I too was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre so I know what it can be like, but I'm sorry to tell you, but that is NOT a cure. That is simply a treatment to help the body's immune system to correct itself. Guillain-Barre is a SYNDROME. I.e., a collection of symptoms that were given a name. Once your body's immune system stops attacking and destroying the myelin sheath of the peripheral nerves and your nerves regenerate as best they can, you NO LONGER have Guillain-Barre. It is not a disease that you carry around with you for the rest of your life. Think of it like some viral infections. You can catch a virus. You can take a treatment to help your body kill the virus quicker. Eventually your body will kill the virus. You could possibly have permanent damage from the infection. BUT nothing that you have done for this particular infection will keep you from catching another virus at a later time. It's the same with Guillain-Barre, there is nothing that can be done to prevent a persons immune system from backfiring and attacking its own peripheral nerve myelin sheath.
I hope your son continues to stay healthy, but please know that the Plasmapheresis was only a treatment that helped his body's immune system to stop attacking the myelin quick enough before it caused permanent damage or death.
I too made a 100% recovery after about 4 months but I had no treatments whatsoever. Again just like some viral infections, the treatments must be started early enough into the attack to be of any benefit whatsoever. I was brought into the hospital well into my first week of symptoms and was there for a total of 4 weeks. I was only given saline fluids and nothing else. In essence, my treatment was a "watch and wait". I suppose based on your post that doing nothing is also a cure for Guillain-Barre? That's not sarcasm, just playing devil's advocate to show that your line of thinking is flawed. The cure here is merely the body's ability to heal itself given enough time.
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I too was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre so I know what it can be like, but I'm sorry to tell you, but that is NOT a cure. That is simply a treatment to help the body's immune system to correct itself. Guillain-Barre is a SYNDROME. I.e., a collection of symptoms that were given a name. Once your body's immune system stops attacking and destroying the myelin sheath of the peripheral nerves and your nerves regenerate as best they can, you NO LONGER have Guillain-Barre. It is not a disease that you carry around with you for the rest of your life. Think of it like some viral infections. You can catch a virus. You can take a treatment to help your body kill the virus quicker. Eventually your body will kill the virus. You could possibly have permanent damage from the infection. BUT nothing that you have done for this particular infection will keep you from catching another virus at a later time. It's the same with Guillain-Barre, there is nothing that can be done to prevent a persons immune system from backfiring and attacking its own peripheral nerve myelin sheath.
I hope your son continues to stay healthy, but please know that the Plasmapheresis was only a treatment that helped his body's immune system to stop attacking the myelin quick enough before it caused permanent damage or death.
I too made a 100% recovery after about 4 months but I had no treatments whatsoever. Again just like some viral infections, the treatments must be started early enough into the attack to be of any benefit whatsoever. I was brought into the hospital well into my first week of symptoms and was there for a total of 4 weeks. I was only given saline fluids and nothing else. In essence, my treatment was a "watch and wait". I suppose based on your post that doing nothing is also a cure for Guillain-Barre? That's not sarcasm, just playing devil's advocate to show that your line of thinking is flawed. The cure here is merely the body's ability to heal itself given enough time.
December 20, 2014 - 12:42pmThis Comment
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