, Shawn had been complaining of having difficulty breathing. This made perfect sense given his new diagnosis as GBS is sometimes accompanied by this serious symptom.
On Thursday, May 20th, Shawn's breathing had become so difficult that he was sedated and placed on a respirator. His lungs were in good condition, however, the muscles surrounding them responsible for making the chest work properly had become weaker and weaker. He's now resting & recovering in the ICU at Kennestone now, where he will be for at least the next month. His care-givers there are among the best and we are just grateful for the quick diagnosis of GBS as the quicker the diagnosis and the quicker the treatment, the better the prognosis tends to be.
*Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP), an autoimmune disorder affecting the peripheral nervous system, usually triggered by an acute infectious process. The syndrome was named after the French physicians Guillain, Barré and Strohl, who were the first to describe it in 1916. It is sometimes called Landry's paralysis, after the French physician who first described a variant of it in 1859. It is included in the wider group of peripheral neuropathies. There are several types of GBS, but unless otherwise stated, GBS refers to the most common form, AIDP. GBS is rare and has an incidence of 1 or 2 people per 100,000. It is frequently severe and usually exhibits as an ascending paralysis noted by weakness in the legs that spreads to the upper limbs and the face along with complete loss of deep tendon reflexes. With prompt treatment by plasmapheresis or intravenous immunoglobulins and supportive care, the majority of patients will regain full functional capacity. However, death may occur if severe pulmonary complications and autonomic nervous system problems are present. Guillain-Barré is one of the leading causes of non-trauma-induced paralysis in the world.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/shawnmcgill
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